Sirius at The Glen - Ricky Craven Notes

Sirius at the Glen Preview - Ricky Craven, No. 32 Tide Pontiac

2003 Best Finish: 1st- Darlington, S.C. - 3/16/03 2003 Best Start: 6th- North Carolina Speedway- 2/23/03
2003 Stats: 1 Win; 0 Bud Pole Awards; 1 Top-10 Qualifying effort; 3 Top-5 Finishes; 5 Top-10 Finishes
Current Points Standing: 18th Best Career Finish: 1st (Darlington 3/16/03; Martinsville, 10/15/01)
Career Pole Positions: 6 (Martinsville, 1996; New Hampshire, 1996 & 1998; Michigan, 2001; Rockingham & Darlington, 2002)

Brickyard 400 Recap: Ricky Craven drove his Tide Pontiac to a 17th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After starting 35th, Craven had worked his way into the top-10 midway through the event. Craven narrowly avoided being caught up in a six-car accident late in the race but a pit stop for new tires cost him track position.

The Chassis: The chassis Ricky Craven will drive at Watkins Glen International is chassis No. 17, the same car Craven drove to a 21st-place finish at Sears Point Raceway in June. Sunday’s event will mark only the second time the car has been driven in a race.

Ricky Craven, On Watkins Glen International: “I always look forward to coming back here. I’ve run well here in the Busch Series, and I’ve had some strong runs in the Cup Series, too. We just haven’t put up the finishing numbers at the end of the race. I did get a top-10 out of here back in 1995, so I’m confident I can get a strong run out of here.”

Getting Back on Track: Sunday’s 17th-place finish marks the first top-20 finish for Ricky Craven and his PPI Motorsports team since a 15th-place run at Michigan on June 15. Craven picked up a spot in the drivers’ points standings for the first time since the June 1 race at Dover.

Ricky Craven: “We’ve had some trying weeks, but the team has stayed after it. We’ve just had some bad luck. At Sears Point, we started last due to an engine change. At Daytona, we got caught up in an accident not of our making. At New Hampshire, fuel mileage bit us. It hasn’t been the same thing two weeks in a row. We’re confident that, if a few breaks go our way, we can be back in the top-15 in points here within the next couple of races. After that, we’ll set our sights on the top-10, which was a goal we set at the beginning of the year.”

Testing: Ricky Craven and the Tide team will spend Wed. and Thurs., Aug. 6-7, testing at Kentucky Speedway. The team will use the session to collect data for General Motors and to test different concepts that can be applied at some of the 1.5-mile tracks the NASCAR Winston Cup Series will visit in upcoming months.

Craven’s Day: When Ricky Craven returned to his hometown of Newburgh, ME, last Wednesday, he received a special surprise. While Craven knew he was being honored by his hometown with roadside signs reading, “Welcome to Newburgh, Maine, hometown of NASCAR driver Ricky Craven,” he had no idea of another honor that awaited him. State representative Brian Duprey presented Craven with a Proclamation from Governor John Baldacci, proclaiming Wed., July 30, as Ricky Craven Day in the state of Maine.

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