Matt Crafton 2010 Headlines

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07-28-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Tide Chevrolet Silverado Preview: Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway

It is a monumental weekend as ThorSport Racing heads into the Pocono Mountains for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ first ever visit to the Pocono Raceway. While the team and driver Matt Crafton will make their first start at the triangular 2.5-mile track, ThorSport Racing will reach its milestone 500th cumulative start in NCWTS competition.

You haven’t raced at Pocono before, are you nervous about going in to a new track for the first time? “No not at all. It’s just like in the old Southwest Tour days, we go in and get some practice laps and get used to the track and then we go race. We aren’t going in totally blind either. I’ve talked to some guys, like Paul Menard, who have been there a few times to get some setup advice. We’re going to basically go with our mile-and-a-half setup and we can work from there. I think that will get us in the ballpark, I just need to get myself used to the track. I’ve been racing in the Truck Series since 2000 and I get to be a rookie again this weekend.”

How hard is it to adapt to a new track? “We have a lot of practice time so it shouldn’t be too bad. That’s part of coming from a touring series like the Southwest Tour that really helps. We never had a lot of time to get up to speed when we went someplace new. I’ll have to learn the braking points and where the bumps are and the best line to get through the corners, but that should come pretty quickly. Once we get the driver up to speed we can work on getting the truck as good as we can get it. Pocono has three very different corners so you have to make some compromises but I know Bud (Haefele) and the guys will work hard to make it as good as we can make it.”

ThorSport Racing is reaching its 500th start this weekend, what are your feelings on your team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson’s commitment to the series? “It’s awesome. Even today after 500 starts, they are as involved as they were when the team first started. They have put a lot of time and invested a lot of their own money into building this team into a winner and a championship contender. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity they’ve given me over the past ten years and they’ve made me feel like a part of their extended family. They are awesome owners to drive for and I hope we can get them a win here at Pocono to make their 500th start really special.”

07-25-10

Crafton Sweats Out Third Place at ORP

Matt Crafton continued to be as hot as the sweltering Midwestern weather by finishing a strong third in Friday night’s AAA Insurance 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Crafton qualified fourth in the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet and stayed up front all evening long, at one point passing and pulling away from the two drivers that finished in front of him – winner Ron Hornaday and runner-up Kyle Busch – but an air pressure adjustment on the final pit stop didn’t produce the results Crafton and crew chief Bud Haefele anticipated.

Despite not pressuring Hornaday and Busch for the top two positions over the final 50 laps, Crafton was able to comfortably cruise home in the third position, just ahead of ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter. It was Crafton’s third consecutive top-five finish, his fourth overall, and his seventh top-ten finish in twelve starts so far in 2010.

“After such a horrible start to the season it’s great to get some momentum and start picking up some top five finishes,” Crafton said following his third consecutive top-five run. “We had a pretty good truck in practice and we knew the track would change once the sun went down. We were looking for some forward bite off the corner on the final pit stop. The guys made the adjustment but the truck just didn’t drive like we thought it would. I was better than everyone else out there on the long runs except the 33 and the 18. We had a good clean night tonight, there aren’t too many scratches on the truck and that’s pretty rare for a short track race for the Truck Series.”

The heat, which was in the upper 90s with the heat index over 110 degrees, was a factor for the second consecutive week.

“It was hot out there tonight but it didn’t seem as hot as last week,” Crafton said. “It cooled off at night, but it was still really warm. It wasn’t so much the heat here but it was the humidity. It’s like you could cut the air with a knife it was so thick.”

Crafton now moves up to seventh in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings; he sits just one point behind sixth-place Austin Dillon and 66 points behind a tie for fourth between Hornaday and Timothy Peters. Crafton is just 101 points out of second.

Next up for Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards/SealBest Chevrolet is the Pocono Mountains 125 at the 2.5-mile triangular Pocono Raceway on Saturday, July 30. As a team, ThorSport Racing will be participating in its 328th race all-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, moving into second place behind only Roush Fenway Racing with 353 races and into the lead among active teams. The green flag will fly shortly after 1 P.M. Eastern live on SPEED. The race will also be broadcast live on select MRN Radio affiliates nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM104).

