While he wishes his weekends were busier, Ricky Craven isn’t ready to second guess his decision to wait for an offer from a competitive Nextel Cup team.
“I expect to race again, but I’m going to be patient and wait for the opportunity,” Craven said Wednesday.
The Maine driver with two Nextel Cup victories is unemployed.
After running in the Craftsman Truck Series last year for Jack Roush, and winning one race, Craven turned down several offers to compete in the Busch and truck series to wait for that elusive Cup ride.
So far, he has no regrets, but he admitted that there are time when he yearns to race.
“Some people might describe it as being stubborn,” Craven said. “I made a commitment last year that, however many more years I have left in racing, I want to focus my efforts and attention toward Nextel Cup. My goodness, I was in Victory Lane a few years ago with a single-car team. I’m not only qualified to get back, but to also be successful. So I’m going to be patient and I’m going to wait for the opportunity.”
Craven, 39, acknowledges that he may have a long wait. Just five races into the season, most teams won’t contemplate making a driver change for several more months.
With his proven record, Craven is hoping a team will covet the services of a veteran driver. Last year, Craven became the 15th driver in NASCAR history to to earn victories in all three NASCAR divisions. But he has avoided going to the track seeking employment.
“It’s important that I make my position heard, and people know that I am still available,” Craven said. “I’m not convinced that I have to be at the race track to prove that. But I may be wrong.”
He is still puzzled by the published report last week that he would compete in 10 truck races for upstart Curry Racing. The news lingered for a couple of days before Craven, who was on vacation, learned of the report and issued a denial.
“In my career, I’ve never seen something like that happen,” Craven said. “There was a connection made and an affiliation made, and it simply didn’t exist.”
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