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October 1, 2004
Craven finds a sweet ride in Alabama Ricky Craven gets a ride with Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend, and that could lead to other opportunities. Ricky Craven's date with Joe Gibbs Racing at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway this weekend may be no more than work, conversation, perhaps a dinner and probably a thank-you. But no promises. "More than likely this is a short story," Craven said Thursday before leaving for Alabama. "This is an opportunity to go to Talladega, race excellent equipment and be seen. "You know what they say about out of sight, out of mind." Two weeks after stepping out of the PPI Motorsports Chevrolet for the last time at New Hampshire International Speedway, Craven did drop out of sight, he said. He went fly fishing near his summer home on Moosehead Lake. "It was three fabulous days of standing in the river early in the morning and coming out at dark. It was quality time with good friends. "It was a great week. It really charged my battery." Craven was in Boston last weekend. He had dinner with his good friend, Travis Roy, the former Boston University hockey player. Roy's father, Lee, managed Craven's race team when he drove for car owner Peter Prescott of Gardiner, and a young Travis swept the race shop floor and polished the race cars. Craven watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees in Sunday's game at Fenway Park. The next morning he got the phone call from Joe Gibbs Racing asking if he was interested in driving the team's third entry at Talladega. "It came out of the blue," said Craven, 38. "It's the flip side of being on the sideline in the middle of the season. If a team wants to add a driver, there aren't a lot of choices. "I know I've said I wouldn't race part time, but this was intriguing." He asked his wife what she thought. Let's race, she said. Craven asked Travis Roy to give him the positives and negatives. "Travis called me back and said I should live life to the fullest, that's the bottom line. It's OK to be calculated, but at the end of the day it's OK to take a chance." Craven, who still expects to weigh options for next season, said this opportunity has the potential to lead to others. Gibbs does have plans to field a third car next season. "It's going to be fun to be in a team atmosphere and race with a couple of drivers I know well," said Craven. "I'm not going to Talladega as a favorite but with the idea of competing and helping my teammates." Those teammates-for-a-weekend are Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, the 2002 and 2000 Nextel Cup champions. Stewart is among the top 10 drivers in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup. Talladega is one of the two superspeedways where teammates are important. Restrictor plates are used at Talladega and Daytona, and to move to the front, drivers typically draft other drivers, particularly teammates. Craven has nearly 10 years of experience running Talladega. That's what Joe Gibbs Racing wanted. Appeared in the Portland Press Herald - October 1, 2004 |
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