Erin Crocker LATEST SNIPPET Crocker will run in approximately eleven ARCA and four Busch races in 2007.[1] She won the pole for the season-opening ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway in 2007. She would struggle, finishing 20th in the race. Direct access to this web page: http://bit.ly/cnQwNP 2:19 Bio 2006 Results Free time at the beach brings back memories Erin Crocker and Ray Evernham Dating Crocker, Fisher could be NASCAR's Danica Crocker Q&A: Taking on Talladega What’s so special? Claire B. Land interviews Erin Crocker Related Issue: Women Racers Directory, Women in Racing, Women Racers, More Women in Racing, Race Schedules, Notable Women www.erincrocker.com/ (not found) or www.rayevernham.com E-Mail (not found) Who is NASCAR's Danica? The leading candidates are Erin Crocker and Sarah Fisher, both 24. Another to watch is Allison Duncan, 26. Duncan, also part of Childress' developmental program, drives in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway, where she became the first woman to win a late model feature event. She has a little farther to climb but shows talent. Background Born: March 23, 1981 Height: 5'6" Weight: 115 lbs. Home: Wilbraham, Mass. Lives: Charlotte, N.C. Hobbies: Skiing, running, shopping Race driver Married to Ray Evernham Erin Crocker grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, a suburban town in the western part of the state. The youngest of 5 children and daughter of Susan Crocker and the late William Crocker, Erin spent most of her time tagging along after her older siblings, especially her brothers. Her father introduced the children to racing at a young age. Erin spent her earliest days watching her brothers’ race and asking when it was her time to get in the seat. At the age of seven, Erin got her chance and ran a quarter midget in the Custom Quarter Midget Club out of Thompson, Connecticut and the Silver City Quarter Midget Club out of Meriden, Connecticut. That year she brought home Most Improved Novice and found her love of racing. The next few years brought many accomplishments with the Quarter Midgets of America. Erin was Female Driver of the Year in 1993, 1994 and 1995 as well as a Northeast Regional Champion from 1993 to 1996. From there she balanced racing with her high school career. Erin was a member of a number of varsity sports including soccer, tennis, lacrosse, and ski team as well as Vice President of her class and a National Honor Society affiliate. In 1997, during her sophomore year, Erin ran a mini sprint where she was awarded Rookie of the Year and became the first female and youngest driver to win a feature at Whip City Speedway. In 1999, Erin drove a sprint car in the Eastern Limited Sprints (ELS) where again she took home Rookie of the Year honors. Erin went on to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York where she just recently graduated from in the spring of 2003. She received her bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Management Engineering. Beyond racing, Erin kept busy at RPI by joining Pi Beta Phi sorority and playing for the varsity women’s lacrosse team. Other than running a PRO Tour truck in four races, 2000 did not bring much full time racing. In 2001, Mike Woodring, then 7 time Empire Super Sprints (ESS) champion, was looking to add a second car to his 360 winged sprint car team. Erin, familiar with the league, was asked to drive for Woodring racing for the 2002 season. The year was full of success. Driving the #16 360 Sprint, Erin finished with five A-feature wins, twelve heat wins, and one New Track Record and was awarded the 360 “ Wild Card” award from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame for her exciting performances and the ESS Outstanding Newcomer award. The team was also honored as the 360 Team of the Year by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. After attempting to run the United States Auto Club’s (USAC) Silver Crown series in the early stages of the 2003 season, Mike and Erin realized it was not working. With a minimal budget and very little knowledge and pavement experience between the two of them, they decided to concentrate on what was more familiar to them, dirt winged sprint cars. In August, Erin got behind the wheel of a 410 sprint car for the first time. In only her third night with the new power plant, Erin became the first women, in the 43 year history, to qualify for the famed Knoxville Nationals. She was named the 2003 Nationals Rookie of the Year for her remarkable performance. Throughout 2003 Erin had six Fast Times, set two New Track Records, had eleven top fives, and had many strong finishes at World of Outlaw (WoO) and All-Star Circuit of Champion (ASCoC) events. Erin was ranked 