QUESTION: The Craftsman Truck Series has the image of being “Tough Trucks, Tough Drivers”… and the drivers pride themselves on being able to hold their own against the Cup drivers who come in to race one-race deals. What are your thoughts on the “Tough Trucks, Tough Drivers” image?

CRAVEN: Well, it’s probably appropriate. It’s a Series that has come a long way in the 10 years. I’ve been thinking a lot about it this week and this being my first race, and I’m not quite sure why it has taken so long to participate in a Craftsman Truck event, but I can tell you that there is no better scenario than what I have going into New Hampshire and racing with this group of people that have really put up some great numbers. I’m looking forward to it. I’m not taking it lightly. This is a very, very tough series as it relates to the drivers and the teams. But I’m going into New Hampshire with the idea of having fun and really not a lot of pressure because it is a one-race deal, and it is with a team and equipment that has a pretty darn good record so far.

QUESTION: You recently tested the #47 truck, how did that go and what are your expectations for the NHIS NCTS race?

CRAVEN: Well, my expectations are to go and enjoy myself and to run well. Without being specific, just running well and the same type of effort and results that Michael and Robby and Tony have gotten. Of course the idea of winning at New Hampshire is always in the back of my mind. I think it is a great opportunity for me and the circumstances you know, for me going home and being able to race an extra event is really special.

QUESTION: What do you anticipate the difference will be in driving a Truck at NHIS versus all the other styles of cars you have driven on the track?

CRAVEN: The one test that we had which was at Milwaukee about a month ago on our way to Michigan, we spent the day getting acclimated to how different the truck was compared to everything else that I had done in the 23 years I have race. And I have to say although it was racing and it was basically the same tires and the same engines and all that  I was surprised that there were some differences in that the truck drove differently and had a different entry into the corners. The day that we spent at Milwaukee was very valuable, and that will certainly help me going into New Hampshire. But it is a vehicle that was fun to drive and it was a vehicle, a race truck that seemed more forgiving than some of the race cars that I have driven in the last few years whether it be Busch or Cup the truck seems to me to allow the driver to be more aggressive and get away with it. We’ll see if that is actually real this weekend because this is a tough track. And anytime you race on a flat one-mile track you are challenged with racing side-by-side – in particularly, getting into the corners. So this will be a really big test for all of that.

QUESTION: But I understand that you are definitely looking forward to climbing behind the wheel of a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series truck.

CRAVEN: I absolutely am. The combination of racing with this group of people and of course going home and racing at New Hampshire which I can never get enough of and also the addition of LeAnn Rimes being on the hood is kind of cool. I actually studied a little bit about her history and what she represents and it is wonderful to have her participate in the whole program.

QUESTION:  Was the decision to get in this truck before you got out of the 32?

CRAVEN: This is a decision that we made, actually a program, that was established over the winter – back in January 2004 at the beginning of this year. So it was something that I was excited to be a part of and it was created around General Motors, Chevrolet Silverado putting together a group of drivers from the NEXTEL Cup Series and I think one driver from the Busch Series to do these selected events. It was logical that if I ran a race, the New Hampshire race would be the race.

QUESTION:  Is this something that you might consider pursuing outside of NEXTEL Cup Racing?

CRAVEN: Again, the timing of this – and of course we didn’t know this in January – but under the circumstances, I think it is perfect because I am undecided in exactly what I want to do or what I am going to do, and I have never raced a Craftsman Truck. So this is perfect timing, and it is part of why I am so excited about doing it. You know, we’ll just see what we get.

QUESTION:  What are some of your feelings going up to New Hampshire this weekend with all the news surrounding your career? Just that this is your last ride in the 32 car, and at the present time you don’t have a Cup ride next year.

