LOUDON, N.H. – There was a sense of relief. He seemed completely at ease.

Newburgh’s Ricky Craven is ready to move on.

Craven bid farewell to the No. 32 Tide team with a 17th-place finish at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway Sunday.

Because qualifying was rained out Friday, Craven had to start 35th as predicated by the owner points.

Craven and PPI Motorsports team owner Cal Wells III decided in July to part ways after the season following a terrible start. Craven, who had two more years left on his contract, was expected to finish the season but he and Wells announced they were terminating the arrangement immediately two weeks ago so new driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. could get driving time.

“It’s a relief. Honestly,” said Craven whose finish was his second best over his last nine races at NHIS.

“I’ve got mixed emotions. It’s a great group of guys. I had a lot of fun with them. And we went to Victory Lane twice. It’s disappointing that we couldn’t finish the year. I think that would have been utopia. That would have been perfect. But it obviously didn’t work that way.

“It was very difficult conditions for the guys to come up here and race knowing my situation. So I commend them. We ran on the lead lap most of the day. We chased the car a little bit. We didn’t get the right adjustments quite early enough and fell behind,” said Craven, whose best showings in the Tide car this season were three 16th-place finishes.

Craven climbed into the top 10 Sunday by staying on the track during a pre-determined competition caution on lap 35 and ran among the top 20 for most of the race. He lost several spots after being bumped from behind by rookie Carl Edwards on lap 121.

He eventually fell a lap back and was the first driver one lap down.

Craven’s 18-place improvement from start to finish was second best in the field behind Joe Nemechek’s 19-place improvement (25th to sixth).

“It’s closure. It was a good performance under the circumstances. I appreciate everyone’s efforts. And we’ll just start working on what’s next,” said Craven who had two wins, 10 top-fives and 24 top-tens in 133 races for Wells over four seasons.

Craven acknowledged that when he climbed into the car for the race, he knew it wasn’t just another race.

“But it’s my job. Any time you have a job to do, you have circumstances. Sometimes the job is a lot of fun, sometimes the job’s a challenge. The majority of the days that I strapped into the Tide race car whether it be a Ford, a Pontiac or a Chevrolet, those were happy days and they were fun days. It hasn’t been much fun this year,” said Craven, whose 34th-place spot in the points standings when he left the Tide team was the worst among the drivers who had run every race.

“That’s not unusual, whether it’s baseball, football, basketball or auto racing. You reach a point when it becomes stale and it’s not productive and that’s certainly the point we got to. For whatever reason. There’s several opinions on that. The fact is I’m cool. I’m cool with the fact we can bring it to an end and now move on,” Craven said.

He said racing has been his passion since “I sat in the grandstands watching my dad race when I was 3, 4, 5 years old. I wanted to be a race car driver.”

He said racing has “consumed my life” and he has had a “very, very good life.

“But there are more important things than racing,” said Craven referring to expectant wife K.K. and children Riley and Everett.

Still, he feels there is more he wants to accomplish in the sport.

“I don’t think I’ll be satisfied if I don’t battle back here and win a few more races. My expectations are what got me here. My expectations have gotten me in trouble at times. But my expectations right now are to battle back and to end my career like [semi-retired] Bill Elliott [1988 Nextel Cup champion and 44-race winner]. I want to end my career on a high note.”

He said Richard Petty, who won 200 races and seven series championships, and former Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk were his heroes growing up.

“They were my idols and it was painful watching Richard Petty late in his racing life and it was hard to watch Pudge [Fisk] and all his knee problems. When he got shipped to Chicago, [White Sox], it killed me,” said Craven.

“For me, I’m 38 years old. There’s a lot of racing left. And some good racing,” said Craven.

“The fact is Cal and I were good for each other. And don’t think I don’t appreciate him calling me. And don’t think I don’t appreciate him giving me that opportunity. Because we put up some good numbers. For a single car team, I’ll match them against anybody in the last decade. Just do the math. There isn’t anybody in the last decade that has put up the numbers we have as a single car team.

“But I’ve still got some fire left and, beside that, [8-year-old] Everett keeps asking me what I’m going to race next year,” added Craven.

He said he couldn’t be specific about his future plans “but there are opportunities in the Truck series, there are opportunities in the Busch series.

“But,” he said emphatically. “I was one of less than 20 drivers who won a race last year at a place that nobody gives you anything [Darlington Raceway, S.C.]. I’ve got some unfinished business here in Nextel Cup. And that’s what motivates me.”

He said he is still under contract to General Motors and he will honor their plans for him.

After Thursday that is.

“I’m going back to my favorite fishing spot and do some fly fishing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,” said Craven, who wouldn’t divulge the spot.

“It’s a secret,” he smiled.