Mobile, Ala. - Rick Crawford hasn't competed full-time in NASCAR since 2010 but he's still very much a part of the sport.
Rick Crawford Talks Pack Drafting, ARCA Series in Ranting and Raving Exclusive
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Crawford is the promoter and track manager at Mobile Int’l Speedway, where he most recently made headlines by delivering the ARCA Series to South Alabama.
Since taking over at the speedway, Crawford has improved facilities, increased competition and set his sights on securing NASCAR events. Mobile currently seats 8,000 fans but could host a Camping World Truck Series event if seating is expanded.
“We’ve had NASCAR officials look at the track and they like what they see,” Crawford said. “We’ll have to expand our seating capacity and construct a NASCAR-style pit road and that’s something we’ll entertain if we can secure a date.”
Crawford’s made no secret of his desire to see the Truck Series visit his home track. The ARCA Series should be an early test to see if his speedway is ready to host major league stock car racing.
Crawford Opines on the Two-Car Draft
Rick Crawford is a veteran of Daytona International Speedway and its large multi-car packs. His 11-year consecutive start streak at Daytona is a Series record, as is his overall races started mark which currently stands at 331. As such, Crawford is well-versed when discussing Daytona and making changes to restrictor plate racing.
”When I first saw it, I was intrigued by the novelty and thought, ‘I’ll watch this,’ Crawford said. “But as time went on, I just came to the conclusion that this isn’t what racing is about. When fans go to the apparel tent, they don’t buy Team Hendrick or Gibbs Racing. They buy Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.
“Racing should be about the fastest and smartest individual drivers and less about how fast the guys pushing them are.”
Crawford also dislikes drivers being able to communicate with each other over the radio and approNASCAR to eliminate the
“I really enjoyed running three-and-four wide at Daytona,” Crawford said. “You can still put yourself in a position to win even if you’re the pusher. It became a 200-mph chess match. I’d really like to see us get back to pack racing. And if NASCAR wants it, they’ll make it happen.”
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