Ricky Craven’s race car was sailing along at an estimated 192 miles an hour. All of a sudden, he and his Chevrolet Monte Carlo were airborne at Talladega Superspeedway and eventually landed back on the apron of the racetrack with a sickening jolt. The car bounced back onto the apron off the retaining fence.

The severe pain between his shoulders was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He was also having trouble breathing as he was lifted out of his car.

As it turned out, he sustained a minor compression fracture of the third thoracic vertebra, a bruised lung, an abrasion on his elbow and a swollen eye.

It was the type of accident that could certainly make one reconsider his vocation in life as a NASCAR Winston Cup driver.

But Newburgh’s Craven will hear of no such talk. He insists that he won’t be gun-shy when he slides into another Chevy Monte Carlo this weekend for the Save Mart Supermarkets 300 over the 2.52-mile Sears Point Raceway road course in Sonoma, Calif.

“I swear if we were racing at Talladega this weekend and the doctors allowed me to race, I’d be there. I don’t know if that makes me normal, but I love what I do,” Craven said during a conference call Tuesday morning.

“The biggest struggle for me right now is knowing I won’t be able to run an entire race at Sears Point. We’re off to a great start in the Winston Cup season. I know I’m being a little selfish. My family and friends aren’t as concerned about that as I am,” added Craven, who is sixth in the points race, only one point behind Sterling Marlin.

He said if he ever would have been affected by a crash it would have happened “when I wrecked at Unity Raceway 15 years ago.”

It’s part of the job and Craven said the drivers are fortunate that the NASCAR places such a high priority on safety. The cars undergo stringent safety standard tests before each race, Craven said.

“I had my helmet on, we have the best harness assembly made and the seat is tailored to my body,” said Craven. “The driving compartment is so safe and comfortable. You can’t get hurt in a race car. That’s my mentality.”

He admitted that his memory of the 14-car accident is still fuzzy.

“I have a hard time remembering the incident,” said Craven. “I remember Mark [Martin] being sideways. I got hit and went over the top. I don’t know what I could have done differently. I was going too fast to stop.

“I know I blacked out before it ended. When I came to, I was struggling to breathe,” recalled Craven. “I didn’t realize it then but it was because I had a bruised lung and had the wind knocked out of me. When I caught my breath, I had severe pain between my shoulders.

“The only part of the wreck that hurt me was when we landed on the apron. There were no tires or suspension left on the car so it was just the chassis and the frame when we landed,” said Craven.

Craven said he was “very thankful” to the safety crews and the hospital staff at the Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham for their roles in taking care of him.

The 1995 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year displayed his sense of humor by saying, “I didn’t like that car anyway. This was the best way to ensure that I wouldn’t have to bring it back.”

He added that when he first saw the accident on his hospital room television, he said, “I feel sorry for that poor driver. `Hey, that’s me.’ ”

Craven said he will take a “realistic approach” to this weekend’s race in Sonoma and will take the advice of doctors he will consult later this week.

“I’m obviously sore and not in race shape right now. But I’m amazed at how much better I felt yesterday and today,” said Craven.

Craven hopes to at least start the race. He has to finish just one lap to qualify for his Winston Cup points. He mentioned Ron Hornaday Jr. as a likely candidate to finish the race for him. The 37-year-old Hornaday is a Californian who races the NASCAR Super Truck Series. He is the only two-time NASCAR Featherlite Southwest tour champion. He won six times a year ago, including the race at Sears Point Raceway and was third in the final points.

For now, Craven said his appearance in the NASCAR Busch Grand National race at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H. on May 11 is up in the air.

“Winston Cup is my priority,” said Craven, who intends to heed the advice of his doctors pertaining to his schedule.