The Maine attraction: northerner and deposed Cup driver Ricky Craven is digging in his heels for a climb back to the top series

When you're a redheaded Northerner who likes to ride snowmobiles, you're used to changing your game to fit the NASCAR world.

Maine's Ricky Craven has done just that again while chasing checkereds in the Craftsman Truck Series after more than 250 races and two victories in Cup. These days Craven, 39, is one of three veteran Cup drivers giving defending truck champion Bobby Hamilton a run for his money.

And, being the adaptable guy that he is, Craven--with just one truck series race under his belt before 2005--watched and learned from the guy who made it look so easy last year.

"I admire Bobby's approach: He would settle somewhere in the middle of the race, then come on at the end, and he's done it repeatedly with success," Craven says. "Bobby's methodical, and when it comes time to race, he's always there. So I've sort of studied that approach, and it's a little bit my personality, anyway."

Hamilton has noticed.

"I knew he was going to be a tough competitor," Hamilton says. "The truck series is somewhat different, and he's already figuring me out a little bit on my strategy. He pays a lot of attention. He's a guy that we end up racing week in and week out."

After being bounced last year from Cal Wells' No. 32 Nextel Cup ride and being replaced by Bobby Hamilton Jr., Craven landed a sweet deal driving the No. 99 Ford truck for Jack Roush. His adjustment period has been minimal: seven top 10s in his first eight races in 2005.

Craven says he's simply motivated to win the truck title, not beat Hamilton because Bobby Hamilton Jr. now is driving the No. 32.

"I don't give a lot of regard to the 32 or to 2004 because it would be the equivalent of looking in the rearview mirror," he says. "1 was disappointed with the way that ended because Cal and I had done a lot of good, but again, that was then; this is now."

Although he wouldn't say whether he was auditioning for Mark Martin's spot in the No. 6, Craven did say he wanted to get back in Cup.

"I love what I'm doing now, and I may do it for the rest of my career," Craven says. "But I've certainly got an interest in being back in Cup, and I would love nothing more than to win the Daytona 500.... I think I've got time still to realize that goal or dream. We'll see."

Contributing: Roger Kuznia

TSN's POWER POLL

1. Ted Musgrave

2. Bobby Hamilton One blown tire won't keep the defending champion down for long.

3. Ricky Craven

4. Terry Cook

5. Ron Hornaday

6. Dennis Setzer

[up arrow] 7. David Starr

8. Matt Crafton

9. Jimmy Spencer

[down arrow] 10. Johnny Benson

* INSIDE DISH

Craftsman recently announced a five-year sponsorship agreement for the truck series that will help the division continue its growth and attract racers such as Mark Martin, who is retiring from Cup and has said he'll run a full truck schedule in 2006. Former CTS champions Ron Hornaday, Jack Sprague and Mike Skinner have returned to trucks after running in other series, and they enjoy the caliber of competition the series provides. "It's a less hectic lifestyle," Skinner says. "But my first love has always been the trucks." Skinner's manufacturer, Toyota, has come a long way in its development, and Skinner believes the key to his future success is keeping his team together long enough to jell. Chevrolet doesn't call the No. 47 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Silverado its all-star program for nothing. Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte have raced the truck, which will sport decals featuring the rock group Kiss on the hood when Kevin Harvick takes the wheel in September at Richmond. Morgan-Dollar also is running a driver development program for Chevrolet; drivers it has tested include Jarit Johnson (Jimmie's brother) and Curtis Truex (Martin's cousin) for Dale Earnhardt Inc. last month.--L.S.

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