NASCAR Cup

Ricky Craven Practices, Qualifies for Ernie Irvan

Craven replacing injured Irvan in Skittles car ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Oct. 30, 1998) Ricky Craven will take the wheel of the No. 36 Skittles Pontiac again today at North Carolina Speedway, substituting for the injured Ernie Irvan. The regular driver ...

Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM

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Craven replacing injured Irvan in Skittles car

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Oct. 30, 1998) Ricky Craven will take the wheel of the No. 36 Skittles Pontiac again today at North Carolina Speedway, substituting for the injured Ernie Irvan. The regular driver of the Skittles Pontiac is awaiting results of an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) taken on his neck Thursday in Mooresville, N.C. Craven will practice and qualify the car, while Irvan remains on a day-to-day status. For precautionary purposes, Irvan met Wednesday with Dr. Erroll Erlandson at St. Joseph's Mercy Health Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. Erlandson, who oversaw Irvan's recovery from the 1994 accident at Michigan Speedway that nearly claimed his life, confirmed that diagnostic tests taken in Birmingham, Ala., were clear. After a review of Irvan's tests and discussion of aches and pains, Erlandson recommended an MRI to examine neck pain that plagued Irvan earlier this year. The 39-year-old Skittles Pontiac driver reported pain in his shoulder and arm in late July. At that time, doctors diagnosed Irvan with a herniated disc between the fifth and six vertebrae. "I did some treatment back in August, and it really seemed to help," Irvan said. "It didn't really bother me again until the accident a couple of weeks ago (at Talladega Superspeedway). I feel better overall than I have since then, but my neck is still an issue." Irvan completed 13 laps of the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Oct. 17 before handing over the driving duties to Craven. Irvan qualified and practiced last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, but Craven drove the Dura-Lube/Kmart 500 in its entirety.

Source: NASCAR Online

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