Charlotte, N.C. — Rick Crawford left the Atlanta Motor Speedway in a way that no one would want to — in the back of an ambulance. Crawford found himself there after an unfortunate, some might say horrific, incident in the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Crawford got tangled up in a lap 45 incident when he drove into a stationary vehicle that was sitting on the track. The hit was savage and resulted in the three drivers who were involved being sent to local area hospitals.
Now, several days after the incident Crawford is resting at home, with two broken bones in his left foot. Thankfully Crawford will not require surgery; and if he follows doctors orders of staying off the injury he should be in good shape for the series' next event, which will take place April 17, at Martinsville Speedway.
TFR spoke with team spokesman, Jeff Opalach, who relayed this information regarding Crawford's health.
Opalach also told TFR that the remnants of Crawford's truck had been hauled to NASCAR's research and development center in Conover, N.C., where inspections were taking place on the No. 14 Circle Bar Motel & RV Ford.
While Opalach did not have a specific number for the g-forces applied to Crawford's rig, he did say that, according to NASCAR, it was a heavy hit that Crawford rode through.
Crawford's safety "cocoon" within the vehicle held up nicely, and the Head And Neck Safety device that he wears likely saved him from more serious, injury.
Opalach also noted that this was only the second event where his driver had worn a full-faced helmet, one of the new Impact Racing units being produced by longtime safety advocate Bill Simpson.
Crawford, until this year, wore an open-face helmet due to previous preferences. But the new helmet was chosen due to its unique air inlet system, which blows air down onto the driver from a port in the top of the helmet. Simpson helped Crawford make the switch with his meticulous attention to detail, accommodating the drivers' needs at every step of the process.
The new Impact branded helmet is gaining in popularity within the garage, as Simpson visits with the drivers to help educate them regarding the newest technology.