07-21-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet Silverado Express Notes: O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis

After a rough start to 2010, Matt Crafton has the monkey off his back with two consecutive top-five finishes to his credit heading into the AAA Insurance 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park. Despite not racking up the finishes he and the ThorSport team deserved over the first ten races of the season, Crafton is happy with the way the team has performed. The only component his team has been missing to this point, he says, has been luck.

It seems you and the team have turned a corner with your results the past two weeks, what’s been the difference? “The only difference has been luck. We have run great all season long. We’ve qualified great week in and week out and for the most part we’ve run really good. But we haven’t had the luck to go along with it. It’s not like someone flipped a switch and all of a sudden the 88 truck is starting to run good. We’ve been good all season long. But we just couldn’t get the luck to go our way. I keep telling people I didn’t need any good luck, I just didn’t want any bad luck. That’s how it’s been at Iowa and Gateway and our results finally show it. I keep telling people the championship isn’t over and it’s not. We lost a lot of points with a few bad races, and those other guys could too. We’re staying focused and we’re going to go out and try to win every week, and if we can’t win we’re going to go after a top-five. If we do that, we should get ourselves back in the points battle.”

You’ve had very good finishes at ORP in the past; what is it going to take to move up from a top-three finish to a win? “You need everything to go your way the whole night. You need a great truck, you need great pit stops, you need the cautions to fall your way and you need those silly things that always seem to pop up to not pop up. Like last year, we had a great truck and we could have been in the lead group at the end, but there was a caution late in the race. I was on the radio asking the crew chief if he wanted me to pit and he was telling me at the same time to come down pit road. Neither of us heard each other and I drove on past the entrance to pit road. We just need those things to not happen and we’ll have a shot to win.”

How do you work on your setup at ORP? “I’ve always liked racing at ORP, it’s a flat short track and that’s what I grew up racing on. The big difference is you run right up next to the wall here. We always work on getting the truck to run well in that top groove first. Once you’re good up there, you work on getting it to cut low off the corners. That’s where you make most of your passes, so it has to be able to turn left coming off and get traction off the corner.”

ThorSport Longevity: With the AAA Insurance 200 at ORP, ThorSport Racing will have competed in 327 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, tying team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson for second all-time with Tom Mitchell and Circle Bar Racing. ThorSport should move into second-place all time, behind only Roush Fenway Racing’s 353 races, in the next series race at Pocono. ThorSport Racing is the active team leader in series starts and driver Matt Crafton is the current leader in consecutive series starts at 233.

07-17-10

Crafton Fights Slick Track and Heat to Score Fifth-Place at Gateway

With his in-cockpit cooling system giving him problems on the hottest raceday of the season, it would have been understandable if Matt Crafton let the extreme temperatures derail his chances for a top-five finish in Saturday’s delayed CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Raceway. But Crafton stayed strong, and when the coolbox unit kicked on over the final 50 laps it gave Crafton an added boost to race up to fifth at the finish in the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet.

“The cool box wasn’t working for most of the day and it was miserable in the truck,” Crafton said. “It came back on in the second half of race and after that I felt like a million bucks. It was just so hot out there today. I’m sure a lot of drivers were dealing with the same issues we were.”

Crafton was forced to race up through the field late after taking four tires on the final pit stop, when many of the lead teams took two.

“I thought we had a second or third place truck but we kinda got snookered on pit strategy there at the end,” Crafton said. “We came down and took four tires and most everyone else took two so we had to work our way back up to the front. If we had a little more time I think we could have made up a few more spots. But that’s two good weeks in row for us. I keep telling everyone we’re not out of this championship yet and runs like we’ve had the past two weeks prove it. It’s a great way to start off this summer stretch with some momentum.”

Crafton now jumps to eighth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings, 297 points behind leader Todd Bodine and just 38 points behind Mike Skinner in fifth.

Next up for Crafton and the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards/SealBest Chevrolet is the AAA Insurance 200 next Friday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. The race is scheduled to go green shortly after 8 P.M. Eastern and will be televised live on SPEED. It can also be heard live on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM 104).

