Dick Trickles Racing Career: Part 55
NASCAR Dirt to Daytona: Part 55
Craftsman Truck Series Season 1: Race 9

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 9 of 14 here at Richmond International Raceway……..



Richmond International Raceway…….


Richmond International Raceway is .750 miles long with 14 degrees of banking….. This D shaped oval always brings excitement as the narrow track does encourage close quarters racing…… With a long back stretch…… A curved front stretch and very tight turns at each end……. Horsepower and good handling is what this track needs…….. Drivers also need to watch out for the large sausage curb on the inside of turn four…….. That has ended the race of many drivers over the years…..

Dick Trickle as per usual has been keeping busy……. Competing in the Featherlight Modified Series race yesterday Welch Valley Racing Complex to race in the Featherlite Modified Series in his Grinch Performance Modified Flaming Dick Machine…… Dick got another win and retakes the lead in the championship standings over Jason Sulivan……...


2006 Featherlite Modified Series Season: Round 9 of 11……


After his win last week……. Dick Trickle will be looking for another win to close that gap to the championship leader Travis Kvapil……. Kvapil still showing excellent form with a great second placed finish last week…… Hes showing no signs of nerves as he continues to lead the championship……. Matt Crafton had a disappointing result last week…… He might have finished fourth but after dominating so much of the race he would have loved a much better result……. Robert Pressley will be looking to build upon his great third placed finish last week……. And last seasons champion the Scumbag Rick Crawford will need to keep his eyes on the road and not hit anything to stay in contention for the championship……..

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…… Both Dicks looked very pleased at the end of practice……. Maybe a sign of a good race ahead…….

Qualifying was up next……. And it was Dennis Setzer who claimed pole position with a fast time of 23.499…… Second was Bobby Dotter who set a time of 23.786………

Third was that Scumbag Rick Crawford who was just behind Bobby Dotter with a 23.829…….. Fourth was the championship leader Travis Kvapil with a time of 23.904…….

Rounding out the top five was Randy MacDonald who was very unlucky to not be higher on the grid after setting a time of 23.991 to just miss out of fourth place………

After looking so happy after practice……. Dick Trickle had a disaster of a qualifying session……. Hitting the big sausage curb at turn four and losing a bunch of time…… Dick ended up with a time of 24.447 to be way down in eleventh…….. So watch out for Dick coming through the field during the race……..




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 got the perfect jump off the line to lead into turn one…… The Scumbag Rick Crawford was right behind him……. While Bobby Dotter was stuck on the outside with nowhere to go……

Travis Kvapil was right behind Bobby Dotter but was in the same position as he had nowhere to go…… Randy MacDonald was up in the side of Kvapil being pushed along by Matt Crafton…….

Dick got a terrible start and lost a few places…… He was able to gain some back through turns three and four and was back up to twelfth by the end of the lap and in hot pursuit of Lance Norick……

Out front and the Scumbag Rick Crawford pushed down the inside of Dennis Setzer to take the lead…… Setzer was not happy and was all over the rear of Scumbag Crawford……. Bobby was sitting in third with a great view of the battle in front……. But he had to watch out as Travis Kvapil was right behind him……..

Dick was slowly picking his way through the field and was now inside the top ten……. The Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine was setup very nicely and was superb through the turns…… Dick was making up all his positions through the turns…….

Back out in the lead and the Scumbag Rick Crawford has hit traffic…… He got trapped behind a lapped truck and Dennis Setzer was able to retake the lead……. While Bobby Dotter was also able to sneak past and now Travis Kvapil was also looking for a way past in what was now a battle for third place…….

Matt Crafton was having a nice battle with Randy MacDonald as the two swapped positions almost every lap……. Crafton really needs to drop MacDonald and go after the leaders if he wants to stay in contention for the championship for much longer…….

On lap 25 the Scumbag Rick Crawford continued his lapped truck bashing ways as he drilled the rear of Dick Blahas truck……. Blaha spun into the outside wall and damaged the truck quite badly…….. Blaha was not at all happy about this…….. Telling the Scumbag Crawford that he was going to be number one……. As Blaha slowly made his way to the pits to repair the truck……… Scumbag Crawford headed for the pits also to repair his truck…… Though as per usual the Scumbag Crawford got away with only minor damage…….

This bought out the first caution of the race…….. But since all trucks can go at least 110 laps…….. No one took the opportunity to pit…… Track position is way to important here at Richmond to give it up…… Dick Seaman was on the radio to Dick Trickle and both thought about pitting but decided to stay out at the end and it seems to have been the right call…….

Dennis Setzer leads the field as the green flag waves to restart the race……. Setzer got a great start as was well clear of the lapped trucks before the entry for turn one……. Bobby Dotter was trying to keep up but was not able to clear the lapped trucks before turn one and had to hang it around the outside…….

