Crawford has Bliss in sights heading to Miami

Unofficial Results | Unofficial Standings

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Thanks to another workmanlike effort by veteran Rick Crawford Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship battle will be the closest of three to be decided next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

While Winston Cup driver Kevin Harvick won his first career Truck Series race in the Chevy Silverado 150, by finishing third in the No. 14 Circle Bar Ford Crawford cut point leader Mike Bliss' advantage unofficially to 32 points.

Bliss can clinch the title at Homestead by finishing fifth or better.

"Comfortable?" Crawford said. "I'm not comfortable, but I'm ready to win."

	Mike Bliss leads the series with five victories. Credit: Autostock

Crawford led 73 laps and Harvick 77 of 152 laps on Phoenix's one-mile oval. Crawford scored his 12th top-five and 16th top-10 in 21 races this season.

"I was only off a little bit at the end, but that's all you need to be off in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series when you're up against teams like Musgrave and Harvick," Crawford said. "When the clouds come out about lap 80 I tightened up and knocked the right front tire off it. The sun came out, we loosened back up and run 'em down but that was all we could do."

Bliss' truck lost a cylinder, he finished 10th -- his 17th top-10 of the season -- and failed to lead a lap in his No. 16 IWX Chevrolet, while third place point man Ted Musgrave -- who finished half a fender behind Harvick in his No. 1 Mopar Dodge -- is now 71 points back.

"Today was big," Bliss said. "We had a top-three truck all day and we just lost a cylinder. We still finished top-10 and that's the good thing -- but we also lost some points."

Crawford's only victory in 147 Craftsman Truck Series starts came in 1998 at Homestead, a flat 1.5-mile oval.

"I don't know if you'd call it comfort or not (but) I feel pretty good," Crawford said of the final race. "The best medicine will be a fast truck when we unload at Homestead, to be in contention to win the race and let the best man win."

"Going to Homestead they still have to work harder than I do," Bliss said. "There's not much of a comfort level going there and there wasn't much of one coming into here, today.

"I'm going to Homestead the same way I came here and so is the team -- we're going to try to win the race. I feel confident. I feel like these guys are going to rebound -- we haven't had these kind of problems all year long (so) I think we'll be all right."