07-14-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet Express Notes: CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway

After four races in which Lady Luck wasn’t on his side, Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevy team finally got the monkey off their collective back with a solid third-place finish in last week’s Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway. Crafton carries that momentum back to Gateway, where he nearly had last season’s race won until two controversial incidents with Todd Bodine and Ron Hornaday while racing for the lead and the win late in the event. Crafton has pushed that disappointment way out of his mind as he returns to the 1.25-mile oval within the shadows of the St. Louis Arch. All Crafton and his Menards team are focused on is finishing what they started last season by going to victory lane.

How are you approaching Gateway after all that happened there last season? “It’s really easy; to us it’s just another race. All we want to do is go back and close the deal. We’ve run so well there over the years, and last year we had a chance to win and it all went out the window so that’s what we’re working on, we want to go back and finish up what we should have done last year. We’ve had some people ask us about last season but it’s not anything we want to focus on or even think about. ”

Is Gateway a driver oriented track or do the long straightaways and different radius corners put a premium on the truck? “It does put the driver back into the deal more than some of the other tracks. But you still need a strong truck underneath you. To me handling is so important there, and it’s a challenge because both ends of the track are different. In a perfect world you want a truck that has the most horsepower and handles better than everyone else, just like any other track we go to, but a good handling truck and the driver can help make up for a little less horsepower.”

You were and still are a fan of the late Davey Allison. It has been 17 years since he passed away, what memories do you have of him and do those memories still motivate you? “I can’t believe it’s been 17 years. Davey was such a great person and it just happened that he could drive a racecar better than most too. I always try to do what I think he would want me to do, things like always trying to take care of my fans. I got to meet him a few times when I was a kid because he used to come out west and run my dad’s late model. One time he was racing for my dad at Madera and they wouldn’t let me in the pits there because I was so young, and he told them that he wasn’t going to race unless I was in the pits with him. Things like that really stick out in my memory. He took me out to dinner with him a couple of times and he even invited me to go hunting with him the year that he died. I just found the hand-written letter he sent me inviting me on that hunting trip. I thought it was lost forever so when I found it that really made my day. I still think about him all the time and it really makes me sad to think about what might have been if he was still here.”

07-12-10

Two Top-Fives for Crafton in Iowa

After a bout of rough racing luck throughout May and June, Matt Crafton kicked off the summer stretch with a strong third-place run in the Lucas Oil 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway. Crafton also finished fifth in Saturday night’s Prairie Meadows 200 ARCA Racing Series event after leading 30 laps during the middle stages of the race.

Crafton started the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet in tenth but made a strong move into the top six on the start, eventually cracking into the top five after the first round of pit stops at lap 42. From there, Crafton stalked the leaders for the next 100 laps before a restart at lap 150. At the drop of the green, Crafton’s lane jammed up and he dropped back to seventh. Two more late-race restarts allowed Crafton to stay in contact with the leaders, allowing him to move up to fifth by lap 195. When a caution for debris on the frontstretch on lap 198 sent the race into overtime, he jumped to third when Justin Lofton ran out of fuel just before the restart.

“I was lined up in fifth waiting for the restart and the 7 truck about stopped in front of us and pulled off the track,” Crafton said. “Maybe our luck has finally changed. At Dover the same thing happened just after they threw the green flag and we just about wrecked and it cost us a win. I guess it’s all about timing.”

Crafton nearly had a shot at ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter for second on the final restart.

“I saw Johnny had to check up when the 3 didn’t go at the restart,” Crafton said. “I thought I might be able to get inside him going into one but he came down to block. The 3 was definitely the truck to beat today but it’s awesome for everyone involved here to get both ThorSport trucks in the top three. We’d have liked to have won but after the last couple of months we’ll take third. Hopefully it gives us some momentum for the next six weeks and we can get some more top fives, get a win or two and get back in the points.”

Crafton moves up one position to ninth in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings, just three points behind eighth-place David Starr and just 101 points behind third-place Ron Hornaday.

Next up for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet is the Camping World 200 at Gateway International Raceway on Friday July 16. The race will be televised live on SPEED at 8 P.M. Eastern and broadcast live on select affiliates MRN Radio affiliates nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM 104).

