Roger Crockett gets another chance this weekend to prove he can run — make that drive — with the big dogs.
Crockett, 29, began racing sprint cars — single-seat, single-gear cars with 700-horsepower engines and large stabilizing wings on top — when he was 13. He first raced a full season, from about March into November, when he was 16, and last year won 22 events.
About 18 months ago, Crockett underwent a kidney transplant, receiving an organ donated by his father, Brian, the track manager at Cottage Grove Speedway. Regular medical checkups have made it tough to race outside the region, but Roger Crockett hopes to do so in the future with the help of his primary sponsor, Omlid & Swinney Fire Protection of Springfield.
“I love doing what I’m doing now,” Crockett said. “I’d love to have opportunities to do other things; I think I can drive anything. But right now I’m happy doing what I’m doing, and taking advantage of the opportunities I have.”
Crockett and his team have won 11 times this season. He has 1,312 points in the regional standings, 54 more than the second-best driver so far. Crockett thinks he can be among the best drivers nationally, something he showed last year and with his success this season.
| 
|