14th in the mid season 360 Sprint Car Driver Poll. At the end of the 2003 season, she was announced as the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 410 Rookie of the Year and was honored with the 360 and the 410 “Wild Card” awards from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. In 2004, Erin has continued with 410 winged sprint cars driving for Woodring Racing as she is competing with the prestigious and highly competitive World of Outlaws series. She has been racing against names such as Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski every night. Erin has also been seeking other driving opportunities to diversify her skills. With a long term goal including either the Indy Racing League (IRL) or the NASCAR Nextel Cup, Erin hopes to gain experience and knowledge that will help prepare her for her future. Erin was selected by Ford Motor Company for their new Women’s Driver Development Program after a test in Indianapolis this spring. She has tested a Bob East/ Steve Lewis owned Ford USAC National midget and may be competing in a few races for them later this fall. There is no set plan with Ford and no contractual agreement as of yet. Erin has an incredible amount of natural talent in a race car. She is very athletic and keeps herself in great physical condition. She possesses the drive, the commitment and the determination to make it to the top in her chosen field. She finds great pleasure in most everyone she is involved with including her fans, her team members and her competitors. She is well spoken, attractive and poised. “Erin Crocker has the opportunity to do some very special things over the next few years. If Knoxville was any indication, this kid has just the right mix of ability, desire and personality to truly make her mark on the sport.” ~Dave Argabright, Sprint Car and Midget Magazine, November 2003 In Dodge's prepared by Evernham Motorsports, won 2007 Superspeedway Challenge championship becoming the first female driver to earn the honor. Only female driver in ARCA RE/MAX Series history with three runner-up finishes at Kentucky Speedway '07 & '05 and Kansas Speedway '06. Only female driver in series history to earn 5 SIM Factory Pole Awards at Daytona Int'l Speedway '07, Kentucky '07, '06 & '05 and Nashville Superspeedway '05. In 25 career starts since 2005, has 12 top-5 finishes and 16 top-10s. Also finished 3rd at Nashville '07, 3rd at Michigan Int'l Speedway '07, 3rd at Pocono Raceway '05, 3rd at Nashville '05, 4th at Pocono '07, 4th at Michigan '06, 4th at Talladega Superspeedway '05, 5th at Kentucky '07, 5th at Chicagoland Speedway '07, 6th at Nashville '07, 7th at Kansas '07, 7th at Michigan '05 and 8th at Gateway Int'l Raceway '06. Has led 124 laps in 8 races. Veteran of NASCAR Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Veteran of World of Outlaw sprints, All-Star sprints, ESS sprints, ELS sprints, mini-sprints and quarter midgets. First female to win an A-main feature event in World of Outlaws competition '04. First female in history to qualify into the Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway IA '03. Named Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year '03. Won 5 ESS A-main feature events '01. 360 Team of the Year by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame '01. ELS sprint Rookie of the Year '99. Mini-sprint Rookie of the Year at Whip City Speedway '97. Graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York with bachelor's degree in Industrial & Management Engineering in 2003. Snippets Crocker appears in 18 month Women in the Winner's Circle 2007 calendar along with 17 other women throughout the motorsports field. *     *     * Kansas Speedway - 7/2/06 - Erin Crocker became the first female driver in ARCA Re/Max Series history to earn two second place finishes, despite a spin on lap 60. “I was hoping that we’d catch Frank there,” said Crocker. “We were able to pick up four fresh tires on that final pit stop which helped us. But we probably tightened the car up a little too much.” *     *     * Erin Crocker finished 4th in the ARCA race this Friday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. This strong finished coupled with Erin's second fastest speed in the final practice in the Evernham Dodge Craftsman truck are good signs of team performance. The series heads to Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas for the Kansas Lottery $200 Grand on Saturday, July 1, 2006. The event will be broadcast on SPEED at 3:00 pm on Sunday, July 2nd. Free time at the beach brings back memories Erin Crocker is stepping up a program that she hopes will land her in a full-time Nextel Cup ride by driving in the Busch, Truck and ARCA Series for Evernham