LOUDON, N.H. – Will Newburgh’s Ricky Craven be reunited with Cal Wells III of PPI Motorsports next season?

Craven and Wells were together for 3 1/2 years and they took the No. 32 Tide to Victory Lane twice, the only single-car team to do so in the Nextel Cup series over the last four years.

Craven left PPI Motorsports 14 months ago and has been with Jack Roush Racing in the No. 99 Superchips Ford F-150 this season in the NASCAR truck series. Craven and Roush will part ways after this season.

“Our plans are real fluid for next year,” said Wells. “Tide is back next year and there’s another good opportunity that we’re all but there with [a second car and sponsor]. But we’ll see how it all floats out.

“Ricky and I had lunch last week. We’ve been in contact a lot. I’m not sure where he’s going to land or what he’s going to do yet. I don’t think he knows. He’s really searching in his own mind what’s right for his family. That’s why I think he made the decision not to continue in the trucks. He was certainly welcome there.”

“For him, personally, if he doesn’t run in this [Nextel Cup] series, he may decide to do something else [besides racing],” added Wells.

Wells said he would “never say never to anything,” but any speculation on Craven’s future would be premature.

Bobby Hamilton Jr., who replaced Craven in the Tide No. 32, has struggled this season as Craven did in his last season and a half with PPI Motorsports.

Hamilton has two more years left on his contract with PPI Motorsports. He is currently 36th in points after Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Wells, along with fellow Nextel Cup owners Robert Yates and Richard Childress, feel Craven could be a valuable addition to a race team.

“He’s a good race car driver. There’s no question about that,” said Wells.

Childress said Craven has done a “good job with his career.”

“I think he’s a talented driver. He could come into an organization and do several things. He could drive Cup, Busch or Trucks,” said Childress, whose Nextel Cup team includes Dave Blaney, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Burton.

Yates said Craven has done an “awesome job.”

“He’s a good racer. Hopefully, he’ll stay with the sport and get a good seat. I don’t know where he’s going to go, but it will be well-deserved,” said Yates, whose race team features Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler. “He’s a super guy and I think his future could be bright. The seats will have to open up for him. Maybe somebody will do that for him.”

Craven’s best points finish in Nextel Cup was 15th in 2002 when Wells was leasing Yates engines for the No. 32 Tide Ford.

“I like to say we helped contribute to that. We got beat with our own stuff,” grinned Yates, who remembers Craven’s wins at Martinsville and Darlington and pointed out that he introduced Craven to Wells.

“They hit it off and I felt good about that. Cal has thanked me a lot of times for that and Ricky has thanked me a lot of times,” said Yates.

Craven’s crew chief, John Quinn, and crew members Dwight Dubois, the truck chief, and Kale Uphoff, the plate specialist, are disappointed Craven has decided to leave Roush Racing.

Letarte makes crew chief debut

Making his debut as a Nextel Cup crew chief Sunday at the Sylvania 300 was Steve Letarte, a Cornish native who left for North Carolina after his freshman year at Sacopee Valley High School in South Hiram.

Letarte was the crew chief for Jeff Gordon, the four-time Nextel Cup points champ who failed to make the Chase for the Cup this year.

Gordon finished 14th in Sunday’s race after starting second.

Letarte came to the DuPont team in 1996 as a mechanic and worked his way up to tire specialist and car chief.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity. I’m extremely fortunate. I’m only 26. Mr. [Rick] Hendrick and Jeff and the whole [Hendrick Motorsports] organization has been nothing but kind to me. It feels like a family. They’re giving me the best opportunity in the world,” said Letarte.

He said the key to being an effective crew chief is to be “patient and pay attention to the guys you have around you. They are really great guys in our company and they’ll all help you. Let them do their jobs and it will make it a whole lot easier to do yours.”

Letarte left Maine for North Carolina because his dad, Don, built race cars.

“He used to build them for the ACT [American-Canadian Tour] and Busch North,” said Steve. “He move to North Carolina to work in [Nextel] Cup racing and I moved with him.”

Letarte said he enjoys working with Gordon, one of the sport’s biggest stars.

“He’s great. He’s an unbelievable talent,” said Letarte.

Letarte is replacing longtime Gordon crew chief Robbie Loomis, who is returning to Petty Enterprises.

Bethel’s Wheeler enjoys trucks

Shaun Wheeler of Bethel is a tire carrier, fabricator, and mechanic for PPC Racing and the No. 10 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel Ford driven by Terry Cook.

Wheeler, a 1998 graduate of Telstar High School, moved to North Carolina six years ago and worked at a karting center before catching on with Bace Motorsports.

“I was just a shop grunt who did everything from cleaning bathrooms to sweeping floors. Then I got a job at TRD [Toyota Racing Development] and from then on, it just went up the hill,” said Wheeler, who also worked with Innovative Motorsports before coming to PPC Racing this year.

Wheeler said he loves living in North Carolina and would like to get involved with a Nextel Cup team “and make some money for one year.”

“I really enjoy the trucks. You’ve got 25 races and it’s a little more laid back. It’s really good racing. Bumper to bumper, they bump each other,” said Wheeler.

He enjoys working with Cook.

“He’s a good guy. He’s really mellow, laid back. He’s a super nice guy and he’s really team-oriented,” said Wheeler.

Wheeler likes returning to the Northeast.

“I’ve got some friends coming back from my hometown,” said Wheeler.

Cook said Wheeler is a “good crew member. It’s guys like him that make a long day very lighthearted. He’s got a good sense of humor.”

Two times a winner

Ted Christopher won both the Sylvania 125 Busch North Race and the Sylvania 100 Modified Race Friday. It was the first time in 15 years one driver had won a Busch North and a Modifed race on the same weekend.