CRAVEN: Well, it’s a good question. Mixed emotions, honestly, I think.  First of all, the idea of racing the Tide car again is a bit difficult. On one hand it is a great opportunity for me to say thanks and to end the association at a place that is important and special in front of a group of people that have been as loyal and supportive as any can be. On the flip side, I have circled the wagon on whether this makes sense or not on whether I should be doing this. Because certainly, change is difficult and maybe just making a clean break and letting Cal (Wells, owner of the No. 32 PPI Racing entry) continue with his objectives would make more sense, and letting me focus on 2005. But I think at the end of the day, both Cal and myself would agree that we have done more good for each other than disappointment. You know, it doesn’t always have to end ugly and this is a good opportunity for us to finish it at a place that has been special to me. Understand that the first three years of racing with the Tide team were very, very good to me. I think we had 20 something top 10, 10 top-fives and a couple of wins. It’s just that it’s a performance business, and we had a very disappointing first half of this year. Where we’re at, I’m fine with it. But I do like the idea of finishing it the right way or at least having the opportunity to say thanks, and that’s what my intention is. To go to New Hampshire and race a Craftsman Truck and have a lot of fun doing it and racing with a terrific group of drivers in a very legitimate Series and then on Sunday, basically tipping my hat to the fans of New England and saying thanks for all the support in particularly the three and a half years that I have raced with this team.

QUESTION: Do you think this start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series could be a segway for you possibly  next year in the Series?

CRAVEN: Well, it’s a decision that I’ll make in the next few months as to what I am going to do in 2005. I am looking forward to the race, and I have watched several NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, and the Series itself is full of excitement. It’s got a lot of talent, and as I said earlier, it is legitimate. It is a very legitimate Series that I think could be enjoyable. Being able to race in the Series this weekend will help me answer your question.

QUESTION:  You came here in July and made the announcement that you and Cal were parting ways at the end of the year,. but were your performances in the last few races in the 32…did that hasten your decision to get out of the car before that term?

CRAVEN: It certainly didn’t help. There’s no question as I said earlier that it is a business of performance and you know you can slice it several different ways, but there is a bottom line to this business like there is any business. We just came to the realization that although we gave it a shot to try and finish the year together that we would probably be better off if we went different directions. Again, I’m okay with that.

QUESTION: When we talked in July, you basically said that next season you had planned it was either going to be NEXTEL Cup or nothing. Are you kind of laxing on that now that you have had more time to think about it depending on how the run goes on Saturday (in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race) and how you feel behind the truck that maybe this could be what you want to try next year for the heck of it?

CRAVEN: Well, that will come down to a couple of things. The bottom line to my wanting to be in the NEXTEL Cup Series next year is that first of all, I am worthy of that, and I think that there are several ways that I could qualify myself to be a NEXTEL Cup driver. The fact that we were only one of however many drivers and team that won last year (2003) - we were one of them. I know it was less than 20. I think that I have worked a long time to get to this point, and I still enjoy the sport and I still have a passion to compete and I just don’t feel like the game is over. I feel like there are a few innings left to play. As an alternative to that – the idea of racing NEXTEL Cup next year, the Busch Series or the Craftsman Truck Series are great alternatives. But I just don’t know if that is something that I am interested in doing. I’ve never raced in this Series (the Craftsman Truck Series), and from the outside looking in, it looks like it could be a lot of fun. What it comes down to is the opportunities that I have or don’t have in the next few months. There’s already been discussions. There’s already been discussions with some teams. It’s just that I really don’t know what I want to do, and it is so unfair for me to speculate because I really need to know what I want to do as opposed to what is available or what I can do.

QUESTION:  When you look at racing first in the Craftsman Truck Series this weekend, what do you see as your biggest challenge in that race having not been in that Series before yet watching how these guys race?

CRAVEN: Well the biggest challenge anytime you go into a Series or you go into somebody’s backyard is to try and beat them at their home game. I can assure you that the guys that I am most focused on are the Top 10 drivers in the Craftsman Truck Series because they do this every week whether they are testing or racing they are in one of these trucks every week. The repetition of racing this type of vehicle and working with their team to improve, that pays big dividends. So I am not taking it lightly. Going into their Series and trying to match them is going to be my greatest challenge. The advantage that I may have is I don’t have any points consequence and I don’t have a lot to lose. I wouldn’t want that to be misinterpreted that I am going to be wreckless or anything else because I won’t, but only that I can go there and race at a track that is very, very, very good to me and feels like home. It is home. That’s an advantage that I will take this weekend. I am going back there to have fun, and I think that for some of these drivers, the pressure and the schedule may have caught up with them a little bit. For me, I go there with really my expectations are just to go and run the wheels off the truck.

QUESTION: Earlier you talked about the emotion of driving in the Tide car for the last time at your home track. There’s going to be so much of that from the fans, from the media, how are you going to be able to handle all of that emotionally and then climb in the car and race on Sunday?

