Fans miss cheering for Craven Driver will return for truck race Sept. 17

LOUDON, N.H. – At Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, it will be easy to identify the hometown heroes on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. Many fans will be wearing Jeff Gordon T-shirts or Tony Stewart hats, but at New Hampshire International Speedway over the weekend, it was difficult to find any sign of one of New England’s favorite racing sons.

For the first time since 1998 there was a major NASCAR weekend in Loudon without Newburgh native Ricky Craven participating.

“There is definitely something missing,” said longtime Craven fan Chris Kiley of Southwick, Mass. “It’s definitely a void without him here.”

In 17 Nextel Cup starts at NHIS, Craven had one top five, two top 10s, and two pole positions. He also won from the pole in a NASCAR Busch Series race in 1991.

“It’s disappointing that he’s not here. Everybody wishes he was here,” said Lincoln’s Patty McGhee. “It’s sad not having a hometown guy to root for.”

David Martineau of Methuen, Mass., had a different reason for following Craven.

“My nephew drives a quarter midget car and he painted in the Tide scheme so he and my whole family wore everything Tide. So we followed Ricky Craven and also root for him and the Tide team,” said Martineau.

Craven started driving for owner Cal Wells at PPI Motorsports in 2001 until they mutually parted ways midway through the 2004 Nextel Cup campaign. After he lost his ride with Hendrick Motorsports in 1999, Craven bounced around between teams before landing the No. 32 Tide ride with PPI.

Even without Craven in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series, he still has a strong following in the Craftsman Truck Series.

“I think he’s having a great year and he has a great future,” said McGhee.

In his inaugural truck series, Craven has amassed three top fives and seven top-10 finishes in 13 starts. He also sits fifth in points in his No. 99 Roush Racing Superchips Ford.

The NASCAR weekend at Loudon featured Busch Series and Busch North races, but the truck series isn’t scheduled at Loudon until it hosts its second NASCAR weekend in September. Craven will compete in the truck series’ Sylvania 200 on Sept. 17.

Some fans at Loudon differed on what Craven’s future in NASCAR should be.

“He’ll definitely stay in the truck series until he’s old enough to retire,” said Wayne Brooks of Biddeford of the 39- year-old Craven. “It seems like that’s where they all go when they’re done in the Nextel series.”

Still others want him back in the top ranks.

“I definitely think he’ll be back in Cup next year,” said Kiley. “There were some rumors about the six [car for 2006]. He’s having a good season in trucks, but I hope he’ll be back.”

Most fans said that they’d stand by Craven in whatever series he races in, but some want to follow a NEXTEL Cup driver as well.

“I might have to pick another driver [to follow],” said Derek Pederson of Lake George, N.Y. “I’ll just have to wait and see.”

Whether Craven was racing, no one said that they’d skip a race weekend at Loudon.

“I wanted to see him race, but I would still come to every race whether he’s here or not,” said Anthony Hethcoat of New Gloucester, Mass.

The truck series had the weekend off but returns this Saturday for the O’Reilly 200 at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park.