Ricky Craven: GFS Marketplace 400 preview

HICKORY, N.C. -- Ricky Craven, driver of the No. 32 Tide Chevrolet, has one pole, one second-place finish and two top-15 finishes at Michigan International Speedway. Craven and the Tide Racing team started the spring race at Michigan International Speedway from the 26th position and skyrocketed through the field up to the 10th position by lap 22. Craven was poised for a strong run, however, during the first pit stop, the team encountered a set of tires that the car did not respond to. The team was unable to return the car's handling to the early part of the race and they had to settle for a 29th place finish. Craven's hopes are high for this weekend's event, as the team is bringing the same car to Michigan that they competed with during the spring race at Michigan.

What is it about Michigan you enjoy so much?

"Michigan is one of my favorite racetracks...it is just a fun racetrack. It has a little bit of everything...speed, braking, accelerating, handling, aerodynamics. It is just a fun place to race"

"Statistically, it has been a good place for the Tide team. In the spring of 2003, we were running in the top-five all day and got caught up in an incident with a lapped car, which cost a good finish. The year before, we were hauling the mail and had a flat tire. Back to 2001, we won the pole and finished second in the race. Everyone on the Tide team was convinced had it not rained, we would have had another trophy because we were just a few laps from passing Sterling Marlin and it started raining really hard."