THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996 TAG: 9605010578
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA. LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
As he sat in the smoking, steaming remains of his Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the apron of the first turn at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday, 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 taken by a driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.
``I know I was knocked out before it ended,'' Craven said Tuesday on the weekly Winston Cup teleconference. ``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.''
Actually, rescue workers took the time to 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.
Meanwhile, Bill Elliott 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 at Talladega.
Doctors on Monday inserted a screw and a plate to stabilize a four-part fracture in Elliott's left femur right below the hip joint. Elliott began rehabilitation Tuesday while still hospitalized at Health South Medical Center in Birmingham.
Tommy Kendall will drive Elliott's car at Sears Point, Calif., 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 the cracked vertebra does not affect his spinal cord and was so small, it was not detected until he had an MRI on Monday. He 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.
``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.''
Craven, who is sixth in the points standings, said the car is probably headed to a museum. ``I wouldn't mind the public seeing this car so they can see first hand why I'm not hurt, certainly not seriously,'' he said.
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 another month.
``I feel like I'm ready to race, but all the ligaments aren't 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 pain from the neck injury, but not in his neck. The pain manifests itself as a headache in his forehead, he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ricky Craven hopes to start Sunday at Sears Point, Calif., but
doubts he'll finish the race.
by CNB