Ricky Craven got out of his car and, within minutes, started complaining.
"I usually don't complain, but ... this teammate thing is ridiculous, it's unbelievable," he said, shaking his head. "I'm a stand-alone guy out there with no help, and these teammates, it just really, really frustrates me. It's always been an individual sport -- one against 42. A lot of these guys I'm referring to are friends of mine, but they don't play this game the right way. It's all about teammates. That is a very disappointing part of this business right now."
Man, what a great day it must have been.
Truly.
Sure, Craven was a little salty with his fourth-place finish. But that's the great part. He was salty about a fourth-place finish. Ricky Craven.
The New England native was a Rookie of the Year in Winston Cup many years back, an up-and-comer with a world of potential. Then, one day, he took a hit. A hard hit. His head hurt. His vision failed him. Then, so did his team.
Craven went through what many drivers who suffer hard hits and concussions do in this sport -- he found that some of his friends deserted him, many in the sport doubted him, and he was forced to accept the fact that, if he still wanted to make it in this sport, his would be an uphill battle.
But Craven persisted. He bore his knuckles to the ground. And, now, he's reached a point in his career when he can get out of his car after finishing fourth and talk about the fact that he was capable of finishing higher. And, in truth, he was.
"Today was actually fun," Craven said after Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. "I don't remember the last time I said Talladega was fun. At the end of the race we had a piece, and the Tide Pontiac was up front. This is a great team and we're getting better and better, and gaining more and more momentum."
And more and more credibility.
No longer does mention of Craven's name instantly conjure memories of the struggle he went through to come back from a concussion. Now, NASCAR
followers can think of a winner. A two-time winner, actually -- putting this year's Darlington Raceway trophy on his mantle next to the one he got from winning at Martinsville Speedway in 2001.
As the circuit heads to Martinsville this weekend, Craven and team owner Cal Wells are pretty sure they have what it takes to add some more trophies to that collection. It took two years together to get the pieces in place, but this season -- despite a switch in manufacturer from Ford to Pontiac -- Craven actually appears to be a championship contender.
Those words might sound hasty, since it's only April, 28 events remain, and Craven has never finished better than 15th in the standings.
But he's sixth now, and his cars have been consistently strong this year. Wells attributes the biggest step forward this season to the new engine crew that is providing the No. 32 Pontiac with its power.
"We're coming along," Wells said. "We had a fantastic relationship with Robert Yates Racing last year -- just fantastic. They helped us so much through my christening into Winston Cup, and often we could use the engine horsepower of the Yates engine as a crutch. But, when we started this year, we were able to get some great folks that used to work for them.
"They work so hard, and they are so focused on the job at hand, and they believe in this team so much. Really, to have them enjoy their first victory after just the fourth race is really, really something special.
"It's been a challenge to get going, but they've done a great job. We're just making it every race. The engines look great when they come apart. Right now they're working very hard to find more power and to make sure that we ensure reliability. I'm very proud of all of them. It's an exciting time for PPI Motorsports."
And an exciting time for Craven, who went winless for more than 150 races before winning his first event. Craven began to wonder if, after his injuries in 1997 and '98, he would ever be able to fulfill the high expectations he set for himself after winning Rookie of the Year in 1995. Now, he's confident he can do better than that: He can satisfy the realistic goals he's set for himself now, at 36.
"The truth is, I don't have 35 wins," he said. "I don't have 25 wins. I had one win coming into this year in quite a few starts. Although my little boy thinks I am the world's greatest race-car driver, the reality is I'm probably not. But I do know I'm good enough to win races in Winston Cup."
That's a vast improvement from where he was just three or four years ago -- wondering if he'd ever get a shot in a good enough car to prove he could still race. Craven recalls the struggles he went through while taking heat for being "damaged goods" after his injuries.
"Kay and I talked about all sorts of different things, including making Greenville, Maine, and Moosehead Lake our primary residence and 'What am
I going to do if we don't get a good opportunity?' " he said. "At the time I was racing part-time with the 50 team and just not enjoying myself. But I really think that you need to experience that.
"I think it made me tougher and it made me better prepared. ... Although I would never ever volunteer to go through that again, I think that I probably got what I deserved or I had to have it happen because it happened and look at where I am today. My gosh -- it's been great. The last two or three years have been great."
And, Ricky, this year might be even better.
Rupen Fofaria covers NASCAR for The Raleigh News & Observer and is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at rfofaria@newsobserver.com.