Clever strategy helps Craven win

NAZARETH, Pa. (AP) – Ricky Craven held off a late charge by Elton Sawyer in the last five laps Sunday to win the NASCAR Meridian Advantage 200 at Nazareth Speedway.

Craven, a Newburgh, Maine, native finutes and 22 seconds, crossing the finish one car length ahead of Sawyer on the 1-mile oval. Ten cars finished on the lead lap.

Craven, who started ninth in the 40-car field, averaged 89.308 mph in his second victory of the year and fourth of his career on the Busch Grand National circuit.

He took the lead for good on a restart when Sawyer pitted on a caution on lap 123. Craven ran the last 122 laps without pitting, after chalap 123. Craven ran the last 122 laps without pitting, after changing his tires on lap 78. He led a total of 77 laps.

“I knew we could keep on going even though we didn’t pit,” Craven said. “I knew we wouldn’t conk out. This track is such a challenge. I was just trying to hold off Elton over the last five laps and it wasn’t easy. He was really coming on, and this is such a demanding track.”

It was Sawyer’s sixth second-place finish in his career and he has 178 races without a win, the longest current streak on the circuit.

“We were racing awful strong at the end and we came up short,” Sawyer said. “It’s part of the game, I guess. Ricky ran a smart race and held me off at the end.”

Mike Wallace, who led from laps 96-103, finished third. David Green was fourth and Mike McLaughlin was fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Bobby Dotter, sixth; Tim Fedewa, seventh; pole-sitter Kenny Wallace, eighth; Dennis Setzer, ninth; and Tracy Leslie, 10th.

Craven moved into third-place in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings with 1,385. He trails Kenny Wallace (1,483) and Green (1,413).

Craven received $18,275 of the $187,452 purse. He came into the race sixth among money leaders with $63,529.

Defending champion Robert Pressley finished 35th, leaving the race on lap 72 due to an accident.

The race featured nine lead changes among eight drivers and nine cautions for 50 laps.

Kenny Wallace, who led for 25 laps, took the lead off the green flag until Green led for 28 laps from 16 to 43 and 28 laps overall. Wallace regained the lead for four laps until Jim Bown went ahead on a caution on lap 48.

Bown, who led for 25 laps was forced to leave the race when he hit the wall on turn two on lap 88.

NASCAR MERIDIAN 200

NAZARETH, Pa. (AP) – The order of finish Sunday of the $187,542 Meridian Advantage 200 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race at the 1-mile Nazareth Speedway:

1. (9) Ricky Craven, Newburgh, Maine, Chevrolet, 200, $18,275, 89.308 mph.

2. (14) Elton Sawyer, Chesapeake, Va., Ford, 200, $11,975.

3. (6) Mike Wallace, St. Louis, Chevrolet, 200, $8,025.

4. (2) David Green, Owensboro, Ky., Chevrolet, 200, $7,700.

5. (4) Mike McLaughlin, Waterloo, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200, $7,050.

18. (28) Andy Santerre, Cherryfield, Maine, Chevrolet, 196, $3,025.

21. (23) Kelly Moore, Scarborough, Maine, Chevrolet, 195, $2,650.