PPI searching for consistency in 2004

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The first third of the 2003 season went fine for Ricky Craven. Perhaps even better than fine.

He spent 16 weeks in the top 15 in points, posting all three of his top-five finishes -- including the historic victory at Darlington Raceway -- during that span.

	Ricky Craven won a thriller last year at Darlington. Credit: Autostock

Craven's PPI Motorsports team was benefiting from a new engine program, a new crew chief and a front-loaded test schedule.

"We got out of the gate fast," Craven said. "We benefited from using up our tests early so that when we went to the track and unloaded, having tested, we were close.

"But then later in the year when other teams made progress, we didn't make as much progress."

That's an understatement. Some would say PPI went backwards, in fact. With seven DNFs the second half of the year -- including three in a row in the last four races -- Craven slipped to 27th in points.

What happened? And more importantly, how can PPI prevent it from happening again?

Those are questions Craven has pondered as he approaches 2004. The answers? Some are simple. Some are not so simple.

"On an individual basis, all of his have to maintain good health, good sleep, good focus," Craven said. "Where things start to come apart is when you get worn down."

So stay in better shape, check. Sounds simple enough.

Of course, it's not quite that easy. So car owner Cal Wells tried to upgrade his team, replacing Scott Miller with Dave Charpentier as crew chief. Charpentier is a respected engineer in the garage, having been recently employed with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

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Plus, Wells brought back Mike Beam to oversee the team and add some depth to the team's management. Both were good moves, in Craven's opinion. Besides, with Beam as crew chief in 2001-02, Craven had two of his best years.

"Having him back is going to be rewarding," Craven said.

Hiring Charpentier and Beam don't automatically fix the problems, of course. One of the problems was the number of engine failures the team experienced in 2003. Perhaps, Craven said, the engine department simply got strained.

"Maybe we had the elastic wound too tight," Craven said. "Maybe we turned too much in too short a time. I don't know. Whatever I would produce would be an excuse because the fact is, the year before, we finished stronger. The year before, we just hauled butt the second half of the season."

So maybe that was simply a bit of a fluke.

"Let's not look back," Craven said. "But rather, let's focus on the things we did well and the things we know we can do better.

"I'm hooked up with a great group of people. I'm also racing with a car owner who refuses to give up. He's got a history of succeeding, and he works as hard as anybody I know. Everything is good here. We can't worry about what we don't have, but rather be thankful for what we do and take advantage of it."

What they don't have is a second team, despite Wells' strong effort to field one. A second team, perhaps, would have helped Craven in the second half, as that team could have tested and provided the No. 32 with some desperately needed information.

	The Tide ride will be a Chevrolet in 2004. Credit: Autostock

"We would have benefited from it and clearly would have been a stronger team with a second car," Craven said. "But it's just not something I can be distracted by or Cal can be distracted by. We've got a lot to be to be thankful for, and we've got a great opportunity. We need to capitalize on this opportunity."

Craven is switching to Chevrolet for 2004, as Pontiac is no longer supporting the Nextel Cup Grand Prix. There's a lot of new stuff for PPI, and there is much about which to be optimistic.

First, though, Craven and PPI need to shake off 2003.

"No excuse; we ran out of steam," Craven said. "We're not going to make excuses. ... We need to figure a way to finish the job."