Rested Craven eager to race Driver seeks improvements for team, to test at more tracks

A rejuvenated Ricky Craven and the rest of the Winston Cup drivers, after enjoying a week off, will begin a stretch of 20 consecutive weekend races with the Pepsi 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Saturday night.

After spending last week tubing, boating and cooking out with his family at their home on Moosehead Lake near Greenville, the Newburgh native tested at New Hampshire International Speedway on Monday and Tuesday.

Craven is currently 14th in the points standings with finishes of eighth, 10th, 15th and 21st in his last four races.

“I’m certainly not satisfied but I’m proud of our effort as we close in on the end of the first half,” said Craven from Daytona on Thursday. “For the first time, we had a win in the first half [Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway]; and we have three top-fives which matches what we had all of last year.

“And there is plenty of room for improvement. We know the things that are separating us from being a top-10 team and how well we execute the next 20 races will determine if we belong at the Waldorf-Astoria [in New York City for the annual NASCAR Awards banquet],” said Craven.

To try to rectify the problems, including an average starting spot of 26th due to poor qualifying performances, Craven will test at various tracks for five consecutive weeks.

“We have to put in the extra effort to try to finish better than we did a year ago [15th]. an. It’s like taking extra batting practice or standing at the free throw line before [basketball] games,” said Craven.

“We’ve made great progress since the day I first stepped in the Tide Car [2001]. The team continues to get better and better. But it also continues to get more and more difficult. The 14 teams that finished ahead of us last year weren’t too bad. This is our challenge,” said Craven, who also hopes to visit Victory Lane at least once more this season.

Craven, whose average finish has been 18th in his Tide Pontiac, said improving their qualifying is a priority.

“Qualifying goes beyond your starting spot. It also allows you to determine the order in which you choose your pit stall. Pit road is such an important element,” said Craven.

Still, he pointed out that “we’ve had some of our best races coming from the back of the pack. It’s hard to understand.”

Craven started 31st at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400.

He said the week spent on Moosehead Lake was “really what I needed coming into this stretch. We had the best week up there.”

He also said testing at Loudon was both valuable and enjoyable.

“We tested during the day and spent the evening at my in-laws’ place on a lake and had a good time. We did some tubing and broke some lobster shells,” said Craven who had 16 PPI-Motorsports Team members with him.

“Make no mistake about it, this is the tightest group of people I’ve ever been with. I’ve never had a group with which I’ve had more fun with. We work hard but we also have fun,” he said.

He is looking forward to Saturday night’s race, the 17th in the 36-race series.

“Daytona is an historic place. It’s synonymous with racing,” said the 37-year-old Craven.

He has one top 10 in 15 races at Daytona with an average finish of 23rd and an starting position of 29th.

Later this month, Craven will receive a big thrill when he throws out the first pitch for a Boston Red Sox-Detroit Tigers game at Boston’s Fenway Park.

“That’ll be cool for a boy from Newburgh, Maine,” he said.