North Carolina

Former NASCAR driver sentenced for attempted underage sex

ORLANDO, Fla. — A former NASCAR driver has been sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison for trying to have sex with an underage girl.

Court records show that 60-year-old Rick Crawford was sentenced Monday in Orlando federal court. He was convicted in August of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

(Rick Crawford)

Crawford was arrested in Lake Mary earlier this year after communicating about sex with an undercover sheriff's deputy posing as a 12-year-old girl. Authorities say Crawford and the deputy were communicating for more than two weeks when he negotiated a time and place to meet up.

Crawford told investigators he didn't believe the girl was 12 and would not have followed through with sex if she turned out to be underage.

He raced in the NASCAR truck-series from 1997 to 2013.

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