Crawford has run progressively stronger, too, on the 1.5-mile oval with a third in 2004 and second places the past two years. But close just doesn't cut it for Crawford, who will try to complete the journey to victory lane Saturday in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250.
"You never say a track owes you one, but it'd sure be nice to put our Ford F-150 in victory lane at Kansas and erase all those memories of finishing second," Crawford said.
Crawford, 49, is off to a solid start this season. He was third in the previous race at Martinsville a month ago, was fifth at Daytona and is fifth in the points standings through four of 25 races.
With points leader Kyle Busch, who has two CTS wins this season, unable to compete at Kansas because he's racing in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series at Talladega, there will be a restructuring of the points standings and a chance to gain momentum toward the championship.
Todd Bodine becomes the de facto points leader, followed by Ron Hornaday Jr., Dennis Setzer and Crawford. They are separated by 34 points.
There's also plenty of races remaining for expected contenders to rebound from slow starts. Mike Skinner, last season's championship runner-up, ranks 14th and three-time champion Jack Sprague is 15th.
Skinner has finished fifth the past two years at Kansas and was fourth in 2005. He has a 6.5 average finish in four races. Sprague was third last year, but the race he remembers at Kansas was his first in 2001.
"I have had some great trucks here," Sprague said. "I have come so close to winning. I really don't know why the track is so difficult. I guess it's not like any others on the circuit. I remember in 2001 I was driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Ricky Hendrick was my teammate. I led a large majority of the race (80 laps), it was coming down to the closing laps and I broke a motor.
"Ricky Hendrick went on to win his first and only truck race here. It was a bittersweet feeling. We were all really excited for Ricky, but we really wanted that win."
Erik Darnell led 92 laps and dominated the second half of the race last season for his first and only career victory. He won by 10.44 seconds over Crawford.
"I know it's tough to go back to a racetrack and repeat, but we're definitely looking to try and do that," Darnell said.
Three drivers will be making their CTS debuts: Jennifer Jo Cobb, Michelle Theriault and Mario Gosselin.
Cobb, 34, from Kansas City, Kan., will be driving a Dodge for a new team owned by former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope. She has two Nationwide Series starts in her career.
"I met Derrike through my former ARCA crew chief," Cobb said. "When he acquired some equipment this year, he talked to me about joining efforts. The ultimate goal is to build a team where his nieces, Amber and Angela Cope, myself and possibly some other drivers can all be competing at various levels. I am grateful to work with Derrike as he is business savvy, hands-on, smart about the equipment he owns and he can mentor me, which is a bonus."
Cobb believes Danica Patrick's ground-breaking IndyCar victory as the first woman to win a major race last week will benefit many female drivers.
"I am thrilled that Danica has won and has debunked the myth that a woman can't get the job done," Cobb said. "I never imagined that people felt women could not drive racecars or be equal contenders in the sport, but over the years, I've realized those ideas lurk in some people's minds."
Fast facts
What: O'Reilly Auto Parts 250.
Where: Kansas Speedway; Kansas City, Kan.
When: 6 p.m. ET Saturday.
TV: Speed, 5:30 p.m. ET.
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128.
Track layout: 1.5-mile oval.
Race distance: 167 laps/250.5 miles.
2007 winner: Erik Darnell.
2007 polesitter: Mike Skinner.
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