ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996 TAG: 9605010050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
As he sat in the smoking, steaming remains of his Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the apron of the first turn at Talladega Superspeedway, Ricky Craven was in as much pain as he'd ever been in his racing career.
But he was conscious. And all he wanted was to get out and away from the vehicle that had given him one of the wildest, scariest rides ever taken by a driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.
``I know I was knocked out before it ended,'' Craven said Tuesday. ``When I did come to, I was struggling for breath. I never really caught my breath, I couldn't take a deep breath.''
``I just asked them, `Just help me get out of the window. Just help me get out of this thing.' It was uncomfortable. I was in a lot of pain - more pain than I had been exposed to from racing.''
Rescue workers cut the roof off Craven's car before removing him. Craven suffered relatively minor injuries - a slightly cracked upper vertebra, bruised lungs and other cuts and bruises, including a swollen left eye.
Bill Elliott was less fortunate. He faces hospitalization for the next seven to 10 days and two to four months on crutches after breaking his thigh bone in a separate, one-car accident in Sunday's race.
Doctors on Monday inserted a screw and a plate to stabilize a four-part fracture in Elliott's left femur below the hip joint. Elliott began rehabilitation Tuesday while still hospitalized at HealthSouth Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala.
Tommy Kendall will drive Elliott's car at Sears Point this weekend. No replacement has been named beyond that. Craven's tumble, which occurred in the midst of 13 other crashing cars, looked worse than Elliott's near-flip.
``I can't put the wreck together in my mind,'' Craven said. ``I have a hard time remembering the incident. I remember Mark [Martin] being sideways. I know I got hit and I went over the top of Mark. But I can't really put it all together.
``The very end of it was when I hurt my back. I probably bruised my lung and hurt my back when we landed on the apron. When it landed, it was just solid chassis and frame to the asphalt.
``I've seen the replay. I woke up in the hospital and they had it on TV. I said, `Boy, I feel sorry for that poor driver.' Well, that was me. It was kind of interesting to see it. Up until that time, I had no idea exactly what I had hit or why I was where I was at.''
Craven said he has lined up NASCAR truck driver Ron Hornaday, Jr. to drive in relief at Sears Point because he probably won't be able to finish the race. But he's not sure.
``I'm not in race shape right now,'' he said. `But it's only Tuesday, and I'm thinking by the end of the week, I'll be in great shape. I fully intend to at least start the event. The biggest struggle for me right now is knowing I probably won't be able to run the entire race at Sears Point. And we've gotten off to a great start [by being sixth in points].''
Another injured driver, Loy Allen, was in the garage at Talladega last weekend. Allen, who stretched and tore ligaments in his neck in a crash at Rockingham in late February, said doctors have told him to stay out of a race car for about another month.
``I feel like I'm ready to race, but all the ligaments are not healed yet, and the doctors told me if I take another hit, they might not heal a second time,'' Allen said.
``They haven't cleared me yet. Right now it looks like I can return at Dover [the first weekend of June], but I may drive a few laps at Charlotte in testing.''
Allen said he still feels some pain from the injury, but not in his neck. The pain manifests itself as a headache in his forehead, he said. sh: :wq!: not found auto STORY craven 5.1.b TOPIC craven recal KEYWORDracing DESK AUTHOR:BobZeller05/01/96 1
text
begin
Input file was 0049 Output file was /asst/dti/0501/pass2/0049
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Craven. color. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB