By Rick Houston
Ricky Craven had never seen anything quite like Daytona International Speedway.
His first time out on the track, he enlisted the help of Jeff Gordon to show him a proper line. They headed out on the 2.5-mile layout, Gordon first, with Craven tucked into line behind him. Then, Craven got his turn in front. With Gordon now trailing, Craven felt the reaction of his car to Gordon’s in the draft.
In the distance, Craven spotted another, much slower car. Rather than giving it plenty of room, however, Craven left barely inches as he and Gordon roared past. The disturbance turned Craven very nearly sideways, but he somehow managed to save the car.
Back in the garage, he and Gordon wondered how Craven could possibly have collected the car without incident. All Craven knew was that if THAT was the way cars were supposed to handle at Daytona, he wanted no part of it. He was headed home to Maine, and he wasn’t coming back.
Fortunately for Craven, Kenny Wallace took Craven’s car out for a trial run. Returning quickly, Wallace confirmed that the car was not handling well. That was good enough for Craven … it was the car, not his own driving ability.
This is his story.
For more than 32 years, Grand National/Winston Cup/NASCAR Scene writers and photographers were there to record NASCAR history as it was being made. Join hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid each week on The Scene Vault Podcast Presented by Q Ware as they take a look back at the extraordinary people, places and events woven into the rich tapestry that is our sport.
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