BRISTOL, Tenn. – Maine driver Ricky Craven didn’t let a provisional starting slot keep him from working the way to the front of the pack during Saturday night’s Sharpie 500, but Craven wasn’t able to escape the rough-and-tumble racing that Bristol fans love.

“It’s like a 12-round heavyweight fight out here, toe to toe all night,” said Newburgh’s Craven, who was knocked out of the race halfway through it.

Craven, who finished a career-best second in the Pepsi 400 on Aug. 18 at Michigan Speedway, took little time to work his way through the pack on the .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway. Craven moved up from his starting position of 39th to lead the race for 14 laps in the early going.

Craven led laps 72 through 85, but finished 38th after his crash on lap 240 of 500. He earned $43,050.

Seven drivers were knocked from the race due to crashes, and 16 caution flags flew in the event. Only 15 of the 42 drivers who started the event finished on the lead lap, and 92 of the 500 laps were covered under caution.

Craven’s evening ended when his No. 32 Tide Ford careened off the outside wall, slid down across the track and smashed into the inside retaining wall.

Craven entered Saturday night’s race in 23rd place in the NASCAR Winston Cup standings with 2,112 points.

Craven has competed in 23 races this season with an average start of 22.6 and an average finish of 24.4. He has won a total of $1,231,764.

Next week’s NASCAR race is the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Sept. 2.