JOE CRAWFORD TRIUMPHS OVER ADVERSITY AT TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY
by Brian Spaid

August 10, 2007 

   Joe Crawford has a knack at emotional victories.

   On July 21, 2002, following a sad winter during which his father, Richard, died from cancer, the Polk driver scored his first win in five years at Tri-City Speedway with a last lap pass on now retired veteran John Braymer. Tears flowed in victory lane for a race team that lost its leader and nearly lost its drive to continue.

   Fast forward almost five years to the date, July 22, 2007. After nearly losing his arm in an off-track accident in April that could have cost his life, Crawford was back in victory lane in only his third night in the car. The crowd cheered as “Jumpin Joe” leaped on the roof of his DIRTcar Big Block Modified No. 25 to celebrate his triumphant return.

   “That win meant a lot to me,” said Crawford in reference to his recent victory. “I pretty much wrote myself off from ever winning anymore races against the competition out there today.”

   Now in his twelfth season of racing, Crawford’s outlook on the sport and life is a lot different than the intense man track observers watched for over a decade.

   “I look at things a little different in racing now,” said Crawford, who works as an assemblyman at General Electric in Grove City. “It used to bother me a lot to miss the races, but racing is not as important as it used to be.”

   Crawford’s philosophy changed on April 18. He raced at the Lernerville Speedway season opener a few weeks earlier with some decent results. He had a new sponsor and was looking forward to a full season of competition at Tri-City. The BRP Modified Tour announced that a special asphalt race would be added to the schedule for the dirt cars at Lake Erie Speedway in September. Crawford agreed to participate in a tire test and was mounting tires in his garage.

   “I was putting air in the last tire when the weld broke on the aluminum rim. The wheel exploded instead of the tire.”

   An exploding tire is extremely dangerous, especially in a closed environment like a garage. An exploding wheel sends shrapnel in all directions like a grenade inside a tank.

   “I was hit in the left arm and suffered massive injuries. The doctors Hamot Medical Center in Erie said it was smashed really bad. I thought I was going to lose it. I also thought my racing career was over. But they also told me that I was very lucky because, if the parts of the wheel hit my chin, I would have died.”

   Crawford recovered faster than anticipated. He worked so hard on his physical therapy that he returned to work and racing in July, about a month earlier than expected. On the track, Crawford noticed his style of racing was a little different now.

   “I really don’t notice any affect on my driving. But I am trying to be more cautious because I don’t want to wreck and get hurt. I find I’m making better judgment calls than I normally would. These guys racing today are slamming and banging a lot, and they don’t have clue until they’re hurt what its like.”

   Crawford’s first race at Tri-City on July 8 found him ninth at the pay window. The next week, in the BRP Modified Tour Kodiak Memorial, Crawford finished a stellar third. Then, he scored his comeback victory on July 22. The following weekend, he traveled with the BRP Modified Tour to Tyler County Speedway in West Virginia, where he finished second.

   Needless to say, Crawford’s performance is nothing short of spectacular for a man that thought he’d never race again.

   “The biggest reason I think we’re doing so well is that everything’s fresh. These other guys have been racing all season. Our engine had only 90 laps on it in 2006. I put on a new carburetor before the first race of the season at Lernerville. I also did a lot of homework while I was off. I changed the shocks and changed some torsion bars and springs. Basically that’s about it.”

   His newfound success has boosted Crawford’s morale more than anything else as he continues to recover with another surgery scheduled in October.

   “I considered myself a fourth or fifth place car. But a little squirrel finds a nut somewhere. We’ve had good starting spots and a good car this season. It makes me feel like I have the chance and the ability to win again. I’d pretty much given up on that.”

   With his new outlook on life and racing, Crawford seems to burst with faith and hope for the future.

   “I want to thank all the fans, my fellow employees, and my entire family for all their thoughts and prayers,” concluded Crawford. “Also, the folks at West Park Rehab in Franklin deserve big thanks for all they did for me. All of the people at Tri-City have been great too. I’ve been a loyal supporter of Tri-City since it reopened in 1996. I love to race there, I love all the fans, and I look forward to seeing them on Sundays. My wife and I are even celebrating our 20^th anniversary this week. I’m just happy to be alive.”

   Crawford's sponsors include Jolley Industrial Supply and Franklin Service & Supply of Franklin, Hards Welding of Seneca, and Crawford Chiropractic and Designs by Donnell Hair and Tanning Salon of Clarion.