CRAWFORD: Looks To Move From Top 10s To Victory Lane
08-18-2009 6:33 pm

Rick Crawford, driver of the No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford F-150, makes his 10th career appearance at Bristol Motor Speedway during this week's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Crawford has four top-10 finishes at the Tennessee short track and looking for his first win of the season.

RICK CRAWFORD - driver, No 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford F-150 -BRISTOL IS THE ULTIMATE CONCRETE TRACK. "That's just an ultimate short-track there. It's amazing that vehicles even race at a track like Bristol and you get to put on a good show for the fans. It's very nice to be in our Ford F-150, and drive there for Ford. To finish top five in the last two outings there, I believe, it's a good track for me. I'm a previous winner there in the old Ford Thunderbird days. I know where victory lane is in Bristol and I'm looking forward to getting there in the truck."

CAN YOU COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PREPARING FOR A WEDNESDAY NIGHT RACE AS A TEAM? "You almost have to prepare for Bristol ahead of time. You've got to be mentally prepared for Bristol and have more equipment prepared. I call it a five Tylenol night. When you go to Bristol, you're on the edge and the fans are on the edge of their seat. I'm up on the wheel and you can just about manhandle the vehicle around Bristol at the speeds that you're going. If you start thinking about what you're doing wrong, then you're already in the next corner and you don't have time for that. A Wednesday night race there, you've got to be prepared. I think it's great for the fans, and great for the viewing audience on TV. It's great that everyone comes down and supports Ford Racing and what goes on at the race track, but also views it on TV. But you have to always remember, television does not do Bristol justice. It's almost like going to an NHRA drag racing event to see the Top Fuel and Funny Cars get off line. There's no way for TV to do it justice. If it did, your flat screen would be off the wall. All of the vibration, the horsepower and all of that kind of stuff and how fast John Force can talk, your television would slap right off the wall, and you'd be watching TV from your rug. Fans need to come out here and enjoy these races in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series."

WHERE DO YOU LOOK WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING AT BRISTOL? "You're always a half a track ahead. In the early days, we used to get caught up in things. I thought I had plenty of time to slow down, and it just won't happen. Now, since they have more bank in there, with a better surface at Bristol, it's got a lot more grip and it's easier to get stopped. But now it's also easier to get collected up into something now that it's two-wide racing. Now, when you want to race at Bristol, you've got plenty of race track to race on. It doesn't look like it, but you got to be there, folks."