07-07-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet Silverado Express Notes: Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway

Matt Crafton returns to Iowa Speedway for the second-annual running of the Lucas Oil 200 looking to better last year’s sixth-place result. Crafton will be busier than usual this weekend as he competes in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and the ARCA Racing Series Prairie Meadows 200 in a second Menards-sponsored entry for Kimmel Racing. Crafton will practice and qualify the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet and practice, qualify, and race the No. 88 Messina Wildlife Control/Menards car in the ARCA Racing Series on Saturday. All told, Crafton will be in the cockpit for nearly eight hours.

How does racing in the ARCA race on Saturday help with getting to victory lane on Sunday in the truck? “I don’t care what I am racing, any time I drive I am out there to win. We’re taking the ARCA race on Saturday very seriously. On top of that we get another chance to go out and win a race for Menards, and being they are a Midwest company it would be nice to get a couple of wins for them close to home. The ARCA race runs at night and the Camping World Truck race on Sunday is during the day so we won’t have a lot of information on what the track will do since the races are at different times, but any laps you make always helps. Getting out there and winning the ARCA race would give us a lot of confidence going into the Truck race on Sunday.”

Last year’s Truck race was a night and this year’s is during the day; is there any information you can use from last year or is this year’s race a clean slate? “Last year we got really tight late in the race. It’s probably because the track tightens up as it gets cooler but we don’t know for sure. But all of the practice we did last year was during the day and this year we practice during the day and race during the day so we should be able to use our practice notes from last season and build on them this year to know what to expect during the race.”

Being 7/8 of a mile, does Iowa race more like a short track or a superspeedway? “Iowa drives like a mile and a half track to me. It does have some characteristics of a short track, but the way it drives and the banking reminds me of Kansas or Kentucky. It is really fast so it’s not a place you want to get into someone going into the corners. It’s not like racing at Martinsville that’s for sure.”

Ideal Door on at Iowa: Ideal Door returns for its second appearance of the 2010 season on the hood of the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway. Since 1963, Ideal Door has been an industry leader in sectional garage doors and the preferred choice of home owners, architects and builders for their current and future door needs. For more information, visit www.idealdoors.com.

06-12-10

Engine Problems Sideline Crafton at Michigan

After running among the top five in the early going and then charging from the tail of the field to the front following a penalty on a pit stop, Matt Crafton was sidelined early when the engine in his No. 88 Menards/NIBCO Chevrolet went sour with 17 laps to go in Saturday’s VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway. Crafton finished 27th in the 36-truck field.

After starting third, Crafton quickly established the strength of his truck by leading the second lap and then staying among five in the early going. But on a fuel stop under the second caution on lap 12, the fuel can became lodged in the fuel filler as Crafton tried to leave his stall, dragging the can and fuel man Rich Riley out of the stall and drawing a tail-of-the-field penalty. Not to be deterred, Crafton made short work of the field and quickly raced back into the top ten.

With less than 20 laps to go, Crafton was set to battle for a position among the top five when he suddenly slowed down the backstretch. After a short stay on pit road, crew chief Bud Haefele determined the engine problems to be terminal and Crafton retired for the afternoon.

“It’s disappointing because we probably had one of the top three trucks here,” Crafton said. “We never worried about restarting at the back because we knew we were good enough to get back to the front. Our engines have been bullet-proof the last couple of seasons. It felt like we had a valve spring break. We’ll put this behind us and regroup in the month off we have between now and Iowa and focus on winning some races between now at the end of the season.”

Crafton now sits tenth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, nine points behind ninth-place Ricky Carmichael and 81 points behind teammate Johnny Sauter in fifth.

The next race for Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards/SealBest Chevrolet is the Iowa 200 at the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway on Sunday July 11. The race will be televised live on SPEED starting at 2 P.M. Eastern; it can also be heard live on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM 104).

06-08-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/NIBCO Chevrolet Silverado Express Notes: VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway

Matt Crafton has had a season’s worth of racing misfortune in the first eight races of the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. However, that bad luck hasn’t disheartened him or his team as they head to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

How do you handle the rough luck that’s started the season? “It would be one thing if we were running horrible and get wrecked running around in the back. But we’ve been really fast every week, it’s just things outside of our control happening that take us out. Last year it seemed no matter what happened we’d recover from it and finish in the top five, and even if we didn’t finish that high we were still in the top ten. But we aren’t looking back and thinking what if. We’re focused on the races in front of us and doing all we can do to get into victory lane.”

