BY TEAM FORD RACING CORRESPONDENT

Talladega, Ala. — Despite his wreck-related 21st-place, eight laps down, Rick Crawford could still smile about the F-150 he drove in Saturday afternoon’s Mountain Dew Camping World Truck Series 250 at the Talladega Superspeedway.

“I got hit three or four times, got knocked all over the place, went airborne and almost went over and couldn’t finish the race, but I could still drive this Ford back into the garage,” Crawford said with a hint of pride. “Man, that’s one tough truck. I really wish everybody would go out and drive one and enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine. We had a top-five truck today if it hadn’t been for that big wreck on the backstretch.””

Crawford was among four F-150 drivers in the 98-lap race, extended four laps by the late-race caution that sidelined or damaged eight trucks. Pole-sinner Colin Braun finished 12th, rookie James Buescher was 15th and Ryan Hackett was 31st in his first Talladega start. Braun led three times for 26 laps, most of any driver, but fell from fifth to 12th when he was shuffled out of the front pack on the last lap. Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola finished 1-2.

He was involved in a multi-car accident at lap 65 that required several pit stops for repairs to his truck’s left-rear. He quickly raced his way back from the 20s into the top-10, and was sixth on the last restart and fifth on the last lap. “I thought we had a great shot [at winning] on the last lap, but things always seem to happen,” he said. “It’s disappointing to have what I think was the best truck here, only to finish back like we did. But it shows we don’t quit when things get tough.”

Despite their poor finishes, both Braun (fifth) and Crawford (10th) remain among the leaders in CWTS points with races remaining in Fort Worth, Phoenix and Homestead. Ron Hornaday Jr. remains the series leader by 202 over Matt Crafton and 327 over Mike Skinner.

TOP-10 IN THE MOUNTAIN DEW TRUCK SERIES 250 AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
1. Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. Aric Almirola, Toyota
3. Todd Bodine, Toyota
4. Terry Cook, Toyota
5. David Starr, Toyota
6. Mario Gosslin, Chevrolet
7. Stacy Compton, Toyota
8. Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet
9. Justin Hobgood, Chevrolet
10. Matt Crafton, Chevrolet

TEAM FORD RACING FINISHERS IN THE MOUNTAIN DEW CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES 250 AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
12. Colin Braun, Roush Fenway Racing
15. James Buescher, Circle Bar Racing
21. Rick Crawford, Circle Bar Racing
31. Ryan Hackett, Hackett Racing