GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Richie Crampton was sitting home during the 2017 Gatornationals, distraught about being out of the sport just two years after winning five times.
He watched the event from his couch in Indiana and wondered whether he would get another chance in NHRA's top series.
He caught a break last May when team owner Connie Kalitta called. Crampton, 37, took a big step toward securing his future with the team by winning the Gatornationals on Sunday.
Crampton upset teammate Doug Kalitta and three-time champion Antron Brown to make the final, and then took advantage of Shawn Reed's engine trouble to claim the eighth win of his NHRA career and first for Connie Kalitta.