Dick Trickles Racing Career: Part 53
NASCAR Dirt to Daytona: Part 53
Craftsman Truck Series Season 1: Race 7

Intro music…... Hello and welcome to Left Turn Heaven exclusively on the Crass Racing Association Programming..... Im Murray Eastlake and today im going to be bringing you all the action from the 2006 Craftsman Truck Series: Round 6 of 14 here at New Hampshire International Speedway……..




New Hampshire International Speedway…….


New Hampshire International Raceway is 1.058 miles long with 12 degrees of banking…… This track might only be a tad over a mile long…… But with big long straights and sweeping turns at each end…….. The cars can really stretch their legs…….. Horse power and lots of it is the name of the game here……. With plenty of room to move…… This should be a very fast and free flowing race…….

Dick Trickle as per usual has been keeping busy……. This time competing in the Featherlight Modified Series race yesterday right here at New Hampshire International Speedway…… After that win Dick is now just one point behind the current championship points leader Jason Sullivan……. The championship battle is really heating up in the Featherlite Modified Series…...


2006 Featherlite Modified Series Season: Round 8 of 10……


After taking his first win of the season last week Jon Wood will be looking to back that up with another one here this week……. The current Craftsman Truck Series championship leader Travis Kvapil will be looking to continue his great run of form and continue building upon that championship lead………. Matt Crafton currently sits second in the points standings and will be hoping for a strong performance this weekend to close that gap to Travis Kvapil…….. The Scumbag Rick Crawford will be looking to not hit any lapped trucks this week while he is still searching for his first win of the season……. And Bobby Dotter will be looking for a strong performance after a rather disappointing performance last week…..

While series rookie Dick Trickle will be hoping to keep his top five streak alive…… He was lucky to get that top five last week….. He will be looking to bring a much faster truck to New Hampshire this week….. And hopefully fully earn another top five finish or maybe even sneak in a win…….

Dont touch the sets...... Dont touch the dials...... You wont want to miss a single moment of the 2006 Craftsman Truck Series....… Practice and qualifying are coming up right now……



Dick Trickle at the track ready to race.…


Dick Trickle and Dick Seaman as per usual spent a lot of time in practice sorting out the truck…… Working on everything from gear ratios to grill tape…… They were not happy at all at the send of the session…… Both Dicks were seen having heated words with each other…… The Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine looks to be way off the pace again this weekend……

Qualifying was up next……. And it was Dennis Setzer who set the pace with an excellent time of 30.493……. Second was Bobby Dotter looking to bounce back after the past few weeks with a 30.616……

Third was the current Craftsman Truck Series points leader Travis Kvapil looking to continue his great year after setting a time of 30.717…… While fourth was taken by that damn Scumbag Rick Crawford with a time of 30.764……..

Surprisingly rounding out the top five was Randy MacDonald who set a very respectable time of 30.929…….. Great stuff there by Randy…….

Meanwhile Dick Trickle has a lot of work to do…… He is all the way down in ninth place…… Setting a disappointing time of 31.148…….. Dick really needs to find some good speed or have some great pit strategy to have any sort of chance of getting a victory or even a top five finish today…….




Qualifying Results........




Dick Trickle lined up ready to start the race..….


Dennis Setzer led the field to the green flag for the 200 lap race……. Setzer did not start well and it was Bobby Dotter who had the lead on the outside entering turn one……. Another person who got a great start was Dick who penetrated the hole up the inside to gain two spots to move up to seventh through turns one and two…….

Down the back straight it was Dotter still holding on to the lead just from Dennis Setzer and it was Travis Kvapil who was now looking to take both of them around the outside…….

Dick was swallowed up down the back straight as they went four wide passing him…….. Dick has no corner exit speed as was a limp dick down the straights……. Dick again penetrated the hole up the inside entering turn three….. He somehow managed to make it stick and even gained one extra position to take sixth place as the first lap ended…….

Out front and Bobby Dotter was now defending from Travis Kvapil……. With Dennis Setzer not far behind……. Randy MacDonald and the Scumbag Rick Crawford where in a heated battle over fourth place……..