Dick restarted in eighth and was all over the back of Brendan Gaughan as they both fought their way through the lapped trucks while trying to fight each other as well…….

Championship leader Travis Kvapil was now in third after Scumbag Crawford crashed and he was now starting to pressure Bobby Dotter who clearly didnt have the pace to keep up with Dennis Setzer who was now well out in front…….

Dick has got past Brendan Gaughan and was now pressuring Jon Wood for sixth…….. while just in front of them was the battle between Matt Crafton and Randy MacDonald……… Crafton and MacDonald were still battling hard and swapping position almost every lap…… The traffic was playing a huge factor in their battle……..

The race settled down into a long green flag run…….. Dennis Setzer was the class of the field and was way out in front by almost 10 seconds from Bobby Dotter…….. Back in the pack and Dick Trickle was able to squeeze past Jon Wood to take sixth was now eye up both Matt Crafton and Randy MacDonald who had not stopped their battle for fourth……..

Travis Kvapil found a way past Bobby Dotter thanks to the traffic…… While Dick as also able to sweep around the outside of Matt Crafton and then juke down to the inside of Randy MacDonald to take both places in the one lap and was now in fourth place…….

The half way stage now and on lap 100 smoke was seen…… And you guessed it…… It was coming from the terminally bad luck Dick Blahas truck……. He was not able to bring it into the pits and he was stuck on the outside and is now stranded on the track……. The NASCAR Safety Team turned up in Wienermobiles and quickly dispensed sausages onto the BBQing engine for the hungry crowed on the other side of the fence……. Always good to see a diver doing their part for the community and feeding the hungry……..

This once again brought out the caution flag…….. This time everyone was in their fuel window and so they all came down the pit lane……. Dick Seaman made a small tyre pressure change to the right front tyre……. That was the only change made as all four tyres were changed and the truck refuelled……..

As Dennis Setzer led the field to the green flag again there was now only four trucks on the lead lap……. Dick was fourth and the last truck on the lead lap…… That caution period came out at just the right time for Dick…….

Dennis Setzer again got a great start and was again clear of the lapped trucks before turn one…… Travis Kvapil also got a great start and was around the outside of Bobby Dotter through turns one and two……

Dick had a bit more of a struggle as the lapped trucks on the inside slowed him down quite a bit……. But once he got rolling he was very fast……. Hes just not fast on the initial starts it seems…….. It was not long before Dick caught the back of the Bobby Dotter who was starting to struggle a bit…… He clearly wasnt as fast as before……..

Out front and Dennis Setzer was getting caught in the traffic……. Allowing Travis Kvapil to catch up…….. The battle was on for the lead…….. Setzer played the traffic wrong and got stuck on the outside and this allowed Kvapil into the lead…….. The 5 bonus points for leading a lap will help a lot for the championship…….

Dick Trickle didnt need the traffic to get past the struggling Bobby Dotter……. As Dick was able to easily power past him around the outside of the turn……. Dick was now hunting down the leading pair but they were both 8 seconds up the road…….

Dennis Setzer was able to reclaim the lead of the race soon after…… He is having a very dominate run here today…….. As no one has been able to get close to him unless he makes a mistake…….. It looks to be Setzers race to lose…….

This led into another long green flag period……. Matt Crafton and Randy MacDonald continued their epic race long battle…… Even though both were a lap down…….. Though you wouldnt have known that if you saw them race……..

With 41 laps to go the reason for Bobby Dotters struggles became clear……. As his truck decided it was now time to perform some community service and feed the hungry as well……. Flames licked out from under the engine bay…… Just like with Dick Blaha earlier…… Dotter was not able to make it to the pit lane……. This brought out the third caution of the race……. The NASCAR Safety Team Wienermobiles were deployed again to help feed the hungry fans at the track……… Those are some very lucky fans……..

And then there were three……. Only Dennis Setzer, Travis Kvapil and Dick Trickle are on the lead lap……. Dick Seaman and Dick Trickle where having a chat on the radio……. Dick Trickle lit a cigarette under the caution….. They both decided to take a gamble and come in for fresh tyres and no fuel since they didnt need any to make the end of the race……. Seaman figured this was the only way to take the fight to Dennis Setzer……. Dick came down the pit lane and changed all four tyres and was back out in third position……. Neither Dennis Setzer and Travis Kvapil pitted during the caution…...

Dennis Setzer again led the field to the green flag with 35 laps to go…….. As per usual he got a great start and was clear of the lapped cars by turn one……. Dick also got a great start this time and went around the outside of the championship leader Travis Kvapil for second place……..

