Matt Crafton, A Sure “Bet” for Friday Night’s NC Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte

Team Information:

2015 Driver Point Standings: 1st (+17)

2015 Owner Point Standings: 1st

Crew Chief: Carl “Junior” Joiner

Sandusky, Ohio (May 11, 2015) – Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Great Lakes/Menards Toyota Tundra, has seven career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) wins, including two wins this season at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway and most recently at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS. This weekend, the ThorSport Racing driver returns to the track where it all began, home to his first series win, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (CMS).

Crafton, a 2008 winner at the 1.5-mile quad oval, enters the fifth race of the season with a 17 point lead in the driver point standings and shows no signs of slowing down. In 12 starts at CMS, Crafton has one win, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes. In fact, the defending series champion has more starts than any other active series driver at CMS (12), is the only active driver entered with a win, has the most top-five finishes (4), the most top-10 finishes (9), has completed more laps (1593), and has the most Lead Lap Finishes (11) than any other active series driver entered in the 13th annual event at CMS. Furthermore, according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Crafton ranks first in Laps in the Top 15 with 1161.

If you’re “betting” on a winner for Friday night’s NC Education Lottery 200, the odds are in favor of Crafton and his No. 88 ThorSport Racing team.

Sounding off – Matt Crafton:

“Charlotte’s track has got some age to it now, and you can move around quite a bit. I’ve always loved coming back because its home to my first win, and I’ll always remember that. It’s a neat track and I live thirty minutes from there, and it’s home to most of the other teams. ThorSport is in Sandusky, Ohio, but that’s what makes it so cool. We can go there, and have the opportunity to beat all those ‘hometown’ teams in their own backyard, just like we did a few years ago.”

News & Notes:

• Chassis Chatter… The No. 88 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 51 for Friday night’s NC Education Lottery 200. This is a brand new chassis from the ThorSport Racing stables and will make its debut at CMS.
• You’ll Always Remember Your First… Crafton won his first NCWTS race on May 16, 2008 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The ThorSport Racing driver led 10 laps and crossed the stripe .184 seconds over second-place.
• Lone Survivor… The Menards driver is the only active NCWTS driver entered in Friday night’s NC Education Lottery 200 that has a win at the 1.5-mile track.
• That’s A Stat… Crafton is the only multi-win driver this season with two wins, and has led the most laps this season, 192. The defending series champion and his ThorSport Racing teammate, Johnny Sauter, are the only two drivers with top-10 finishes in the season’s first four races.
• Previous Race Recap… Crafton defied history once again, winning the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS. The Slim Jim®/Menards driver, who started second, earned his seventh career NCWTS victory and became the series’ first repeat winner in 15 NCWTS races at the 1.5-mile oval.

Crafton’s NCWTS stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

• 12 starts since 2003
• One win (2008)
• Four top-five finishes
• Nine top-10 finishes
• 1593 of 1618 laps completed (98.5%)
• 29 laps led
• Average start: 11.8
• Average finish: 8.7
• According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Crafton ranks:
  • Fourth in Average Running Position (9.7)
  • Fourth in Driver Rating (99.1)
  • First in Laps In the Top 15: 1161
  • Third among Laps Led: 29

Crafton’s Kansas Speedway NCWTS Performance Profile:

Matt Crafton’s 2014 Highlights:

• Won second consecutive NCWTS championship title to become the first driver in series history to win back-to-back titles
• First career multi-win season with victories at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
• 10th consecutive full season in second stint with ThorSport Racing
• Earned a series-leading 7.0 average finish
• Career-best 13 top-five finishes and 298 laps led

Crafton’s Career Truck Series Stats:

• 342 starts since 2000
• Seven wins
• 79 top-five finishes
• 196 top-10 finishes
• Seven poles
• 53,358 laps completed
• 1110 laps led
• Average start: 13.4
• Average finish: 11.7

Race Information:

Date: Friday, May 15, 2015

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Track Details: 1.5-mile quad oval

Distance: 134 laps/201 miles

Team Website: www.ThorSport.com

Driver Website: www.MattCrafton.com

Sponsor Website: www.Menards.com

Twitter: @ThorSportRacing, @Matt_Crafton

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