Craven, Stewart to sign autographs Maine driver at Brewer Wal-Mart; points champ at Quirk Auto Park

Two former NASCAR Winston Cup Rookies of the Year, Ricky Craven (1995) and Tony Stewart (1999), will make separate appearances in the Greater Bangor area on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

Newburgh’s Craven and defending Winston Cup points champion Tony Stewart of Rushville, Ind., will sign autographs before heading to Loudon, N.H. to prepare for Sunday’s New England 300.

Craven will be at the Super Wal-Mart in Brewer from 5:30-7:30 on Wednesday while Stewart will be appearing at the GM Goodwrench Pro Shop at Quirk Chevrolet within Quirk Auto Park in Bangor Thursday from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

The two drivers have each won a race this season but they have been going in opposite directions of late.

Craven hasn’t finished higher than 15th in his last four races to drop from 12th to 17th in the points standings.

Stewart has three top-fours in his last six races to move up from 16th to eighth in the points.

Stewart won the Pocono 500 at Long Pond, Pa., on June 8, his 15th career Winston Cup victory, and he was second in the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (Ill.) last Sunday after winning the pole.

Craven won the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway (S.C.) on March 16. It was his second career trip to Victory Lane.