Being female in a male-dominated sport

I won't be racing this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, but I'll be around the track.

I have an appearance or two for General Mills, and I'm speaking on Friday for the "Aftermarket Automotive Women's Career Day.'' I'll talk about not only being a female racecar driver, but on being an engineer.

	Erin Crocker drives the No. 98 Dodge in the Truck Series. Credit: Autostock
	Erin Crocker Year-to-date statistics Race Start Finish Daytona 24 27 California 33 27 Atlanta 30 26 Martinsville 34 25 Gateway 30 22 Charlotte 2 18 Mansfield 25 28 Dover 25 24 Texas 12 33 Michigan 11 24 Milwaukee 33 25 Kansas 12 16 Kentucky 34 27 Memphis 34 30 IRP 33 27 Nashville 27 29 Bristol 31 35 New Hampshire 28 32 Las Vegas 12 24 Talladega 21 20 Average 24.6 26.0

I'll share all of my experiences for women who are thinking about getting into racing, tell them why I always thought I could compete against the men.

No one ever told me I couldn't compete with the guys. There are experiences I don't like to talk about, but for the most part I like it.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment in NASCAR to this point?

Hmm. Unfortunately, I don't have any accomplishments that I'm really too proud of. I guess qualifying second at Charlotte in the Truck race was big for me, and my 19th-place finish at Gateway International [Speedway in Madison, Ill.] in the Busch Series was pretty good. Those have been the two strongest things I've done.

I wish there was more that I could say. It's kind of embarrassing.

If you could be President for a day, what would your greatest accomplishment be?

For one day? What can you do in one day? I wouldn't even know where to start with all the responsibility the President has. It would be neat to have that much power and control. Obviously, I would want to work on making things better for everyone, but I wouldn't know where to start.

I don't really have strong feelings on the war on Iraq. I'm for the war, but it's gone on a little bit longer than anyone would have liked. I'm definitely pro-active against terrorism.

Do you watch the news? Who's your favorite anchor?

It's pretty sad that I don't watch much news. I watch CNN Headline News in the morning, so I'd have to go with Robin Meade for anchor. I just watch quickly in the morning to see what's new in the world. I like Robin because she's bubbly and cheery in the morning, which I'm not.

If you were a car owner and had one race to win, who would you want behind the wheel?

Myself and it would be Daytona or the Brickyard.

What time do you go to bed most nights, and what time do you typically get up?

	Erin Crocker Credit: Autostock
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I usually go to bed around 10:30 p.m. or 11 p.m. and get up at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. I used to be a night owl. When you race Sprint cars you race at night and then you travel and wash the car that night. In college everyone obviously is a night owl. I used to not fall asleep before 2 a.m., and then I'd have to sleep until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.

The NASCAR world kind of changes your schedule with rookie meetings at 7 a.m. and stuff.

What's your least favorite household chore?

Probably dusting. There's not any I really like. I don't mind vacuuming or doing dishes or laundry. I'd have to say the small stuff, like dusting and cleaning the bathrooms.

What is your favorite stretch of public road in the United States?

I'd have to say the New York State Thruway. I went to school in Albany, N.Y., and I raced for someone based out of Buffalo, and I used to travel that Thruway every single weekend to go to the shop. I know that Thruway like the back of my hand. I used to be able to tell you every rest stop. There's hardly any traffic and a rest stop every 30 miles. I put a gazillion miles on my car in two years.

What country to you most want to visit and why?

Ireland, because some of my heritage is from there. Part of me wants to visit China. I am fascinated by Hong Kong. There is a lot of traveling I want to do. I haven't really had the opportunity to travel overseas.

Do you have an iPod, and what's on it?

I do have an iPod that is at the moment dead. I've probably got about 500 songs on there. I have a lot of country music on it, a lot of newer hip-hop music I listened to in college. I've got some '80s and oldies music on there as well, but mostly country.

What are your favorite recent movie and your favorite all-time flick?

I just saw "The Guardian'' with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. It got really bad reviews, but I thought it was pretty good.

As for all-time flick, I like a lot of the sports movies like "Rudy'' and "Miracle.'' I've watched "Days of Thunder'' and "Top Gun'' a million times. The motivational type movies I liked a lot.

Erin Crocker is stepping up a program that she hopes will land her in a fulltime Nextel Cup ride by driving in the Busch, Truck and ARCA Series for Evernham Motorsports. The youngest of five children, Crocker has been sharing weekly with NASCAR.com readers the ups and downs of her life on and off the track through staff writer David Newton.