Newburgh’s Ricky Craven has a ride for next season but it won’t be a Nextel Cup ride.

It will be either in the Craftsman Truck Series or Busch Series, according to reliable sources.

An announcement could come as early as Friday.

Craven, who parted ways with the PPI Motorsports-Tide No. 32 Chevy team in July, was contacted Wednesday in North Carolina but wouldn’t confirm or deny the rumor.

The 38-year-old Craven, the 1995 Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) Rookie of the Year, is the only driver with a single-car team to win in the last four seasons. He won at Martinsville in 2001 and at Darlington last season.

But the Tide team struggled miserably this season, qualifying poorly and having several mechanical problems resulting in five DNFs (did-not-finishes) in 25 races. The team never finished higher than 16th.

Craven was running 34th in points when he and team owner Cal Wells III ended their 31/2-year association.

Bobby Hamilton Jr. replaced Craven and hasn’t done any better with an average finish of 28th.

Craven said earlier this fall he hoped to land a Nextel Cup ride for next season but he was also open to the possibility of running in the Craftsman Truck or Busch series next year.

“If I felt like it would somehow lead me back to [landing] a competitive Nextel Cup ride, I would take it,” said Craven, who made his truck debut at New Hampshire International Speedway in September and enjoyed the experience despite wrecking his truck.

“The truck series is the only one I haven’t won at and that intrigues me,” said Craven late last month. “I still have the desire to compete.”