LOUDON, N.H. – Newburgh’s Ricky Craven received good news even before scrambling to a 20th place qualifying spot for Sunday’s New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Craven had his contract extended by PPI-Motorsports team owner Cal Wells through next season.

Craven is in his first season with the second-year program, driving the No. 32 Tide Ford Taurus.

He is currently 29th in Winston Cup points with two top-five and five top-20 finishes through 18 races.

“This takes the pressure off and means the team and I can start looking long-term instead of race-to-race. We’re focused on improving. If you look at the first half, we did a lot of wonderful things,” said the 35-year-old Craven. “Now, if we can expand on that, it’s going to be a really good second half.”

PPI-Motorsports Team owner Cal Wells said Craven has been “getting the job done which is why we renewed him. I’m thrilled he’s here. I know he’ll get it done. Now it’s up to me to get all the other pieces in place and the communication in place. I know the equipment can get it done. We’ve just got to put the right stuff underneath him on a regular basis.”

Wells doesn’t feel the team is where he feels it should be.

“I’m a bit disappointed. We’ve had some distractions and haven’t really gotten where we should be. The thing that’s most frustrating is I can see it. It’s right there. Every time we get close, we trip over ourselves. We’ve just got a couple of little things to change,” said Wells. “There are a lot of positives and there aren’t really any negatives. We’ve got a whole puzzle and I think we’ve got all the pieces but I just can’t get a couple of them put together right year. They’re there. I’ll do it.”

The team has had four finishes of 41st or worse.

Pellerin revved up for NASCAR

Among the interested spectators this weekend will be former University of Maine Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Pellerin.

The Shediac, New Brunswick, native, who finished the season with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes after being traded by the expansion Minnesota Wild, is an unrestricted free agent.

Pellerin, who has a summer home in Windham, N.H., is the guest of his brother-in-law, Jamie Staton, who works for WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H.

“The first wave of free agents has signed. I’m looking to sign soon. Hopefully, it will be within a week,” said winger Pellerin.

He said he really enjoyed watching the Winston Cup qualifying and the featherlite modified series race.

Pellerin’s wife, Jennifer, gave birth to their second child and first son three weeks ago, Jacob Connor Pellerin. Daughter Jordan will turn 2 in a week.

Eight is enough for Maine contingent

There will be eight Maine natives involved in the New England 125 Busch North series race at Loudon on Saturday.

Scarborough’s Kelly Moore and Turner’s Mike Rowe were the highest qualifiers as they will start seventh and ninth, respectively.

Strong’s Tracy Gordon will start 16th; Sanford’s Mike Gallo is in the 21st spot; Yarmouth’s Billy Penfold will go off 23rd; Morrill’s Travis Benjamin will start 28th; Detroit’s Adam Friend will be 32nd and the only female driver, Eliot’s Carey Heath, will start 34th in the 41-car field.

Brad Leighton of Center Harbor, N.H. won the pole.

Tom Carey of Orange, Mass., qualified second for the New England 125 Busch North race. He races for Andy Santerre’s Santerre-Reece Motorports Team.

He also qualified third in the New England 200 Winston Cup Truck Series. That team is owned by Gardiner’s Peter Prescott. E.J. Prescott, Peter’s father, is the sponsor of Carey’s car in the New England 125.

Winning is job one for Ford

The posted awards for the New England 300 are $3,536,758. This will be the 12th Winston Cup race at NHIS with the inaugural race being held on July 11, 1993. Four drivers have won from a top-five starting position. Jeff Burton (4) and pole-sitter Jeff Gordon (3) are the only multiple winners. Ford has six victories, Chevy has four and two Pontiacs have triumphed.