Sam's Town 250 - Erin Crocker Notes

ERIN CROCKER TO VISIT MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK IN NO. 40 CHEERIOS / ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL ‘RACING SAVES LIFES’ DODGE CHARGER

STATESVILLE, NC (October 19, 2005) – Erin Crocker will head to Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend ready for her first visit to the 0.75-mile racetrack on the NASCAR Busch Series circuit.

Crocker has two career Busch Series starts to her name. She made her Busch Series debut in the September race at Richmond International Raceway, and most recently, she qualified ninth in the fall race at Dover International Speedway.

For the first time, Crocker will team up with fulltime 2006 sponsor General Mills and Cheerios. This weekend, Crocker will also carry the banner for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as she races to support the world’s leader in the fight against childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases. The No. 40 Dodge Charger will take the green flag on Saturday to increase awareness of St. Jude among NASCAR fans and unite the race team and its sponsor for a cause beyond just racing.

Crocker will pilot chassis No. FB04 underneath the body of her No. 40 Dodge Charger. The No. 40 team will be fielded by a partnership between Evernham Motorsports and FitzBradshaw Racing. Crew chief Eddie Buffington from FitzBradshaw Racing will make the calls this weekend, with the No. 79 crew from the Evernham stable pitting the car.

About Griffin Warniment and the Special Paint Scheme
This weekend’s special paint scheme is in honor of a St. Jude’s patient. Griffin Warniment was a St. Jude patient whose wish to attend a NASCAR race was granted earlier this year by St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the Make a Wish Foundation. Griffin and his family attended the Nashville spring race, and with his sparkling personality Griffin won over the hearts of many in the garage area – by the end of the day drivers were getting his autograph.

During Griffin’s visit to the track he made it very clear that when he grew up, he was going to be a racecar driver. He had even designed his car. It would be camouflage and have the number eight on it.

Griffin and his family attended several more races during the season, but on September 2, Griffin lost his battle with cancer.

The special paint scheme will be run in Griffin’s memory.

Thanks to discoveries at St. Jude since the opening in 1962, hundreds of thousands of children are living normal, healthy lives. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and more than 80 foreign countries and takes care of families so they don’t have to worry about the cost of medical care. The hospital’s daily operating costs are over $1,000,000, which are primarily covered by public contributions. Bracelets to support St. Jude can be purchased online at www.stjude.org for $3.00 each.

Erin Crocker Quotes:

What are your goals for this weekend, at Memphis?
“I have never seen the track – this will be my first time there. So my goal is to finish the race, period. It’s a different situation after having two starts with Evernham Motorsports. I just want to thank Armando and FitzBradshaw Racing for giving me the opportunity to run in their Busch car this weekend.

“We just need to regroup from the past two races and prove that we belong out there. I feel I need to go out with a different attitude and run laps. It’s all about gaining experience at seat time, and this is a great opportunity to do that.”

Who will be sponsoring the No. 40 Dodge Charger this weekend?
“I’m really excited to race our first Busch race with Cheerios on board, and that this race will just be the beginning of a long relationship with General Mills on our Craftsman Truck, Busch car and ARCA car next season.

“Along with Cheerios, to have St. Jude’s on the hood is a really neat opportunity. It’s very close to my heart, since I lost my father to cancer when I was 17 years old, and it’s just heart wrenching to know that children have to experience this. It’s going to be an emotional weekend running the paint scheme designed by a young St. Jude’s patient. I’m just really excited to have this opportunity and it’s so meaningful to raise money for such a wonderful cause.”

Erin Crocker
Driver, NASCAR Busch Series
No. 40 Cheerios / St. Jude Children’s Research
‘Racing Saves Lives’ Dodge Charger

Birthdate: March 23, 1981
Hometown: Wilbraham, Mass.
Resides: Huntersville, North Carolina
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 115 lbs.
Hobbies: Skiing, running, shopping

Erin Crocker is the first female to join the Evernham Motorsports driver development program. The Wilbraham, Mass., native is racing Evernham Motorsports-prepared Dodges in selected events in the NASCAR Busch Series and ARCA Series in 2005. She also has competed in selected events in the Silver Crown Series in a car from Kasey Kahne Motorsports.

Crocker comes to Evernham Motorsports from the open-wheel ranks. She began her racing career in a Quarter Midget at the age of seven and is the only female to win a World of Outlaws (WoO) race.

Crocker balanced her racing career with sports and academics through high school. She participated at the varsity level in soccer, tennis and lacrosse as well as being a member of the ski team. In 1997, her sophomore year of high school, she became the youngest driver to win a feature at Whip City Speedway en route to Rookie-of-the-Year honors. In 1999, she claimed rookie honors in the Eastern Limited Sprints.

In 2002, Crocker posted five A-feature wins in the Mike Woodring-prepared 360 sprint. After spending the early part of the 2003 season competing in the USAC Silver Crown Series, Crocker returned to the dirt winged sprint cars. In only her third time behind the wheel of a 410 sprint car, Crocker became the first woman in the 43-year history of World of Outlaws competition to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals. She was named the 2003 Nationals’ Rookie of the Year.

Crocker earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. in 2003.

Crocker competed the full season in the highly-competitive World of Outlaws Series in 2004, driving for Woodring Racing. Her feature-event win came at Tulare, Calif.