A breakthrough season for Ricky Craven will come to an end at his favorite track.

When they drop the green flag for the start of the New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway at noon Friday, the Newburgh native will have just one thing on his mind.

“We’re going for the win,” said Craven who spent Thanksgiving with his family at his in-laws’ home in nearby Concord, N.H.

It will be the 36th and final race of the Winston Cup season.

“The idea of coming home after having won a month ago and the way the race team is performing makes it very exciting for me,” said Craven, who was in position for his second win last Sunday when his transmission failed. He was chasing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead in the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway when his Tide No. 32 Ford Taurus popped out of gear six times.

He wound up finishing 38th.

“We took a big step forward at Atlanta. We were in a position of strength. We could have dominated the race. The car was awesome. It’s a tribute to the progress that has been made because it was one of the cars that was built at our shop,” said Craven. “At that point in the race, we were still the fastest car on the track despite the transmission problems.

“It was heartbreaking to give the race away but, on the flip side, we have become a team you don’t want to race against,” added Craven. “I’m real thankful that they gave me this opportunity. This group is on fire.”

Because the New Hampshire 300 is a makeup race, postponed from Sept. 16 in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there won’t be any qualifying laps. Drivers’ starting positions will be dictated by the owner points as they were on Sept. 16.

So Craven, who is currently 21st in driver points, will start 24th.

Drivers will practice from 8:30-9:15 a.m.

“It’s going to be challenging. It’s the type of race where a particular car or driver could dominate if he hits it [the set-up] perfect. Otherwise, you’re looking at 20 guys who could win the race,” said Craven.

Craven and his PPI Motorsports team, led by owner Cal Wells III and crew chief Mike Beam, have had a strong second half. They are 15th in points during the second half after being 29th at the halfway point.

He has set his sights on cracking into the top 20 in points but trails Elliott Sadler by 35 points. Sadler will start 18th.

Craven has collected 13 top-20 finishes including seven top-10s, four top-fives and his first Winston Cup win in 174 career races when he took the checkered flag at the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville on Oct. 15.

Ironically, due to the anticipated cold weather conditions, the engineers at Goodyear have changed the tires that will be used for Friday’s race from the ones they use at Phoenix and Richmond to the ones used at Martinsville.

The weather forecast on the NASCAR website is calling for partly cloudy conditions and temperates in the upper 40s.

It would seem to make sense that somebody from a cold weather climate might have an advantage under these conditions.

“Well, if I have an advantage, I’ve got a snowmobile dealership [Ricky Craven Motorsports North in Belfast] and we have an inventory of thermal gear,” deadpanned Craven.

Loudon may be home for Craven but it hasn’t been kind to him over the years.

He has run 10 Winston Cup races at Loudon and has just one top-10. His average starting slot has been 11th but his average finish has been 25th.

Still, he maintains “if they were having a bicycle race there and I had the weekend open, I’d be there. I have that kind of passion for the track and the people.

“And this is my first trip to Loudon since I won so there’s a lot of anticipation for that,” added Craven.

The 35-year-old former Winston Cup Rookie of the Year was running third in July’s New England 300 when he broke his camshaft. He wound up 38th after starting 20th.

The points title has already been sewn up by Jeff Gordon, a friend of Craven’s. It is Gordon’s fourth points championship.

“I’m very happy for him. He’s a classy guy,” said Craven.

Gordon will start on the pole.

Despite the fact there won’t be any drama pertaining to the points championship, there will be plenty of other battles for points positions which translates into money.

No driver in the top 10 can drop out of the Top 10 but several could change position.

For example, the gap between second place Tony Stewart and fourth place Sterling Marlin is just 42 points. Ricky Rudd is 26 points behind Stewart and 16 ahead of Marlin.

Craven is already looking ahead to next season but he will also look back on this season with fond memories.

“It’s been a great year, man,” said Craven who would love nothing better than to cap the year with a win in front of the ‘home’ fans.

Brad Whitford, rhythm guitarist for the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, will be the grand marshal for the race.