Travis Kvapil managed to go around the outside of Bobby Dotter to take the lead of the race with Dennis Setzer following Kvapil to take second…… A surprised Dotter was relegated to third in a flash as is the case in this very competitive Craftsman Truck Series…….

A few laps later and Dennis Setzer swooped up the inside of Travis Kvapil to take the lead…… Kvapil wasnt giving up without a fight and was pressuring the rear of Setzers truck……

Smoke was seen around the track and it was the hapless Dick Blahas engine who had decided to call it quits for the day…… Blaha managed to limp back to the pits while his pit crew set up a picnic for the rolling BBQ that was headed their way……. Blahas day was done……. There was no caution and the race carried on…….

Meanwhile Dick was holding onto sixth place….. Putting a nice little gap back to the seventh placed Brendan Gaughan…….. Though Dick was unable to catch the Scumbag Rick Crawford in front who was able to keep a steady six second lead over Dick……..

We had a nice long green flag period….. The racing settled down a bit and lapped traffic was becoming an issue for the leaders…… Dennis Setzer still led and has built up a nice gap to Travis Kvapil……. Setzer was so fast that by lap 60 he was coming up to lap Dick……. Dick did not put up any resistance and let Setzer pass with ease……

Dicks truck just has no speed from the middle of the corner to the exit and is losing a lot of time…… Dick Seaman was on the radio trying to work out how to fix the truck with the help of information about the trucks handling relayed by Dick Trickle…….. While his spotter Jacques O’Ften was kept busy guiding Dick through all the lapped traffic…...

As the tyres wore this problem only got worse and soon Brendan Gaughan was right up his exhaust…… Dick tried in vain to keep Gaughan behind him but soon Gaughan swooped around the outside to claim sixth place…….

Matt Crafton was having a quiet race but he found himself right behind Dick shortly after…… Dick had no answers for Craftons superior handling truck and he soon had to give up seventh place to Crafton……

Out front and it was still Dennis Setzer who was dominating the race……. Setzer had built up a really nice lead to second place Bobby Dotter who had found a way past Travis Kvapil through the traffic…… Kvapil was in third and still on track for a great finish……..

Soon it was time for green flag pit stops…… No cautions for 79 laps and it was time for Dick Trickle to make his pit stop as he was almost out of fuel……. Dick came down the pit lane and changed four tyres and fuelled up the truck……. Dick Seaman made a tyre pressure adjustment and also made a big wedge adjustment…… Hope to free up the truck in the mid corner and also improve the corner exit……. Dicks engine also must have been running a tad hot as they removed some tape from the front grill…..

Dick was soon back out on track…… He was one of the first to pit…… Which means on top of all his handling problems hes also making bad fuel mileage……

A few laps later and the rest of the field stated to pit…… Pit lane became very busy during the next few laps as every truck came down pit road to make a pit stop……. While Dick with his fresh rubber and adjustments made to the truck tried to make the best of it and put down the fastest laps he has done all weekend……..

After every truck had made its pits stop Dick was again back in sixth place…… With a nice four second cushion over Matt Crafton who also benefited from the pit cycle to gain a place over Brendan Gaughan……..

The racing continued past the half way mark with the gaps stagnating a bit as the traffic was causing havoc with the leaders…… Who often got stuck behind large gaggles of trucks and had to fight their way through……

With 79 laps to go the yellow flags where waved and we had our first caution…… It was that Scumbag Rick Crawford who hit yet another lapped truck this time of Lance Norick…… Norick was already having a terrible day after losing quite a few laps with engine problems……. But it only got worse as that Scumbag Rick Crawford slammed right up the back of him and sent him hard into the wall…….

Lance Noricks day was done and he was left standing next to his truck against the outside wall yelling obscenities at that Scumbag Rick Crawford every time he drove past….. Someone lock this Scumbag up before he kills someone……

Everyone was just inside their pit window and suddenly the pit lane became the busiest place in New Hampsire…… As everyone came down to fuel up and change all four tyres…… Dick lit a cigarette as his crew worked on his truck……..

Dick came out in seventh place…… As Matt Crafton was able to get in and out without any hassles unlike Dick who was held up several times by all the trucks in the pit lane…….