Is Michigan a place you look forward to going to? “We all love racing at Michigan. It’s wide and fast and now that I’ve finally figured out how to run there we’ve had a lot of success there. It took me a few years to figure out how to race at Michigan. And now that it’s had some years on the pavement it’s almost like Atlanta where the tires wear and you slip and slide and that’s what I like about it.”

Do you work on your setup to race in multiple grooves at Michigan or does it just seem to happen on its own? “We don’t purposely work on the setup to race around the high groove. The last couple of times we went to Michigan we struggled to make the truck work up top. But no matter what your plan is there you always seem to move up off the white line and up the track. I think we learned some stuff at Texas last week by running around the top groove that could help us at Michigan this week too. Michigan is a little bigger and the turns are a little more sweeping than some of the other intermediate tracks but the same basic setup transfers over. We’ll take what we learned last week and try to apply it for this week too.”

Matt Racing in the Midwest: Crafton already has one top five finish in the books before the NCWTS gets its annual tour of the Midwest started. Three weeks ago Crafton finished fourth in the ARCA Racing Series Menards 200 at Toledo Speedway, which is located just about an hour southeast of MIS. Crafton will jump back aboard the No. 88 Messina Wildlife Control/Menards car during the ARCA/NCWTS doubleheader at Iowa Speedway on July 10 and 11.

NIBCO on at MIS: NIBCO, a worldwide manufacturer of flow control products for residential, commercial construction, industrial, and irrigation markets, will be featured on the hood of Matt Crafton's No. 88 Menards Chevy at Michigan. NIBCO has 11 manufacturing plants throughout the United States, Mexico and Poland and employs more than 2,600 people.

06-05-10

Tough Luck Derails Crafton in Texas

If it weren’t for bad luck at Texas Motor Speedway, Matt Crafton wouldn’t have had any luck at all during Friday’s WinStar World Casino 400. After starting on the front row, Crafton fought a tight condition that forced the No. 88 Menards/Australian Gold Chevy to drift back through the top ten during the early stages of the race. After a couple of adjustments to loosen it up, Crafton’s truck was as fast as the leaders but trapped a lap behind.

Just as he was set to challenge for the free pass position and be eligible to rejoin the lead lap should a caution come out, Crafton was nicked by another truck and forced to pit to remedy a left rear tire rub. Then, after a subsequent caution, Crafton was swept up in an accident involving David Starr on lap 164 after Starr punctured a right front tire going into turn one. Crafton was forced to retire with terminal damage and relegated to an 18th-place finish.

“It was just a bad night for the Menards Chevy,” Crafton lamented afterwards. “We were too tight early on and lost a lap to the leaders. Once we loosened the truck up we were just as fast as the leaders were but couldn’t get track position to get the free pass. We eventually got into position to get the free pass but we got hit by someone else and it pushed the left rear fender in on the tire. This isn’t a place where you want a tire to blow out so we came to get it fixed and it cost us another lap. We were just out riding around trying to make it to the end when the 81 (Starr) blew a right front right when we were on his outside going into turn one. We bounced off the fence and wadded up the truck pretty good. It’s a little frustrating because we know we’re a better team than our finishes have shown the last month but we aren’t giving up. We know we can go to Michigan and win and we’re going to give it the best we can to make it happen.”

Crafton now sits seventh in the NASCAR Camping World championship standings, 252 points behind Texas winner and leader Todd Bodine. He’s just 33 points behind Mike Skinner for sixth and 47 points behind ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter in fifth.

Next up for Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards/SealBest Chevrolet is the VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday June 12. The race is scheduled for a 2 P.M. Eastern start and will be televised live on SPEED and broadcast on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network nationwide as well as on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM 104).

06-02-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Australian Gold Chevrolet Silverado Express Notes: WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas

With two consecutive second-place finishes at Texas Motor Speedway behind him, Matt Crafton heads back to the Lone Star State with one goal in mind: bettering those finishes by one position in Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 400.

