Ricky Craven’s troubles continue, but the Newburgh native is adamant that better days are ahead for him, the PPI Motorsports team, and their Tide No. 32 Chevy Monte Carlo.

Craven is currently 33rd in the Nextel Cup NASCAR points standings and there are only two other regulars, Jeff Green and Kyle Petty, who trail him.

Craven has gone 21 races without a top 10 finish dating back to last season and his highest finish this season has been a pair of 16ths.

He has finished on the lead lap just once in the first 14 races. His average starting position is 28.1 and his finish is 26.2.

Chad Baalman of The Telegraph newspaper in Alton, Ill., speculated in a column that Craven could be one of the first drivers to lose his ride.

But PPI Motorsports Team owner Cal Wells III denied that Craven’s job was in jeopardy and told the Sporting News “I don’t know where it [the rumor] came from. Despite the pathetic performance we’ve had so far this year, I think we’ve got a reasonable shot at getting a program [second team] for next year.”

“We’re in a slump, no question about it,” said Craven in a telephone interview Wednesday morning. “But I’m more focused on what we need to do to get out of the slump rather than worrying about speculation. First of all, I don’t read it. Second of all, it takes every ounce of energy and every minute of my time to compete in this sport.

“I signed a three-year contract extension last fall because I believe in Cal Wells and Mike Beam [director of competition]. I’ve gotten to know and enjoy and appreciate [first-year crew chief] Dave Charpentier. I believe in him and all the team members. And I appreciate [sponsor] Procter and Gamble and Chevy. That’s the reason I signed the extension.

“The last three years with the Tide team were my best and I have no reason to believe the next three years won’t be better. I don’t feel any different today,” added Craven, who finished 15 in points in 2002 before falling to 27th last year.

Craven said “nobody is more frustrated than I am” about the season but he insisted that “we’ve still got a good chance to battle through this and work our way into being a top 10 contender every week.

“One of the things that would help would be to become a bigger company [with a second race team]. But I can’t worry about that. I need to focus on our objective every week which is to run better,” said Craven, the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year.

Craven said his team is showing progress.

“Mike Beam and I talk every single day. And I communicate very well with Dave Charpentier. A combination of those two along with all the Tide team members will help pull us through this,” he said.

Being a single car team in a world of multi-car teams and then going from Ford to Pontiac to Chevy in three years haven’t helped Craven’s team.

The other two prominent single-car teams, Ricky Rudd and Ken Schrader, are running 28th and 32nd in points. Rudd, Schrader and Craven have just one top 10 finish between them.

“NASCAR could help us with some of those issues. The one thing that would help us is to eliminate testing. Roush racing has five times the number of tests we have; Hendrick has four times more tests than we have. That’s a clear disadvantage. Testing costs my car owner north of a million dollars,” said Craven.

They are allowed seven tests per team this season, so a five-car team would have 35 tests from which to compare notes.

Craven said they were close to landing a second primary sponsor and a second race team following his win at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway (S.C.) early last season, but it fell through.

“That has had a negative impact on us,” said Craven.

He feels he has a lot of years left in him and hopes to begin the comeback at the DHL 400 at Michigan International Speedway Sunday.

“I’m not in the ninth inning of my career. It’s more like the fourth or fifth inning. We’re going to battle through this,” said Craven, who held his annual Maine lobster feed at his North Carolina farm for 250 friends and team members a few weeks ago.

“Everyone had a great time,” he said.