As the green flag waved to restart the race it was Bobby Dotter who again had the lead with Travis Kvapil in second and Dennis Setzer right behind in third…….. Setzer wasted no time in dispatching of Kvapil through turn one…… And was soon right on the rear of Dotter……

Dick also had a great start and was able to get that spot back of Matt Crafton at the restart as Crafton went the wrong way around the lapped traffic and got himself trapped like a rat……. While Dick was able to slide up the inside and retake sixth place……. Brendan Gaughan was now challenging Crafton for seventh……

Dennis Setzer regained his rightful place at the point by swooping past Bobby Dotter around the outside to take the lead…… Setzer has been dominate all race long…… It will be tough to beat him here today he has that truck Dialled in really well…….

The race settled into another long green flag run…… With Dick eking out a 4 second gap to the seventh placed Matt Crafton…… Brendan Gaughan had fallen away and was now being pressured by Jon Wood who was also having a very quiet race……..

With twenty laps to go Don Inmons engine decided to identify as a BBQ and thought now was the perfection time to fire up…… Smoke bellowed from the truck and flames licked out from underneath……. Inmon was not able to get back to the pits and was left stranded on the side of the track…… The NASCAR Safety Team was quickly on the scene and deployed sausages to cook on the BBQing engine…… This brought out the second caution of the race and by far the most tasty…….

No one came down the pits…… The two Dicks talked about it but decided against it preferring to take the track position over new tyres……. There was only three trucks on the lead lap now so the lap down line was going to be very long and Dick was going to lose a lot of track position if he was going to back to the back of that line…… And it seems everyone else was in agreement……

The green flag waved to start the race again and again Dick had a great start……. He threw it up the inside of turn one again and caught Randy MacDoanld napping to take fifth place…….. Down to turn three and he again threw it up the inside like a man possessed and again it paid off for him as he was able to sneak past that Scumbag Rick Crawford to take a surprising fourth place……..

The Scumbag Rick Crawford was not going to give up fourth place without a fight and was all over Dick down the front straight…… They were side by side through turns one and two….. Dick was trying to look for a way through the slower lapped trucks down the back straight……. While I dont think the Scumbag Crawford was looking at anything…… As going into turn three to slammed straight into the back of a lapped truck of Lee Philips…… Philips spun around and was hit by Randy MacDonald who couldnt see through the tyre smoke and had nowhere to go…….

All three trucks sustained a lot of damage……. Dick escaped without any damage as the yellow flags waved for the third time today……. That Scumbag Rick Crawford really needs to be taken out of the series…… Hes a danger to everyone out there this season…….

Scumbag Rick Crawford and Randy MacDonald pitted during the caution…… Scumbag Crawford lost another lap having to fix his truck while the unlucky MacDonald also lost another lap having to fix the truck……. The innocent Lee Philips also lost a lap repairing his truck…...

The green flag waved to restart the race once more with just 9 laps to go…… Dennis Setzer got a terrible start and dropped to third while Bobby Dotter took the lead and Travis Kvapil took second place……

Dicks tyres are well and truly worn now and hes struggling a lot through the centre of the turns…... The Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine just doesnt want to rotate through the turn and hes losing a lot of time……. Matt Crafton is now all over the back of Dick…… The battle for fourth is really heating up…….

Meanwhile Dennis Setzer has passed Travis Kvapil is now hunting down Bobby Dotter……. 5 laps to go and Setzer is doing everything he can to pass Dotter and Dotter is everything he can to hold off Setzer while Kvapil is closing in on the pair of them……

With just two laps to go Dick just cant rotate the truck through the turns anymore and Matt Crafton squeezes his way past to move up to fourth……. Dick tries to fight back but hes losing to much time through the turns now…….

