Craftsman Truck Series driver Rick Crawford, back in his #14 Ford for the first time since a brutal crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway, said he hopes NASCAR will consider moving the spotter’s stand at AMS to a place where spotters will have an unobstructed view of the back- stretch. Crawford said buildings inside the backstretch of the track kept his spotter from being able to see the spinning truck of Tina Gordon, which Crawford hit, sending both drivers to the hospital with broken bones. “My spotter has been spotting for 10 years, and he’s very good at what he does, but at Atlanta he just couldn’t see,” Crawford said. “I think NASCAR needs to move the spotters to get a better angle down the back straightaway because we’re running too fast in the area they can’t see.” NASCAR spokesman Herb Branham said officials have discussed the situation with Crawford, but there are no plans to move the spotter’s stand from its current location atop the suites on the Turn 1 side of the front- stretch.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(4-17-2004)
