Rick Crawford at the Hall of Fame Press Conference (Circle Bar PR Photo)

The Mobile Sports Hall of Fame tapped Rick Crawford, driver of the Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel Ford F-150, to become the 75th inductee into the Hall of Fame. Crawford's induction will be the first from the world of motor sports and the first time an active athlete has been voted into the Hall. Crawford was selected from 78 nominees and swept into the Hall of Fame with an overwhelming letter writing campaign from fans along the Gulf Coast. The 4 member 2007 Class will join prior inductees, Hank Aaron, Vince Dooley, Willie McCovey, Kenny Stabler, Billy Williams, Satchel Paige, Cleon Jones, Amos Otis, Tommie Agee, Ozzie Smith and Richard Todd. The induction ceremony of the 2007 Hall of Fame Class is slated for April 19 at Mobile's Marriott Hotel.

Crawford said, "When people have asked, 'Where're you from?' I've always told them I'm from L.A. They would say, 'You don't have the accent,' and I would tell them I'm from the same hometown as Hank Aaron -- Mobile, Alabama. What's special about being from Mobile is being able to go up to so many others from Mobile, who have made a name for themselves in other things and just be able to say, 'Hey. How's it going?' and sit and talk with them. I've always been proud to say I'm from Mobile and now being mentioned in the same sentence with my hero Hank Aaron is more than I could ever hope for."

More Circle Bar Racing News

David Starr at the Homestead-Miami test sessions in the No. 10 Circle Bar Ford. (Christina Ramzel Photo)

Lone Starr Teammate: When David Starr (No. 10 International MaxxForce Diesel Ford) got the call from Rick Crawford (No. 14 Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel Ford) informing him of owner Tom Mitchell's decision to hire Starr to drive the newly expanded team's second truck, he knew he was going into a good situation. A phone call with racing legend A.J. Foyt only reassured Starr.

"I talked to A.J. Foyt a week ago and I told him I was going to drive for Tom Mitchell and everything and he said 'It don't get any better than Tom Mitchell,'" Starr said. "'He's not a great guy, he's a super guy.' When that comes from a legend like A.J. Foyt, you know you're dealing with good people."

The move is paying immediate dividends for the entire Circle Bar Racing team.

"You've just seen the evidence of it," said Crawford after reading the Wednesday afternoon time chart. "Both cars were in the top seven and things are working good."