What do you need to do as a team to get that one position you needed after last year’s dual second-place finishes? “Last year we had the truck to beat in both races but things outside of our control got us. In the first race the pit rules got us because we had to come down pit road for tires and then fuel on the last stop and the Toyotas only came for tires. I had to come from seventh with about 30 laps to go and by the time I cleared all the traffic Todd Bodine was too far out to catch. In November we had to make an extra pitstop for tires because the pace truck ran over some debris and it cut down our left rear tire. If we can eliminate all that stuff and deal with only what’s inside of our control we should have a really good chance at winning.”

How happy are you to go back to more traditional pit road procedures? “I am super happy about it because we lost at least three races last year because of the two-stop rules. It’s one thing if everyone has to make one pit stop and can take tires and add fuel because you only have to come down pit road once. It’s the losing time to come down pit road again that hurts in that situation. The Chevrolet engine makes great power but it doesn’t get the mileage the Toyota engine does so those guys could skip fuel and only take tires, which is what happened at Texas last summer and cost us the race. But going back to the old rules evens up the playing field again which is all we’re asking for as competitors.”

How does TMS rate for you as a driver? “I love racing at Texas. It’s big and fast and there are a few grooves to choose from. When I first raced there in 2001 it was still pretty much a one groove track but now that the pavement has aged the groove has widened out and you can run anywhere from the white line all the way up next to the wall. It’s one of the best tracks we go to all season long.”

05-25-10

Loose Truck Keeps Crafton Just Shy of Top-10 in Charlotte; Late Race Charge Earns Top-5 at Toledo

Matt Crafton had his streak of seven consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series top-ten finishes broken on Friday night in Charlotte but concluded his double-header weekend with a strong charge to fifth-place in Sunday’s Menards 200 for the ARCA Racing Series at Toledo Speedway.

Crafton fought a loose truck throughout the night in Charlotte. Repeated adjustments to the No. 88 Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevy only made a minor difference and Crafton eventually ran out of laps to make his way into the top ten, finishing one spot shy in eleventh. After a short night’s rest, Crafton and the ThorSport Racing crew jetted to Toledo where Crafton practiced and qualified for his ARCA debut on Sunday. After starting seventh and surviving a multi-car tangle in turn one that left his No. 88 Messina Wildlife Management/Menards car with damage to the right front fender Crafton and crew persevered to collect a fifth-place finish, right behind fellow Menards driver and nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t run better at Charlotte than we did because that’s one of our better tracks,” Crafton said. “We were just loose all night and when you’re in traffic with a loose truck it isn’t a very comfortable feeling. We would have liked to salvage a top ten finish but we ended up one spot short. A few years ago a night like that might have ended up with a 25th or 30th place finish so it just shows how far we’ve come as a team.

“We didn’t get a lot of sleep in Friday night and then flew up to Toledo for the ARCA race. It was cooler on Saturday and then it got really hot on Sunday so we didn’t really know what to expect from the track, but we were really loose early. Then we got caught up with the 60 car (Patrick Sheltra) in turn one and it knocked out or brake blowers and that just built up our front pressures. We had to make about four pit stops to get the pressures right but once we did we were fast. I don’t think there was anyone as fast as we were the last 25 laps. We raced from twelfth to fifth and put both of Frank’s cars in the top five. I had a blast and hopefully we’ll have a chance to run a few more of these.”

Crafton stays fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings, 166 points behind leader Todd Bodine and just 63 points behind fourth-place Ron Hornaday, Jr.

The next race for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet is the Winstar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 4. The race will be televised live on SPEED starting with a 30-minute pre-race show at 8:30 P.M. Eastern. The race will also be broadcast live on select affiliates of the Motor Racing Network nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM 104).

05-18-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevrolet Silverado Express Notes: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Many racing fans consider Memorial Day Weekend to be their longest weekend of racing action throughout the year with the Indy 500 and Coke 600. For Matt Crafton, the weekend before Memorial Day is going to be his longest racing weekend of the year. First he returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the site of his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in 2008 to compete in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Then, immediately following that event, he will climb aboard a plane and head north to Toledo, Ohio, to make his ARCA Racing Series debut in the Menards 200 at Toledo Speedway.