Motorsports. The youngest of five children, Crocker has been sharing weekly with NASCAR.COM readers the ups and downs of her life on and off the track through staff writer David Newton. Erin Crocker 2006 Stats Race Start Finish Daytona 24 27 California 33 27 Atlanta 30 26 Martinsville 34 25 Gateway 30 22 Charlotte 2 18 Mansfield 25 28 Dover 25 24 Texas 12 33 Michigan 11 24 Milwaukee 33 25 Kansas 12 16 Kentucky 34 37 Memphis 34 30 Average 24.2 25.1 2006 Busch Series Stats Nashville 19 37 Milwaukee 25 28 Gateway 21 19 I'm spending Tuesday and Wednesday at a big beach house that my mom rents on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for all of my siblings and their families. I can't even tell you the last time I went to the beach just to relax. Usually, I don't get a break from racing. I get one day a week off to kind of regroup, do laundry and get ready for the next weekend. That's my choice because I love racing and that's my career. But this is nice. Right now we're in a stretch where I'm running a lot of double-header weekends with the ARCA, Truck and Busch Series and could use a few days off. I really haven't taken what I consider a vacation since I was a kid. When I was growing up we used to go to Florida every year as a family deal, and it usually was around the Daytona race. We spent a little time in the Florida Keys. My parents had a house there and we used to go there for my father's birthday before he passed away. But my oldest sibling is 11 years older than me, so by the time she graduated high school we didn't do the typical family vacations anymore. I really don't have a dream vacation. I love to travel. I've been in 46 of the 50 United States. I've still got to go to Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho and Iowa. The year I traveled all over in the Sprint car series, the team went through Idaho and Iowa, but each time I had to go home. One time I flew to Darlington to meet with somebody, and another time I had to attend my grandfather's funeral. So I can't count them. At some point I'd like to travel Europe. I'd like to go to China and see Hong Kong. I enjoy seeing different cultures. When I'm through with my career, I'd like to travel a lot. Right now, I'll take the beach. The family has been going for several years, but I haven't been able to join them because of my schedule. I've called them to say hello and you hear them having fun on the beach. It makes you feel left out. I need a break. Last weekend was pretty tough. I finished 28th in the Busch race and 25th in the Truck race in Milwaukee. Every day you had to get up early to practice, qualify and race, so there was a lot going on. I finished the Busch race, which was kind of an accomplishment since it was only the second one I had finished in my five or six career Busch races. When you say it that way, it makes me look like I haven't done that well in the series. Afterwards, I was on the radio saying, "This is the first time I've driven an Evernham Busch car home without needing a tow truck.'' The only other Busch race I finished was the time I drove the Fitz-Bradshaw car. Ray [Evernham] has always given me a hard time about that. So finishing is a start. It was a good learning weekend. And after the race a good friend, Kelley Gray, from high school called from Boston to ask me to be in her wedding. I was pretty excited about that. I flew out to Milwaukee early to do an autograph session at a grocery store. On Sunday, I flew from Milwaukee to Minneapolis, the headquarters of my sponsor General Mills. While we were there we went to a local short track called Shakopee [Minn.] Raceway Park, where I ran in a match race in Legends cars against Bruce Allen of General Mills. I beat him, and we joked about that in Victory Lane. I was thinking, "Maybe I should have let the sponsor beat me.'' Before that I went to the Mall of America [once the largest mall in the United States]. I had been there before, but it was the first time I got to spend a few hours shopping. I didn't ride the rollercoaster inside the mall. I'm a shopper. It's an amazing place. We were only there for two and a half hours, and that's really not time to cover it all. But I did buy a few things to take to my mom at the beach. Source: Erin Crocker, June 28, 2006 www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/truck/06/28/ecrocker_daytona/index.html What’s so special? She’s the first female to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals and to win a World of Outlaws race. Crocker is moving through the ranks under the watchful eye and protection of NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham. "I don't compare myself to other women drivers; I compare myself to all drivers," says Crocker, the