Circle Bar Racing
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| Owner(s) Name(s) | Tom Mitchell, |
| Racing Series | Craftsman Truck Series |
| Number of Championships | 0 |
| Car Number(s) | #10 #14 |
| Driver(s) | Brendan Gaughan (#10) Rick Crawford (#14) |
| Primary Sponsor(s) | MaxxForce Diesel (#10) Power Stroke Diesel with International/Circle Bar Motel and RV Park (#14) |
| Shop Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Homepage | www.circlebarracing.com |
Circle Bar Racing is an auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team is owned by Tom Mitchell, and they hold the distinction of having one of the longest lasting teams in the Truck Series. They field the #10 MaxxForce Diesel Ford for Brendan Gaughan and the #14 Power Stroke Diesel/International Ford for Rick Crawford. The team is also known for their long relationship with the Ford Motor Company.
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[edit] Beginnings
Although Mitchell's team has found its home in NASCAR, the team originated in 1978 with Circle Bar sponsoring Chet Fillip in late models. The team officially started out as Circle Bar Auto Racing Inc., with Fillip as their driver. The team qualified for the 1982 Indianapolis 500, finishing 24th in a Gurney Eagle with a Cosworth power plant. Fillip also qualified for the 1983 Indianapolis 500 before DNQ-ing for the 1985 Indy 500 with a Lola chassis. The next week at Milwaukee, the team finished 10th with Fillip and sold their equipment to Al Unser Jr., who would take the championship. CBR made its NASCAR debut with Fillip in 1985, in the #31 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford F-150 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Fillip ran sixteen races for Mitchell in 1986, and had a best finish of twelfth in the #81. At the end of the year, Mitchell sold his equipment to Fillip. Afterwards, Circle Bar sponsored the late model efforts of John Kelly in 1989, with the shop based in San Antonio, Texas. Moving to Ozona, the team picked up the championship in 1990. The next year, CBR moved to the All-Pro Series with Kelly, but Alabama native Rick Crawford took his place in 1992. Together, they attempted the 1993 Coca-Cola 600, but failed to qualify. Using Circle Bar's equipment, Crawford had great success in the All-Pro Series, beginning a partnership between Mitchell and Crawford to race in the series until 1996.
[edit] Craftsman Truck Series
[edit] #10 Truck History
Circle Bar Racing fielded a second truck for the first time in 1997, when Tammy Jo Kirk drove the #74 at Fontana. She finished 35th after an early exit due to handling problems. The next attempt came in 2004, when Greg Biffle drove the #44 Ford Racing truck to an eighth-place finish at the Ford 200.
CBR added on the #10 Truck in 2006, with David Starr behind the wheel. Picking up both Navistar International sponsorship and the owners points of ppc Racing's old Truck Series team, the team had a moderately successful year, finishing 10th in points in their first year. Starr left at the end of the season to return to Red Horse Racing. It was recently announced that Brendan Gaughan will take over the # 10 truck in 2008.
[edit] #14 Truck History
In 1997, CBR focused its operations towards NASCAR, specifically its all-new Craftsman Truck Series. Continuing his partnership with Crawford and Ford, Mitchell debuted the #14 Ford at the Chevy Trucks Challenge in 1997 with Circle Bar sponsoring. Crawford made every race and finished 12th in points, runner up to Kenny Irwin Jr. for Rookie of the Year. 1998 brought the team's first win at Homestead Miami Speedway, but inconsistency put them at 18th in points. Crawford would not win for the next four years, but had two top ten points finishes in between, including a runner-up points finish to Mike Bliss in 2002. Crawford would take his second, and arguably biggest win at the season opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250, with a last lap pass on Travis Kvapil. The win propelled him to a sevent place points finish. Rick would win again in 2004 at Martinsville, but dropped to twelfth in points. The 2005 season was a mixed bag, as the team won again at Loudon, but Crawford was forced to miss the first race of his career due to a crash during qualifying at Kentucky Speedway. Road racer Boris Said took his place, but was taken out in an early wreck. Rick won again at ORP in 2006 and finished ninth in points. Although the 2007 season was a winless one for the #14 team, they added on a second truck with David Starr who brought along sponsorship from Navistar International for both trucks. The added eqipment resulted in a near win at Mansfield Motorsports Park and a fifth place points finish for Crawford.
[edit] External Links
| Ford in NASCAR | |
| Sprint Cup Series teams | JTG Racing | Roush Fenway Racing | Wood Brothers Racing | Yates Racing |
| Nationwide Series teams | Baker Curb Racing | JTG Racing | Roush Fenway Racing | Specialty Racing | Team Rensi Motorsports |
| Craftsman Truck Series teams | Circle Bar Racing | MB Motorsports | Roush Fenway Racing | Wood Brothers Racing |
| Driver development program participants | Bobby East | Alison MacLeod | Stephanie Mockler |