What do you like about racing at Charlotte? “For me the best part is it’s wide and you have different grooves to choose from. I don’t like racetracks that are one-lane and all you do is hug the white line all day long. Charlotte has always had a couple of grooves, even when they paved it. That’s really what a driver wants, a couple of options and let him do the rest. We’ve always been really good there so whenever we go to Charlotte we’re thinking we have a chance to win and that’s another reason to like going there.”

Charlotte is just a one-day show with practice, qualifying, and the race all on Friday. Does your background in the Southwest Tour give you an advantage in that format? “I think most of the field has some sort of short track experience where you do everything in one day, so that’s not where the advantage comes from. I think the fact that I raced in the Southwest Tour instead of just one track every week helps us. A lot of drivers raced at one track and they didn’t have to learn how to adapt right away. When we pulled into a different track every week, we had a short practice to get ready and that was it. Then we qualified and raced. Learning how to adapt to different racetracks and do it quickly really helps in these one-day shows in the Camping World Truck Series.”

Are you ready for your ARCA debut? “I was ready for it last year when I practiced the car for Paul (Menard). I can’t wait. We’re going up there and we’re going to do everything we can to win. The car is coming from Frank Kimmel’s team and we know how good his stuff is. Paul ended up with a top-five there last year and I think we can do a little better this year since I’ll be in the car all weekend. My guys have had it at the shop getting it ready for me and I’ll have them all with me in the pits too. I really think we have a great chance to win two races this weekend.”

05-15-10

Crafton scores seventh-place run in rough-and-tumble Dover 200

Matt Crafton kept the No. 88 Menards/Zecol Chevrolet out of trouble for 200 miles around the brutal high-banks of Dover International Speedway on Friday, coming home with a solid seventh-place finish. However, if not for the leader running out of fuel on a restart with just four laps to go, Crafton could have racked up a top-three finish or possibly even stole the win.

“We weren’t as good as we needed to be in practice on Thursday so Bud (Haefele, crew chief) and the guys came up with some things to try today and they worked, we were a lot better,” Crafton said. “We stayed out of all the trouble out there and we were in a real good position for that restart with four laps to go. We were running third right behind Johnny (Benson, leader) and ready to make a run at those guys but he didn’t go at all when the green came out. We got trapped behind him and lost about five positions. There wasn’t enough time to get any of them back at that point so we finished seventh.

“I think we had a truck that could have raced with the 51 (of eventual winner Aric Almirola), it’s just a shame we got trapped behind Benson there because we were sitting third and both of the guys in front of us ran out of fuel. But the truck is in one piece and we made up some ground in the points on some people. All in all I’d say it was a decent day.”

On the strength of his fourth top-ten finish of the season Crafton jumped one position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings to fifth, 148 points behind leader Aric Alrmirola and just 23 points behind Ron Hornaday, Jr. for fourth.

Next up for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet is the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday May 21, which Crafton won in 2008. The race will be televised live on SPEED at starting with a 30-minute pre-race show at 7:30 P.M. Eastern. The race can also be heard live on select affiliates of the Motor Racing Network and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM104). Crafton will also make his ARCA Racing Series debut next weekend, driving the No. 98 Menards/Messina Wildlife Control car in the Menards 200 at Toledo Speedway on Sunday May 23.

05-13-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Zecol Chevrolet Silverado Preview: Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway

Matt Crafton has had a love-hate relationship with Dover International Speedway. Crafton thoroughly enjoys all that racing at Dover brings, from the leisurely drive from North Carolina to Delaware in his motorcoach, to the activities found in the area surrounding the track, to the competition on the speedway. But, he’s also felt the bite of the Monster Mile, and it’s not something he’s anxious to repeat anytime soon.

Do you have some unfinished business after coming so close to victory at Dover last year? “I thought we had a truck that could have won last year. But we were running with (Ron) Hornaday for the championship and couldn’t gamble like some of the others did. Brian Scott didn’t take any tires on the last caution and he ended up winning. Johnny (Sauter) took two and he ended up fifth right in front of us. We were in a position where we had to take four just because of the points deal.”

