Erin Crocker Quotations

She would be prefer to be known as a good racer,

She grew up a tomboy, ... She actually played on a boys' hockey team. I remember once somebody asked her if she thought she could compete with the boys. She never thought she couldn't.

I wish her a lot of success. I think she's doing a good job, and hopefully we can both put a good name on the map for women in racing.

I got the car too far down on the apron and took the weight out of the right rear. Then it just spun around on me. That's disappointing. That's not what we wanted to do out there.

Certainly, she's extremely disappointed, because things were moving along and now it may seem like we are backing up. I don't want her to think that we are backing up. She's a very confident, very competent driver. And she's like I've said before, a fiery little red head, and she wants to go. That's one of the reason's she's going to make it, is because she's ready to go, and I would rather have someone that I have to hold back than someone I have to push forward.

I always thought I could compete with the boys and be successful. But I'm in racing to win -- not to be a girl in racing.

I think it's good to get in the truck and get a little bit familiar with it before we go full time. I want to have a strong finish and a good performance but mostly I just want to improve. If I feel like I come away from this race having learned a lot and improved and passing cars, then I'll be pretty happy with it.

I think Danica's doing a really good job but I don't necessarily understand why -- just because we're two women -- that we're always being compared,

I think I'm about as ready as I'm going to be, ... It's a big jump for me. I've only run five ARCA races and it's a huge difference between ARCA competition and the Busch series. So, I just have to take it one step at a time.

I think I'm about as ready as I'm going to be,

We were second quick on the board in practice (Thursday), but it's hard to tell because with others on the track it can affect the draft and it makes your time a little better than it was. I think we are going to do fairly good.

To be honest, I've never excelled in a Silver Crown Car at Richmond. Maybe it has something to do with the team or maybe me in the car. For some reason I seem to learn quicker in the stock car. We had a good test at Dover last week, too, and I'm really excited to come back to Richmond next week for the race.

Everything was new to me last year. Ray criticized some things I did on the track and I'm glad he told me the truth, but I was thrown to the wolves a little bit. I feel much more comfortable out there now.

Ray Evernham has given me a great opportunity and I have good people around me, so it makes things a lot easier, ... I'm very excited. It is a big step and I don't have that much stock car experience and I can't wait to get that first one over and done with. It's the opportunity of a lifetime.

Ray criticized some things I did on the track. Fair enough, he wasn't mean about it but I'd rather have someone speak the truth to me any day than tell me different.

Ray and the entire team have been a tremendous help to me. I'm fortunate to have them.

Ray's given me an awesome opportunity and he really believes in me,

A lot of attention is good attention. Positive energy is great, but I'd prefer to concentrate on my driving.

It's not like they're just throwing me to the wolves and saying, 'Here's a girl, let's give her an opportunity.' Ray's really behind me, so he's put Bill with me and some of the top engineers, so I'm very thankful.

Stock car racing is where it's at right now. All my heroes growing up, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, I watched them running USAC sprint cars and midgets. This is where they are.

It's happened a little faster than I could have ever hoped for. ... I realize the competition level in the Busch Series. Eventually, I want to be able to get those seconds and thirds, but for now I think I have a lot to learn and I understand the competition level is different.

It was nice to see another woman do well, and prove to the whole nation that a woman can do this. But part of it was hard because there was all this news about Danica. It was frustrating because I want to be in the spotlight. I want to prove that I can do it.

I'm going to have a good car, good people, and I think I'm ready. It's going to be a big step and a lot of tough competition, but you've got to start somewhere. I'll be as ready as I'm going to be.

I'm ready to fight for it, and I think I can make it happen. Like Ray and Kasey said, it's a matter of having the right equipment, getting the right funding, learning at the right rate, and not throwing myself into something I'm not ready for. So, there are a lot of factors. It really is a tough business, especially NASCAR.

I just lost it. I don't know if something happened to the car or it was my inexperience. I've never raced on a short track with a stock. It's a little rough with the boys.

I come from a sprint-car background where the cars weigh about 1,200 pounds and have about 850 horsepower, so this car has less horsepower and weighs three times as much, so it's a big difference to me.

I don't mind the questions because I realize that a woman racer is still fairly unique.

I may think I am ready to go out there and run a Busch race tomorrow, but the reality is I have to wait, because if you go out there and stink up the show, your credibility is shot. You work so hard to get your chance, and if you blow it when everyone is watching, that's it. And it's just not worth the setback.