NASCAR veteran may join Craven

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LOUDON, N.H. – Cal Wells III, the owner of the No. 32 Tide Pontiac and PPI Motorsports team, said if they add a second driver to team up with Newburgh’s Ricky Craven for next season, he will probably be a Winston Cup veteran.

“For our team, we need someone who has track time,” said Wells. “We don’t have the stature or the experience of a Roush or DEI [Dale Earnhardt Incorporated] or a [Rick] Hendrick. We need someone who can bring stuff to the party.”

He’s optimistic, but nothing has been signed.

“I think we have a good shot at it for next year, but it is by no means done,” said Wells. “It’s close, but this isn’t horseshoes. Knock on wood.”

In horseshoes, landing the horseshoe near the stake produces points. Wells meant he won’t announce a second team until everything is firmed up on paper.

A second team would give Wells and PPI Motorsports seven more test dates as each driver is allowed seven per year. It would also give them another team to share information with.

It has been a roller-coaster season for Wells, Craven, and PPI Motorsports.

Three top-five finishes in the first eight races put the team in sixth place in the points standings. There hasn’t been a top- five finish over the last 19 races.

Poor qualifying has been a major culprit as their averaging starting position is 26th.

They qualified 21st for the Sylvania 300, but Craven hit the wall in practice Saturday and had to start 42nd out of the field of 43 in his backup car on Sunday.

“Our qualifying is getting better,” Wells said. “I wasn’t thrilled with qualifying on Friday, but the car we pulled out seems to be a much better car. I wish we had made it the primary car.”

Craven did manage back-to-back eighth-place finishes before posting a 30th at Richmond last week.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” said Wells, whose team is building its own engines for the first time this season.

“The engine program isn’t progressing as fast as I want, but it is progressing,” he said, adding that he is “very proud” of his pit crew and the team members.

Craven has busy driver

For those who consider a trip to Boston to be a trying and grueling experience, meet David Shelley.

Shelley drives Craven’s comfortable motor home which serves as home for Craven, wife K.K., and children Riley and Everett.

Shelley figures he has logged 31,000 miles already this season with nine races remaining after Sunday’s Sylvania 300.

“I love the job. It’s different,” said Shelley, a native of Princeton, W.Va., who drove an 18-wheeler carrying cars to the West Coast for 16 years before driving a motor home part time for Greg Zipadelli three years ago.

“This is easier to drive than an 18-wheeler,” said Shelley.

He drove full time for Craven last year and is back with him this year.

Shelley will leave the track right after a race and drive to the next venue.

Craven and his family fly to their North Carolina home after the race and join Shelley at the next track the following Thursday.

In addition to driving the motor home, Shelley is also responsible for cleaning it out.

“People don’t realize it isn’t one of those jobs where you get to the track and just hang out,” said Shelley.

He said he drives until he gets tired and then pulls into a truck stop for the night.

Staying awake is no problem.

“Driving something this large makes you more alert. It’s easy to drive. It’s comfortable,” said Shelley. “It’s a challenge to get to the next track as fast as you can.”

He listens to XM Satellite radio and has a couple of friends who drive other motor homes that he occasionally hooks up with.

Since he began driving on Feb. 7, he estimates he has been back to his North Carolina home for “only 15 or 16 days.”

This trip will be a little bit different.

“After the race, I’m going to Maine to pick up a boat and a car. Ricky’s going to drive the coach to North Carolina himself,” said Shelley.

Shelley said his favorite trips are to the tracks on the West Coast.

“I just like going out west. I’m used to it,” he explained, referring to the two tracks in California and the one in Arizona.

In the offseason, he does odds and ends for Craven.

“I send out the Christmas gifts to the team members,” said Shelley, who has also participated in Craven’s charity snowmobile ride in Greenville in January.

How does he like Greenville?

“It’s different. It’s like a no-man’s land,” said Shelley.