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Ward Burton
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Nascar.com Article
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Veteran Ricky Craven will drive Joe Gibbs Racing's third car this weekend in the EA Sports 500 Nextel Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Craven, 38, who earlier this season was released from the last two years of his contract with PPI Motorsports, will drive JGR's No. 11 Old Spice Chevrolet as a team car to the Chase for the Nextel Cup contending Tony Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot Chevy and Bobby Labonte's No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevy.
The No. 11 will be a full-time program in 2005, but the Gibbs organization has yet to make an announcement of its driver or crew chief.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Gibbs Racing updated its entry and named veteran mechanic Philippe Lopez as Craven's crew chief. Lopez has worked at JGR for about a month since coming from Bill Davis Racing.
Craven drove the first 24 races of the Nextel Cup Series season in PPI's No. 32 Tide Chevrolet, before he was released in favor of Bobby Hamilton Jr., who will drive the car next season.
Craven scored three 16th-place finishes in that time, and drove the car to 17th position in his home track race two weeks ago at New Hampshire International Speedway -- his final outing in the No. 32.
The No. 11 was supposed to make its 2004 debut at Michigan in August, in the hands of J.J. Yeley, but the car went home when Bud Pole Qualifying was rained out.
Yeley qualified 32nd for the Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway but finished 41st after he crashed after racing 32 laps.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Veteran Ricky Craven will drive Joe Gibbs Racing's third car this weekend in the EA Sports 500 Nextel Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Craven, 38, who earlier this season was released from the last two years of his contract with PPI Motorsports, will drive JGR's No. 11 Old Spice Chevrolet as a team car to the Chase for the Nextel Cup contending Tony Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot Chevy and Bobby Labonte's No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevy.
The No. 11 will be a full-time program in 2005, but the Gibbs organization has yet to make an announcement of its driver or crew chief.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Gibbs Racing updated its entry and named veteran mechanic Philippe Lopez as Craven's crew chief. Lopez has worked at JGR for about a month since coming from Bill Davis Racing.
Craven drove the first 24 races of the Nextel Cup Series season in PPI's No. 32 Tide Chevrolet, before he was released in favor of Bobby Hamilton Jr., who will drive the car next season.
Craven scored three 16th-place finishes in that time, and drove the car to 17th position in his home track race two weeks ago at New Hampshire International Speedway -- his final outing in the No. 32.
The No. 11 was supposed to make its 2004 debut at Michigan in August, in the hands of J.J. Yeley, but the car went home when Bud Pole Qualifying was rained out.
Yeley qualified 32nd for the Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway but finished 41st after he crashed after racing 32 laps.
