Newburgh native Ricky Craven said he is really looking forward to climbing back into a race car Saturday night for the Goody’s 250 Busch Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Craven, who has 278 Nextel Cup starts and two wins to his credit, will drive the No. 14 Family Dollar Dodge for the FitzBradshaw Racing team.

The team is owned by Armando and Mimi Fitz along with Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

It is a one-race deal.

“I had no plans to race until a few days ago. They made me an offer and it seems like the right thing to do. The circumstances were right. It should be enjoyable,” said Craven, who will join the team today in Martinsville. “Martinsville has been very good to me and it’s a racetrack I enjoy.

“I got my first Busch Grand National pole there after I moved south. It’s where I got my first Cup pole, my first Cup win and my first Truck win,” said the 40-year-old Craven.

He said it won’t be a “perfect scenario.

“In a perfect scenario, I would have made plans a month ago. I would have tested somewhere and had time to prepare,” said Craven. “But I believe that a strong performance is attainable.”

The team has two cars: The No. 12 and the No. 14.

They have had a variety of drivers including Tracy Hines, Joel Kauffman and Mike Skinner.

Neither team has registered a top-10 finish this season.

“I’m hoping to have good practices on Thursday and Friday and a strong qualifying run to lock ourselves in the field,” said Craven. “I don’t expect things to be perfect. I’ve got a little bit of catching up to do.”

Craven hasn’t raced since concluding the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season for Jack Roush Racing last fall.

He finished 14th in points and became only the 15th driver to ever win in the Truck, Busch and Nextel Cup series when he visited Victory Lane at Martinsville.

Craven has spent most of the summer at his home in Greenville with wife K.K. and children Riley, Everett and Lydia.

“I’m having a fabulous time with my family but the prospect of racing at Martinsville was something that got my interest,” said Craven, the 1995 Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year.

This will be the first time he has driven a Dodge. He has also been behind the wheel of a Ford, Chevy and Pontiac.

This will be the first of two consecutive weekends of racing for Craven.

He will run the TD Banknorth Oxford 250 on July 30 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

He said he’s glad he’s receiving the opportunity to race before the Oxford 250.

“It will help although it wasn’t the primary reason I took the [FitzBradshaw] ride,” said Craven.

“I’ll be coming home [to race] for the first time in 15 years and my expectations are sky-high,” said Craven. “I’ll have my work cut out for me at Oxford.”

Nextel Cup drivers Kyle Busch – who won the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway last Sunday – Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley will also be in the field.

He said he has no plans beyond the two races.

“I’m not clear about what I want to do,” said Craven. “As the summer goes on, we’ll see if I get another opportunity that excites me.”