CRAVEN: I think that the three and a half hours in the car on Sunday will be the easiest part of the job. It’s always about trying to satisfy your responsibilities and obligations, and it is a little extra difficult for me when I go home. I have to combine with that with time for my friends and family and sometimes that is difficult. In fact, it is usually difficult going home and finding the time. You know, I’m going to do it , and I’m going to give it everything that I have. I’d love nothing better than to have a strong performance on Sunday, and ultimately a win on Saturday and challenge for a win on Sunday. That would be a perfect ending for me with this Tide team. You know, Proctor & Gamble was and is an excellent company to represent and be associated with. The PPI team gave a tremendous effort. They were a great group to race with. My objective is just to go there and say thanks to everybody.

QUESTION: When we talked a month or so ago, you used the term performance-driven. You have already used it probably five or six times today. Given the fact that performances you are talking about is one of the reasons that this is the last time you are in the Tide car, do you view that as a problem you are going to have to overcome to get into a NEXTEL Cup car for 2005?

CRAVEN: No, I don’t think so. I think everybody in the business understands what this sport is and what it represents in terms of how competitive it is and that it is a game of margins – that you can’t give up anything, that you have to be perfect to win a race, you got to be perfect in all aspects. I think that there are certainly disappointments for anybody involved with the Tide team this year. Disappointing might not even describe it for me. But I think the people in the business also understand that the last three years, the Tide team has in some cases overachieved. We won in two of those three years at a couple of tracks that aren’t exactly easy. Darlington was a very rewarding win for us, but I think that things that we failed out, in particular, after Darlington was that we weren’t able to secure a second team and become a bigger company. In my opinion, that is part of why we are here today and we are having this discussion. Statistically, I think we made a strong argument that I can compete at this level. And I think there will be an opportunity created out of that, but there is no question that I am going to have to rebound and that I will have to have some resilience because this year just absolutely disappointed, and it was frustrating and it is something that I will have to overcome. But over the long haul, people can look at what we did over the past three years and certainly make a pretty strong argument that we put up some good numbers.

QUESTION: Overcoming obstacles, rebounding those are a couple of words that really go with what your career has been since you moved South. Is that an advantage for you because  you have had to fight for almost your entire career?

CRAVEN: Well, I think that’s the case for anybody in the sport. If you do it long enough, you are going to face those types of challenges. There are exceptions to that rule, and some of the exceptions are like Jeff Gordon. The fact of the matter is that Jeff Gordon is an awesome talent. And although I would love to compare myself to him, statistically, I would have a pretty difficult time doing that. I think anybody that plays in this sport as long as I have will have ups and downs. This is a tough period, but I believe that some of my best races are ahead of me.

QUESTION: What were the differences between the Cup car and the Truck? What was your initial opinion on the difference between something that you drive on a weekly basis and the truck?

CRAVEN: First of all, sitting in the truck itself was completely different. There is so much more room, and it seemed like a completely different environment sitting in a truck compared to sitting in a car. On the race track, I was surprised at how the trucks decelerate or slow down as you enter the corner, and I suppose that’s because the aerodynamics and they are perhaps taller. The front windshield stands up straighter so that there is some drag. Because of that, actually driving into the corner was probably my most difficult transition because it seemed like you could just go and go and go and for that reason, I think the race in New Hampshire will be a lot of fun. Anytime you race on a flat track, the corner entries always seem to be the issue you know being able to get into the corners. I just think that this will be a lot of fun. I think that these trucks are built and created to encourage good racing, and I have seen that from watching the races on television or being at the track. I’m excited to experience that as a competitor

QUESTION: What does it take as a driver to get around the New Hampshire race track? What is the key to finding a successful set-up, and can you translate what you have used in the past with your Busch and your Cup cars and bring that set-up over to the truck.

CRAVEN: Well, first of all, I’ve got a lot of confidence in this group. I expect that they’ll have a very good set-up for the track. What I will do is I will reference my experience, and there are markers on the track, there are places where I know I need to be with the left front tire and places I know I need to go back to the gas and braking points and I will work on that early on in practice. But where we go from there will be a product of the experience that Randy Goss has and some of the notes that they have got from racing with Dennis Setzer and the success that they have had, and combine that with maybe some of my in-put. But I think that this team statistically obviously have done some great things. I’m look forward to it.