only woman ever to win a World of Outlaws (sprint car) race. The 24-year-old Wilbraham, Massachusetts, native made her NASCAR Busch Series debut September 9 at Richmond, Virginia, International Raceway. See the January, 2006 issue of Car and Driver, page 120. Crocker had 4 starts in the 35 race Busch Series in 2005 and finished 90th out of 149 with $69,400 in earnings. Two other women qualified in 2005: Kim Crosby and Shawna Robinson. Erin also had two starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Kelly Sutton and Deborah Renshaw also participanted in that series in 2005 Crocker, Fisher could be NASCAR's Danica Chris from Latham, N.Y.: Who will be NASCAR's Danica Patrick and become the best female stock-car driver in the future? Larry McReynolds: It doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man, you're only as good as the equipment that you're in. Uunfortunately a lot of the women who have been in NASCAR have not had top-notch equipment. But two names to watch closely are Erin Crocker and Sarah Fisher. Crocker is a developmental driver for Ray Evernham who will put her in some Busch races this season. She's running some ARCA races right now. She sat on the pole at Nashville and ran right up front. And she's in top-notch equipment. An open-wheel driver like Patrick, Fisher was signed by Richard Childress, and she's running races on the West Coast for Bill McAnally. I'm sure Childress has plans of moving her to the East Coast and running her in some ARCA and Busch races. But whether you're a man or a woman, and whether you weigh 150 pounds or 250 pounds, you're only going to be as good as the equipment you're in. FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com. Source: msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/3654284 Crocker Q&A: Taking on Talladega Erin Crocker makes her first visit to the Talladega Superspeedway on the ARCA RE/MAX circuit (SPEED, Sat. 9:30 p.m. ET). Crocker enters this weekend's race after an impressive third place start/finish in her second visit to Nashville. Team Director Chris Andrews will continue to call the shots from the pit box this week. In her five career ARCA RE/MAX Series starts, Crocker has two poles, three top-five and four top-10 finishes. She's led a total of 86 laps in both Nashville Superspeedway races and the Kentucky Speedway race this year. How would you describe your first experience on the high banks of Talladega? Erin Crocker: "We were second quick on the board in practice (Thursday), but it's hard to tell because with others on the track it can affect the draft and it makes your time a little better than it was. I think we are going to do fairly good." Have you had an opportunity to run in the draft in a stock car? Erin Crocker: "I haven't had the opportunity to run in a draft yet, this will be my first true superspeedway race. (Friday) morning we have another practice, and we are going to try and do a little drafting which will be good, but I really haven't had the experience." What kind of tips have Bill Elliott and your team given you about navigating the draft at Talladega? Erin Crocker: "I'm planning on sitting down with Jeremy (Mayfield on Friday); and I had the chance to talk to him for a few minutes after the test last week, so hopefully I can get some good advice from him. I haven't had the chance to talk with Bill or Kasey (Kahne) at all, but I know that they are both available to help if I need them." How has testing at the superspeedway help your race efforts? Erin Crocker: "We tested at Talladega about a week and half ago and after practice (Thursday) morning it's been a lot of fun. When you are testing you are by yourself on the track, and I think the biggest challenge of the weekend is the race and dealing with the draft and the other cars around me. When I'm out there by myself it's kind of fun, you can just put your foot to the floor and hold on and hit your lines every lap." What are your goals for this weekend in your sixth ARCA start? Erin Crocker: "My goal for this weekend is to have a strong run and learn a lot. The last two weeks, things have kind of gotten side-tracked with disappointing finishes in the Busch Series. I just want to get back in the swing of things and have a good finish. I would love to win no doubt, but more to finish the race, and get some valuable experience that I can take to Daytona in February." Source: msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/4917106 Career ARCA Re/Max Series Stats Year Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Laps Led Races Led Poles 2005 6 0 4 5 93 4 2 2006 7 0 2 3 6 1 1 2007 12 0 6 8 25 3 2 Totals 25 0 12 16 124 8 5  *     *     * WomenInRacing.org | Contact Us ©1996-2023 by Gordon Clay