“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
- Former NASCAR driver Rick Crawford facing at least a decade of prison time
As has been extensively reported on by our own Jerry Jordan, on Thursday former NASCAR driver Rick Crawford was found guilty of knowingly enticing a minor for the purposes of child prostitution.
Crawford was arrested on February 28, 2018 after responding to a Craiglist ad for “taboo sex” and offering to pay $50.00 to $75.00 to have sex with who he was told was the poster’s 12-year-old daughter.
The person Crawford messaged about the arrangement was actually undercover agent John McElyea with the FBI’s Violent Crime Against Children Task Force.
According to the Department of Justice press release, 60-year-old Crawford had requested that the (fictitious) girl be either nude or be wearing something with “easy access” when they met.
Crawford was arrested at the location where he was to meet this girl. When federal agents searched Crawford and his vehicle, they found $80.00 and a condom in his pocket, “an emergency contraceptive pill, massage oil, a phallic device, a sexual performance enhancement pill, adult pornography, a DVD player”, and more condoms.
His cellphone was also searched and contained the e-mails and text messages exchanged between Crawford and McElyea.
Crawford will face a minimum prison sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with the maximum extending all the way up to a possible life sentence.
Crawford is most well known for his Camping World Truck Series career, where he won five races in 336 career starts. His last start was in October of 2012 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Crawford had previously been on a list of individuals who could hear penalty appeals for NASCAR. He was removed from that list at the time of his arrest.
A sentencing hearing will be held November 26, 2018.
2. Lucas Oil Raceway undergoing major renovations with an eye to NASCAR
Lucas Oil Raceway used to host annual NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the same weekend that the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was in town for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
However, in an effort to spruce up the weekend at the Brickyard, LOR was removed from the NASCAR schedule. Now the XFINITY Series races at IMS and the Truck Series no longer has a presence in Indianapolis.
Track general manager Kasey Coler has set out to change that.
The racing facility will undergo an eight-figure, three-phase renovation project that will see the drag strip, the oval track, and the road course upgraded in order to make the facility more attractive to more racing series.
And, yes, that includes NASCAR.
“I think it’s no secret that we’d like to see other forms of stock car racing, be it different forms of NASCAR racing that come back out here,” Coler said in an interview with IndyStar. “That’s long term what we’d like to see.”
The oval track currently hosts approximately 10 races each season, most notably with the ARCA Racing Series and USAC.
The racing surface, fencing, lighting and seating were all named as areas the racetrack plans to improve.
NASCAR signed a five-year agreement with the racetracks on their schedules in 2015, meaning these renovations would need to be finished by 2021 if they are going to have a realistic chance at getting back on the schedule(s).
3. Rockingham Speedway has a new owner
One of the most beloved dormant racetracks in the hearts of NASCAR nation, Rockingham Speedway now has a new owner. Dan Lovenheim, majority owner of Rockingham Properties LLC, finalized the sale on Thursday, saying that his plans for the property are “remarkably encompassing”.
Levenheim owns Capital City Tavern and other properties in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The track known as “The Rock” was valued by Tax Administrator Vagas Jackson at $2,993,324. Rockingham was previously valued at $6.85 million when it was up for sale in November of 2016, with “the track not being used” listed as one of the reasons for the decline.
Rockingham was on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule from 1965 to 2004, with Richard Petty’s 11 victories at the track the highest of any other driver.
The XFINITY Series raced at Rockingham from 1982 to 2004.
The 1.07-mile oval returned to the NASCAR national series schedule with the Camping World Truck Series for two seasons, from 2012 and 2013, but poor attendance and the financial strain of re-opening the track and operating expenses forced the closure of the facility once again.
Kyle Larson is the most recent NASCAR winner at Rockingham.
4. 118 entries for Indianapolis Motor Speedway Dirt Track race include many familiar names
The first race on a new dirt track in Turn 3 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway has apparently generated a lot of excitement in the racing community, including many familiar names in NASCAR.
A record-breaking 118 entries are on the entry list for the inaugural Driven2SaveLives “BC39” presented by NOS Energy Drink for the USAC National Midget race on September 6th. The race will be the Thursday before the final regular season finale for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at IMS.
The race will honor Bryan Clauson, who passed away August 6, 2016, after being involved in a crash in the Belleville Midget Nationals at Belleville High-Banks Speedway in Kansas at the age of 27.
Multiple NASCAR regulars are entered in the race including Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Landon Cassill, JJ Yeley, and Chase Briscoe.
The event will take place across September 5th and 6th, with hot laps, heat races and a pursuit race on Wednesday, followed by hot laps, qualifying races, and heat races to set the field for the 39-lap A main.
The $15,000.00 prize to the winner will be the largest in midget racing.
Sarah Fisher was the first ever to make laps on the quarter-mile track. Fisher is a retired Verizon IndyCar Series driver, former IndyCar Series team owner, and will field three cars in the BC39. Clauson competed in his first ever Indianapolis 500 while driving for Fisher’s team, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, back in 2012.
5. Schedule for on-track activity Friday at Darlington
With both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series on-site at Darlington Raceway, there will be plenty to see on track before the main event — the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Sunday.