Dennis Setzer was on worn tyres and was not getting away from Dick….. Soon Dick was right up Setzers rear….. Setzer didnt have the rubber under him to put up much of a fight while Dick used his nice new tyres to perfection and powered around the outside of Setzer with ease to claim the lead…….

Travis Kvapil wanted to join in on the fun and was now bringing the fight to Dennis Setzer……. Kvapil made a daring move up the inside to take second place away from Setzer who was not having a good time right now……..

Further back and somehow that Scumbag Rick Crawford was now in fourth place……. The front three had been so dominate on pace that everyone else was at least two laps down…… Crawford was in a good fight with Matt Crafton who was now free from Randy MacDonald who lost a lot of time during the last restart and lost quite a few places because of it……

Back to the front and Dick was now running away with the lead……. With just 10 laps to go he had built up a nice 8 second lead……. Second was now held by Dennis Setzer after Travis Kvapil made a mistake in the traffic and boxed himself in allowing Setzer to retake second………

With just 5 laps to go….. Dick thunders past the Scumbag Rick Crawford to put Scumbag Crawford 3 laps down……. Dick was now 10 seconds ahead of Dennis Setzer while Travis Kvapil was fading fast and was a further 5 seconds behind……..

The final lap and Dick just needs to complete this final mile to win his second race in a row……. Cautiously through turns one and two he doesnt want to make a mistake now……. He sits behind the lapped traffic down the back stretch……. Eases through turns three and four for the final time…….. OUT OF TURN FOUR DICK COMES…….. ALONG THE FRONT STRETCH AND CROSSES THE LINE…….. DICK TRICKLE WINS AT RICHMOND!!!……. HE CREATES HISTORY AS HE GOES BACK TO BACK……...

Dennis Setzer is second 11 seconds behind Dick……. While the championship leader Travis Kvapil picked up another good load of points and finishes in third place 15 seconds behind the winner……

Fourth was that Scumbag Rick Crawford who somehow takes fourth after punting Dick Blaha into the wall……. He was 3 laps behind Dick…… While rounding out the top five was championship contender Matt Crafton…… He just didnt have the outright pace today to challenge the leaders…… He still picks up a good load of points…….. Crafton was also 3 laps behind the winner…….





Race Results..…

Dick does a huge burnout down the front stretch……. Tyre smoke rises into the night sky as the crowd cheers on their beloved Dick….. Dicks engines revs hard as theres no sign of stopping the burn out……. Soon enough you cant even see Dicks truck through the thick tyre smoke…….. Finally Dick rolls out of the smoke……. What a sight that is with the floodlights on……. That makes for great television…….

For the second time in as many races….. Dick rolls into victory lane…… Once again Pussy Galore greets him as the window net is pulled down…… Dick climbs onto the roof of the truck and celebrates his historic victory…… No one has ever won two races back to back in their rookie season before in the Craftsman Truck Series……. What a night this is for Dick……. I managed to grab Dick as he climbs down from the truck and get a few words with him…….

“WHAT A NIGHT MURRAY!!!…….. Man I need to thank my sponsors……. Sears Craftsman Die Hard, Florida Juice, Edge, Film-Z, Perfect 10 and Finish Performance for all their support this season…….. The Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine was great all weekend long……. I just made a mistake in qualifying and hit that blast sausage curb…… Such a pity….. I thought we were on track for a pole position that lap too……. But we dug deep and fought hard…… Its not an easy place to pass here at Richmond……. Its very narrow and the groove is also very narrow……”

“[Dick] Seaman made a great call to come in for fresh tyres during the final caution……. I was a bit sceptical but we need to throw caution to the wind to catch [Travis] Kvapil in the point standings……. He finished third and led a lap also…. So I think we only made up 10 points on him tonight……. But we will keep digging and see what we can do…… We on a roll now baby…… I believe with Crafton finishing fifth that im now second in the championship standings….. So we are slowly catching [Travis] Kvapil……..”

“I think we have finally worked out how the Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine works and how to set it up…… It took us quite a while….. Its a very different beast from the modified car thats for sure…….”

“Now we head to Texas…… I ended up fifth their earlier in the year….. I feel we can do better this time around……. Its the only track we visit twice in a season…… So its important we improve the second time around……. Will see you there Murray…… Hopefully in the winners circle again…...”

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 Texas Motor Speedway for the second and final time this season…..

Can the championship leader Travis Kvapil continue his domination of the championship standings???……. Can Matt Crafton repeat his dominating Texas victory from earlier in the season???…… Will Dennis Setzer spoil the party at Texas and get a surprise victory???…… Will that Scumbag Rick Crawford ever stop hitting Dick Blaha???….. Or will the rookie sensation Dick Trickle make it a hat-trick of wins next week at Texas???……..

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 9 of 14.…







First lap Hard Dick Truckin’ action....