Come Friday, Rick Crawford will be known as the “Man In Black” Friday when he gets behind the wheel of the #14 Sears Ford F-150 at Dover International Speedway for the running of the MBNA America 200. Crawford is set to debut a black and blue paint scheme in celebration of the Sears “Good Life, Great Race” national sales promotion scheduled to run through Father’s Day. Crawford will run the special paint scheme on his #14 truck this weekend in Dover as well as in Texas (June 11) and Memphis (June 19). Since its inception in 1995, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has been heralded as a training ground for young racers to learn and perfect the art of auto racing. This weekend NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team Circle Bar Racing welcomes intern Ari Summers, who most recently joined the team in the Charlotte area. Summers a future racer will join Rick Crawford as the team debuts the #14 Sears “Good Life, Great Race” Ford F-150 at the Dover International Speedway. Summers, 19 (Mathematics, Civics and Science Charter School in Philadelphia) joined Circle Bar Racing in their Concord shop May 17th through the 21st as the team prepared for the Infineon Tailgate 200 at the Lowes Motor Speedway. Summers a part of the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) was participating in a one week internship program sponsored by Craftsman Motorsports. The UYRS is a non-profit organization committed to the education, training and preparation of today’s urban youths through exposure to the automotive and motorsports industry. Summers a senior in the program spent the first part of the week in Charlotte learning from Circle Bar Racing’s mechanics and pit crew in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. That Thursday Summers joined the team in their track duties, and then participated as part of the pit crew during Friday’s Infineon Tailgate 200. This weekend Ari once again joins Rick Crawford and the Circle Bar Team at the Dover International Speedway for the MBNA America 200. An added bonus for Summers will be the opportunity to show Rick Crawford his Mini-Cup car when the Circle Bar driver visits the Philadelphia based Urban Youth Racing School Wednesday afternoon.
Believe It or Not? In Rick Crawford’s 176 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, Circle Bar Racing owner Tom Mitchell has never attended an event. ZERO – that’s right; Mr. Mitchell has been affiliated with Rick Crawford for more than 13 years, through Crawford’s run in the NASCAR Slim Jim All-Pro Series and seven straight seasons of Craftsman Truck Racing and has never seen one lap of active competition with Crawford behind the wheel.
Crew chiefs often have an ace in their bag of tricks and for Ray Stonkus that ace seems to be on concrete. In four starts at the Dover International Speedway, Stonkus has led driver Rick Crawford to three top-ten finishes. The duo has combined to lead 182 laps, so both are hoping to pull that final ace this weekend, the one that helps them reach victory lane.(Circle Bar PR)(6-3-2004)
