Richie Crampton fell in the first round today at the JEGS Route 66 Nationals.
Crampton and the Kalitta Air team had two solid qualifying passes with one on each day. Crampton’s best came on the final lap on Saturday, which moved the Kalitta Air driver to the 11th position on the grid. That meant a draw of Blake Alexander, who was making his third start of the season.
Alexander and Crampton were the first pair to see the track on Sunday morning. Crampton got the slight advantage at the tree, and despite smoke pouring from the Kalitta Air ride, held that advantage at the 330 mark. However, Crampton’s ride was shut off shortly after due to the smoke and Alexander was able to get around him and scored the round win.
Statistics:
Qualified: No. 11 (3.817 sec., 319.52 mph)
E1: Crampton defeated by Alexander – 4.272 sec., 194.58 mph to 3.775 sec., 331.69 mph
Quotable: “Tough first round loss for the Kalitta Air team. We had strong early numbers, but it was not our day. I feel like we have our car trending in the right direction, so I am excited to get to Richmond.”
Point Standings: 10th; leads Mike Salinas by 21 points for 11th; trails Scott Palmer by 21 points for ninth.
Kalitta Motorsports PR/Photo Credit Gary Nastase Photography
