Craven’s mistake leads to early exit Driver misses shift, damages his engine

Maine native Ricky Craven took the blame for engine failure and his early exit from Sunday’s NASCAR race, the Pocono 500 at the Pocono International Speedway at Long Pond, Pa., according to a story on Craven’s Web site compiled by his team, PPI Motorsports.

A missed shift resulted in engine damage for Craven’s No. 32 Tide Ford.

“Well, I’m afraid I brought it on myself,” Craven said. “I messed up and missed a shift and I over-revved it. I just killed the engine. I turned the motor too hard.

“You know, you don’t get any second chances. I really regret it,” Craven added. “The guys on the Tide team are working really hard, and I’m just gonna have to go out there the next time and make it up to them.”

Early race strategy worked in Craven’s advantage on the 2.5-mile oval at Pocono. The event’s first caution on lap 12 brought about half the field, including Craven, into pit lane for service. Craven crew chief Mike Beam called for four tires and fuel and the quick stop enabled Craven to maintain 35th position on the track.

Another caution on lap 25 brought another opportunity for a pit and Craven’s team made some setup adjustments. Beam called for a wedge adjustment and two right-side tires – Craven had taken on a fresh set just 13 laps before – and this enabled Craven to jump to 19th when the green flag flew on lap 28.

Two laps later, Craven encountered problems when he missed a shift and over-revved the engine. He fell back to 30th. After a few more laps, he reported engine problems and drove to the garage for a closer inspection and the crew discovered irreparable engine damage.

Craven has competed in 15 NASCAR races this season with an average starting position of 23rd and finishing position of 25th. He is 28th in the Winston Cup series points with 1,279 and has won $761,826.

Leading the points race is Jeff Gordon with 2,176 and total money winnings of $3,888,290. He is being chased by Dale Jarrett at 2,140 points and $2,419,830 in winnings.

Craven will be signing autographs Saturday, June 30, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Ricky Craven Motorsports North at 18 Searsport Ave. in Belfast. Craven’s Tide car will also be on hand.

Proceeds from the signing will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Bone Marrow Foundations, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Travis Roy Foundation and the Ricky Craven Snowmobile Ride for Charity.