The 1,000th race of the modern era in what now is called NASCAR's Nextel Cup series rolls today at Dover International Speedway, and the milestone will be marked without an Alabama driver in the field.
Kevin Ray of Eastaboga, hoping to renew Alabama's presence in the series, never even got to turn a lap.
Ray said he woke up at 3 a.m. Friday, thinking his time was finally at hand.
"I couldn't sleep," he said. Instead, the No.90 Ford listed to Donlavey Racing didn't fit NASCAR's templates in opening inspection and was not allowed on the track.
Ray didn't even get to practice for what he called "the most important lap" of his life, a qualifying attempt to make his first Nextel Cup race.
The disappointment culminated a week that mixed disruption with opportunity for Alabama's NASCAR racers. Rick Crawford of Mobile broke in a new crew chief with a runner-up finish in the Dover truck race. Tina Gordon of Cedar Bluff was bounced from her truck ride and now goes looking for a seat in a Busch series car. Jimmy Kitchens of Hueytown got word that he is the driver of choice for a Busch team.
Ray will get to try again. The sponsor remains committed to at least five more races, and a new car is planned to be ready for next weekend's race at Pocono.
Meanwhile, Crawford provided the week's high point for Alabama racers. Just days after crew chief Gene Nead left to return to his old Ultra Motorsports team, Crawford jumped to third in the truck standings with his Dover run.
In his first outing with Craig Huartson as interim crew chief for Circle Bar Racing, Crawford pulled his No.14 truck behind winner Chad Chaffin and dogged him to the finish. "I got up to his bumper," Crawford said. "If he had opened the door I would have shut it. We lost our crew chief at the beginning of the week, and we have some business to finish. We're focusing on the championship."
Gordon, in her first year with ThorSport Racing, lost her ride to her crew chief. Lance Hooper, who had taken over the crew chief job just three races back, took over the seat, too.
Duke Thorson, owner of the No.13 team, said, "We felt that giving Lance a chance to run a race ... would allow us to analyze our program. We find ourselves in a position where we are 32nd in owners points and need to improve."
Thorson hasn't decided on a driver for next weekend's race at Texas, and Gordon is studying the terms of her contract.
Then there is Kitchens, apparently now with a full-time ride after running a part- time Busch schedule this season. Joe Reilly, after going through a series of drivers with his No.77 team, told Kitchens he goes in the car for next weekend's race at Nashville.
As for an Alabama driver in the 1,001st Cup race, look to Ray and Pocono. The 26-year-old driver is the link that brought 80-year-old Donlavey back to NASCAR. The long-time team owner, who fielded cars for more than 50 years, hasn't brought a car to the track for nearly two seasons other than a couple of attempts for the Daytona 500.
Maybe this time, the car will fit. Neal Sims' weekly column on auto racing appears Sundays throughout the racing season.
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