Ricky Craven is still looking for his first Craftsman Truck Series victory. Credit: Autostock

Craven hopes to perform wizardly at Kansas

After rough patch, veteran hopes history is on his side Saturday

It's likely that no one was happier to see the month of June end than Ricky Craven.

On June 10, after the Chex 400 at Texas, Craven was a scant 17 points behind then-series point leader Ted Musgrave. Since then, he's posted a 33rd-place finish at Michigan and a 21st-place effort last weekend at Milwaukee.

	Credit: Nate Mecha/HSP
	Inside the Numbers The No. 99 truck at Kansas Year Driver Start Finish 2001 Nathan Haseleu 4 10 2003 Carl Edwards 16 2 2004 Carl Edwards 2 1 NOTE: The No. 99 truck was not entered in the 2002 Kansas race.

As a result, Craven now finds himself 141 points back of current leader Dennis Setzer heading into Saturday afternoon's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway.

"We've hit a bit of a headwind the last three weeks that has hurt us in the points," said Craven, who put together three finishes among the top four in his first four appearances for Roush Racing. "We've got to get back on track this week."

Craven does have reason to feel confident heading into Saturday's event. A year ago, Carl Edwards drove what is now Craven's No. 99 Ford into Victory Lane.

In 2003, Jon Wood visited Victory Lane there, also in a Roush machine.

Last year's race was a wild affair, with 10 cautions. Edwards himself was involved in an accident on the opening lap, falling all the way to 33rd as his crew worked to replace his fender and two tires.

For Craven, his personal history at the track isn't exactly stellar, but the veteran driver says he expects to have a good weekend.

"Kansas is a fine track and I enjoy racing there although my statistics don't reflect fond memories," he said looking back at finishes of 38th and 41st in the Nextel Cup Series.

"Roush has had a lot of success there, especially in the truck program and I expect we will run well this week."

2005 CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES •   Results •   Standings •   Schedule •   Best 25 Over Last Six Races •   Best Starts •   Best Finishes

Craven will also have a new team member in the front office this week, as Max Jones, a key figure in Greg Biffle's 2000 Craftsman Truck Series championship run -- Roush's first in NASCAR -- returns as team manager.

Jones spent the past couple of seasons with Eddie Cheever's Indy Racing League team.

"I don't know Max Jones but I've heard good things about him and I'm sure he'll bring a lot to the program," said Craven.

It might be tough for anyone to gain ground on Setzer this weekend. In four NCTS starts at Kansas, Setzer has three top-three finishes and two Bud Poles.

"It is just a fun place to race," Setzer said. "It is wide and you can race side-by-side and it is just awesome."

Still, the leader is expecting a wild day at Kansas on Saturday.

"The heat will make the track a little slick," Setzer said. "Hopefully we won't get the rain like we did last year and there will be more rubber down at the start of the race, which helps everyone."