Here is today’s on-track schedule:
- NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice: 1:05PM – 1:55PM ET (NBCSN)
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice: 2:05PM – 2:55PM ET (NBCSN)
- NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice: 3:05PM – 3:55PM ET (NBCSN)
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice: 4:05PM – 4:55PM ET (NBCSN)
There will also be seven press conferences that can be viewed live on NASCAR.com:
- Derrike Cope and Bojangles’ President Randy Poindexter: 11:10AM ET
- NASCAR partnership announcement: 11:30AM ET
- Justin Allgaier and Christopher Bell: 11:45AM ET
- Denny Hamlin: 12:05PM ET
- Kyle Larson: 12:30PM ET
- Kurt Busch: 1:00PM ET
- Matt Kenseth: 1:15PM ET
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If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For August 31, 2018
“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
As has been extensively reported on by our own Jerry Jordan, on Thursday former NASCAR driver Rick Crawford was found guilty of knowingly enticing a minor for the purposes of child prostitution.
Crawford was arrested on February 28, 2018 after responding to a Craiglist ad for “taboo sex” and offering to pay $50.00 to $75.00 to have sex with who he was told was the poster’s 12-year-old daughter.
The person Crawford messaged about the arrangement was actually undercover agent John McElyea with the FBI’s Violent Crime Against Children Task Force.
According to the Department of Justice press release, 60-year-old Crawford had requested that the (fictitious) girl be either nude or be wearing something with “easy access” when they met.
Crawford was arrested at the location where he was to meet this girl. When federal agents searched Crawford and his vehicle, they found $80.00 and a condom in his pocket, “an emergency contraceptive pill, massage oil, a phallic device, a sexual performance enhancement pill, adult pornography, a DVD player”, and more condoms.
His cellphone was also searched and contained the e-mails and text messages exchanged between Crawford and McElyea.
Crawford will face a minimum prison sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with the maximum extending all the way up to a possible life sentence.
Crawford is most well known for his Camping World Truck Series career, where he won five races in 336 career starts. His last start was in October of 2012 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Crawford had previously been on a list of individuals who could hear penalty appeals for NASCAR. He was removed from that list at the time of his arrest.
A sentencing hearing will be held November 26, 2018.
2. Lucas Oil Raceway undergoing major renovations with an eye to NASCAR
Lucas Oil Raceway used to host annual NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the same weekend that the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was in town for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
However, in an effort to spruce up the weekend at the Brickyard, LOR was removed from the NASCAR schedule. Now the XFINITY Series races at IMS and the Truck Series no longer has a presence in Indianapolis.
Track general manager Kasey Coler has set out to change that.
The racing facility will undergo an eight-figure, three-phase renovation project that will see the drag strip, the oval track, and the road course upgraded in order to make the facility more attractive to more racing series.
And, yes, that includes NASCAR.
“I think it’s no secret that we’d like to see other forms of stock car racing, be it different forms of NASCAR racing that come back out here,” Coler said in an interview with IndyStar. “That’s long term what we’d like to see.”
The oval track currently hosts approximately 10 races each season, most notably with the ARCA Racing Series and USAC.
The racing surface, fencing, lighting and seating were all named as areas the racetrack plans to improve.
NASCAR signed a five-year agreement with the racetracks on their schedules in 2015, meaning these renovations would need to be finished by 2021 if they are going to have a realistic chance at getting back on the schedule(s).
3. Rockingham Speedway has a new owner
One of the most beloved dormant racetracks in the hearts of NASCAR nation, Rockingham Speedway now has a new owner. Dan Lovenheim, majority owner of Rockingham Properties LLC, finalized the sale on Thursday, saying that his plans for the property are “remarkably encompassing”.
Levenheim owns Capital City Tavern and other properties in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The track known as “The Rock” was valued by Tax Administrator Vagas Jackson at $2,993,324. Rockingham was previously valued at $6.85 million when it was up for sale in November of 2016, with “the track not being used” listed as one of the reasons for the decline.
Rockingham was on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule from 1965 to 2004, with Richard Petty’s 11 victories at the track the highest of any other driver.
The XFINITY Series raced at Rockingham from 1982 to 2004.
The 1.07-mile oval returned to the NASCAR national series schedule with the Camping World Truck Series for two seasons, from 2012 and 2013, but poor attendance and the financial strain of re-opening the track and operating expenses forced the closure of the facility once again.
Kyle Larson is the most recent NASCAR winner at Rockingham.
4. 118 entries for Indianapolis Motor Speedway Dirt Track race include many familiar names
The first race on a new dirt track in Turn 3 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway has apparently generated a lot of excitement in the racing community, including many familiar names in NASCAR.
A record-breaking 118 entries are on the entry list for the inaugural Driven2SaveLives “BC39” presented by NOS Energy Drink for the USAC National Midget race on September 6th. The race will be the Thursday before the final regular season finale for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at IMS.
The race will honor Bryan Clauson, who passed away August 6, 2016, after being involved in a crash in the Belleville Midget Nationals at Belleville High-Banks Speedway in Kansas at the age of 27.
Multiple NASCAR regulars are entered in the race including Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Landon Cassill, JJ Yeley, and Chase Briscoe.
The event will take place across September 5th and 6th, with hot laps, heat races and a pursuit race on Wednesday, followed by hot laps, qualifying races, and heat races to set the field for the 39-lap A main.
The $15,000.00 prize to the winner will be the largest in midget racing.
Sarah Fisher was the first ever to make laps on the quarter-mile track. Fisher is a retired Verizon IndyCar Series driver, former IndyCar Series team owner, and will field three cars in the BC39. Clauson competed in his first ever Indianapolis 500 while driving for Fisher’s team, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, back in 2012.
5. Schedule for on-track activity Friday at Darlington
With both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series on-site at Darlington Raceway, there will be plenty to see on track before the main event — the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Sunday.
Here is today’s on-track schedule:
There will also be seven press conferences that can be viewed live on NASCAR.com:
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If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.