FINAL LAP AND BOBBY DOTTER HAS DENNIS SETZER RIGHT UP HIS REAR WITH TRAVIS KVAPIL CLOSING FAST……. SETZER TRIES AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF TURNS ONE AND TWO BUT HES UNABLE TO MAKE IT STICK…….. DOWN THE BACK STRAIGHT THEY GO FOR THE FINAL TIME….. DOTTER AND SETZER ARE NECK AND NECK AS THEY ENTER TURN THREE……. SETZER IS FORCED TO THE OUTSIDE AGAIN…… THROUGH TURN FOUR THEY GO SETZER HAS LOST A BIT OF GROUND….. KVAPIL IS RIGHT BEHIND THE PAIR…… THEY DRAG RACE TO THE FINISH LINE……

THE CHEQUERED FLAG WAVES AND BOBBY DOTTER TAKES HIS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON……. 0.128 OF A SECOND AHEAD OF DENNIS SETZER……. WHAT A FINISH……. FANTASTIC RACING……..

Travis Kvapil takes third 0.323 behind Dotter……. He just couldnt find a way past at the end there….. Matt Crafton crosses the line to take a fantastic fourth place finish……. Hes having a great season so far…… Theres a reason hes currently second place in the standings……..

Rounding out the top five was Dick…… Who has somehow managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat and walked away with yet another fifth placed finish…….. He is certainly consistent this year……. Thats his sixth fifth place finish in a row…… Hes still third in the championship standings and has a real shot of winning it all…….





Race Results..…


After the race Dick rolls into the paddock area……. A very wet exhausted limp Dick struggles out of the Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine…… Pussy Galore is again the first person to greet him before his feet barely touch the ground…… I managed to squeeze in between them and catch Dick for a few words…… “Well we certainly didnt have the fifth fasted truck out there today…… But I will happily take a fifth place finish……”

“The Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine was terrible out there today……. So hard to drive through the turns…… Just wanted to push through the centre and on exit all day……. We took a few swings at during the limited amount pit stops but it didnt make that much of a difference……. Towards the end of the run it was horrible to drive…….”

“We got really lucky with the Scumbag Prick Crawford taking himself out and taking Randy [MacDonald] along with him…… Otherwise we would have missed that top five finish for sure……. I have no idea what the Scumbag Prick Crawford was doing……. He has had more hits than Elivs this season……. Maybe hes got other things on his mind???……..”

I then asked Dick about his continued problems with Goodyear this season……. “Yeah…… They still arnt being helpful at all this year to me and have basically stopped talking to me altogether……. They keep saying I tampered with the tyre surface somehow…… But that still doesnt explain how the inner tyre failed as well…....”

“Next week we roll into Michigan……. The home of the American automobile industry……. And the home race for every manufacturer……… Every manufacturer will bring their best equipment to try and win at their home track…… So im expecting a very tough fight out there…….. I just hope I can luck my way into another fifth place finish……. Thats about all I can hope for there next week……. I know we wont be fast enough to challenge for the win at a big fast track like Michigan…….. Will see you there Murray……..”

Well there you have it folks…….. Another race has been entered into the great book of motorsport…...

Next week the 2006 Craftsman Truck Series heads to Michigan International Speedway…..

With 7 races done and dusted and with 7 races left to go we are now at the half way point of the season……. Can Travis Kvapil keep extending his championship lead???……. Can Matt Crafton get the win and challenge Kvapil for the championship…… Will Bobby Dotter follow up with another win next week???……. Can the Scumbag Rick Crawford stop hitting everyone???…… Or will Dick somehow find a way to get his first win of the season at one of the biggest and fastest tracks we will visit this year???……..

Tune in next week for the answers to all these questions and more….. Exclusively here on Left Turn Heaven…….. Same CRAP time…… Same CRAP network………..

This is Murray Eastlake reporting for Left Turn Heaven exclusively here on Crass Racing Association Programming..... And until next time its goodbye from me……

As for why I keep calling the Scumbag Rick Crawford a “Scumbag”…….. There is a very good reason for that…….. the Scumbag Rick Crawford was a real Craftsman Truck Series driver…….. Who is now sitting in jail…….. In 2018 The Scumbag Rick Crawford was arrested, charged and later convicted of "attempted enticement of a minor" when he was caught in a FBI sex crime sting operation……. He is currently serving a 10 year 10 month jail sentence…….. The Scumbag…….


Winnings.…



NASCAR Heat Weekly….



2006 Truck Series Championship Standings after round 6 of 14.…







First lap Hard Dick Truckin’ action....