LOUDON, N.H. – The season certainly didn’t start the way crew chief Richard ‘Slugger’ Labbe of Saco and driver Michael Waltrip had wanted.

After the first five races, the No. 15 NAPA Chevy was 37th in points with four finishes of 33rd or worse.

But seven top-10s over the next 13 races has catapulted the team into 18th place and they qualified fourth for Sunday’s Siemens 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

“We had a struggle at the start,” acknowledged Labbe. “We ran good but we didn’t have the finishes to show what our team was capable of. We’ve turned the deal around the last two months and we’ve got goals of getting back in the top 10 and qualifying good here is a good start.”

Waltrip was involved in a wreck at Daytona and “we broke a gear at Rockingham running fifth with 20 laps to go. You can’t control that. Sometimes the good luck is on your side and sometimes it’s not. But it takes a good team to pull out of it and the NAPA team is solid. They’re behind me and Michael.”

Their recent success resulted in Waltrip being re-signed through 2005 and NAPA re-upping through 2005.

“That’s good. Our performance stepped up. They saw what we could do and they believe in us. We believe in them. So it’s cool.”

Labbe has known Newburgh’s Ricky Craven for a long time and said the news Craven and PPI Motorsports are parting ways at the end of the season was a “tough deal.

“Not to say that Ricky wasn’t getting everything he needed but that team really hasn’t done much,” said Labbe. “Maybe it was time for a change. Things get stagnant. Look at the 18 car [Bobby Labonte]. They were sixth in points and they needed to make a change. Maybe it’s for Ricky’s betterment to go out and make a change,” said Labbe referring to crew chief Michael McSwain getting fired recently.

He feels Craven is a marketable commodity.

“These drivers don’t forget. They said Michael [Waltrip] couldn’t drive either. You get the right bunch of people behind you and you do just fine,” said Labbe.

He enjoys returning to the northeast.

“I got to go home yesterday so that was cool,” said Labbe.

He expects a strong second half for their team.

“We’re building a bunch of new cars for Michael. We’re just trying to get better every week,” said Labbe.

Santerre to start 15th today

Busch North points leader and defending two-time champ Andy Santerre of Cherryfield will start 15th in the Siemens 125 today.

Mike Olsen of North Haverhill, N.H., his closest challenger, will start on the pole.

Scarborough’s Kelly Moore will start sixth and his son, Ryan, will start eighth.