Rick Crawford isn’t worried about what he’ll do for an encore. The sort-of-but-not-really-retired NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veteran driver made his debut as track operator last weekend at Mobile International Speedway and packed in the fans. Crawford has a lot of plans for shows to put on — things like bluegrass, country and gospel music and driving schools. And he also has his sights set on bringing the ARCA Series to Mobile. ARCA mostly races in the Midwest but does make an annual trip to Talladega and many of its races are at short tracks similar to Mobile. “I’m thinking it’s in the future, maybe the near future, maybe 2012 or 2013,” Crawford said. And one day, he said, he’d like to bring NASCAR’s Truck Series to Mobile. That would take some substantial improvements to the track — like more walls and SAFER barriers, an improved pit road and more seating. Crawford has 330 starts in the Truck Series with five career wins and 160 top 10s. His longtime affiliation with Ford and Circle Bar Racing ended last year when sponsorship dried up and he has raced for a few other teams since. “I’m committed to be hands on at Mobile Speedway,” he said, “but at the same time I haven’t retired yet.” “I think I can still get the job done. In fact, I know I can,” he said. If the right situation comes along with the right team, he said, he’ll return to NASCAR. In the meantime, he’s got another full slate of racing to host on April 9.(AL.com)(3-31-2011)
