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FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 18, 2021) – Roger Crockett capped the Texas Throwback by earning his first career Bandits Outlaw Sprint Series triumph and his first-ever victory at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track last Saturday.
Crockett participated in the event theme in more ways than just driving. He turned his winged sprint car into a tribute to NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, who dominated on the pavement at Texas Motor Speedway.
“We chose him as our throwback because of the domination,” Crockett said. “He had the most wins, most top fives, most top 10s and most laps led at Texas Motor Speedway. I respect somebody with the dedication to be that dominating.”
Crockett enjoyed a dominating ending to a strong weekend, which began on Friday during the opening round of the doubleheader.
“Right out of the gate we weren’t great to start the night,” he said. “I didn’t know exactly what to expect with getting the car right with their rules package. We didn’t feel great in hot laps and we were in the first heat race when there was water on the track. I got a good start and went to go high around a couple of guys when I hit the water and slid up the track. I fell back to last and had to work hard to get back by a few cars.”
Crockett officially advanced from seventh to fourth in the heat race. That lined him up on the inside of the fifth row in the main event.
“We were really good,” he said. “We were able to run the middle of the track in the slick where everybody else was on the bottom. We were up to fourth before the track took rubber. I think Sam (Hafertepe Jr.) tried to save his tire more and we were able to get by him and Chase Randall in turns three and four with a couple of laps to go. By then Dylan (Westbrook) was gone. I wish we had been able to race with him because our car was really, really good.”
Crockett earned the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars as he advanced from ninth to second place.
“We knew the car was really good so I pretty much started the next night similar to where we finished Friday,” he said. “We were the fastest car in hot laps and we won our heat race. We were taking it easy to make sure we had plenty of tire for the main event since you have to run the same tires all night.”
Crockett won both his heat race and the main event from the third starting position.
“In the feature we got to second and weren’t trying to push the issue yet because you have to make your tires last,” he said. “We had one close call where a guy blew his motor right in front of us. I got into the back of him and luckily it didn’t hurt our car. A couple of laps after a restart we got by the leader. I was able to run high until the last restart. It was a great weekend and fun to cap it with a win.”
Crockett’s victory was his third of the season.
QUICK RESULTS –
Oct. 15 – Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in Fort Worth, Texas – Heat race: 4 (7); Feature: 2 (9).
Oct. 16 – Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in Fort Worth, Texas – Heat race: 1 (3); Feature: 1 (3).
SEASON STATS –
26 races, 3 wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s, 17 top 15s, 20 top 20s
UP NEXT –
TBD
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_Rocket_11
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roger.crockett.11/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therocket11/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Factory Kahne
Factory Kahne shocks is a leading manufacturer of shock absorbers for all types of dirt track racing. For more info, visit http://www.FactoryKahne.com.
“We’re super happy with the relationship we’ve established with Cole and Willie at FK Shocks,” Crockett said. “They’ve helped me a lot with our program and I’m looking forward continuing to have success together.”
Crockett would also like to thank Tracker Native Tobacco, Theodore Concrete Construction, BC Motorsports, RR Bounds Trucking, Rocket Designs, Champion Racing Oil, Olson Custom Designs, Maxim Chassis, Blaine’s Motor Supply, FK Rod Ends, Smith Titanium, Moose Blocks, KW Motorsports, K1 RaceGear, TJ Forged, Indy Race Parts, Bell Helmets, AL Driveline, Newlin Bar Service, Rider Racing Engines and KSE Racing Products for their continued support.