What stands out more, the good runs and solid finishes at Dover, or finding out how hard the walls are there? “To me, Dover is what racing is all about. The groove will move up as the race goes on and it opens up the options for the drivers. But the other side is I’ve had a couple of the hardest hits of my career there. After the one in 2002 I saw about three of everything for a week. If we can come out of there with a win it would definitely help erase some of those bad memories, but we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about them as it is.”

How do you rate your team’s performance over the first quarter of the season? “Right now we’re running as well as we ever have as a team. I think in the first five races we’ve qualified in the top three every week except Daytona and even there we were in the top ten. My guys haven’t let it get to them; they know it’s just some bad luck. Hopefully we’ve gotten all of our bad luck out of the way for this season and we’ll and go get us some wins.”

Zecol on the hood for only 2010 appearance: Zecol will be in the hood of the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet this week at Dover. Zecol produces de-icers, including Incredible Orange Anti-Ice kit which is sprayed onto surfaces prior to a storm to prevent snow and ice build up and is rated to -27 degrees Fahrenheit, radiator sealers, anti-freeze, and Purple Power windshield washer fluid.

Matt at Dover: Matt Crafton has nine previous NCWTS starts at Dover International Speedway with one top-five finish and four top-ten finishes. His best finish was fifth in 2008; his average start is 20.4 and his average finish is 16.4. He has completed 1,468 of a possible 1,800 competition laps (81.6%) and has led 3 laps.

Matt’s Dover Truck: Matt will be driving ThorSport Racing Chassis No. 33 at Dover this week.

05-02-10

Accident Leaves Crafton 25th at Kansas

Matt Crafton started second and ran among the top-five in the early stages of the O’Reilly 250, but damage to the No. 88 Menards/McGuire-Nichols Chevrolet in an accident on lap 42 put Crafton in the garage for repairs and left him 25th at the finish.

Crafton was running among the top five on lap 35 when several trucks in front of him spun and crashed. While avoiding the accident Crafton sustained minor damage to the right rear fender, necessitating an unscheduled pit stop for repairs. Restarting from the back of the field on lap 42, Crafton attempted to go low to pass some slower trucks but contact was made and Crafton sustained severe right side damage.

“I don’t know what happened down there,” Crafton said. “I went down low to get by some of those slower trucks and the next thing I know I got hit in the right rear and it was on from there. We had some pretty hard contact with the right side and Bud (Haefele) and the guys had to work to get us back on the track. But we’re in this to win the championship so we don’t give up. My guys did a great job to get us back out so we could pick up some positions and some points. It wasn’t a really good points day for us today but thanks to my guys on this Menards Chevy it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

Crafton now sits sixth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings, 17 points behind teammate Johnny Sauter for fifth and 134 points behind leader Timothy Peters.

Next up for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet is the Dover 200 at Dover International Raceway. The race will be televised on a same-day tape-delayed basis on Friday May 14 at 8 P.M. Eastern. It will be broadcast live on select affiliates of the Motor Racing Network nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM104).

04-28-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevrolet Preview: O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway

Matt Crafton heads to Kansas Speedway coming off a sixth-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway, a finish that he says could have been better based on the performance of the No. 88 Menards Chevy. Unfortunately a narrow racing groove and racing circumstances prevented a top-five result, but that race gives Crafton and his team confidence headed into the fifth race of the 2010 Camping World Truck Series season.

What’s the most difficult challenge to racing at Kansas Speedway? “For every year we’ve been racing there except last year it’s been so hot there that you’re fighting to get grip. The track just gets so slick. There is a second groove there and you can race side by side, but it’s not like Atlanta where you can run from the white line to the wall. There isn’t a lot of banking either but there’s still a lot of speed. It’s a challenge to get the truck just right but Bud (Haefele, crew chief) and the guys know how to make our Menards Chevy go fast on the mile and a half tracks so we should be right there at the end.”

How much do you look forward to racing on the mile-and-a-half tracks? “We have such a great intermediate track package that every time we go to the track we know we have a chance to win. We had an awesome truck at Nashville, probably the best truck we’ve ever had there but just couldn’t pass because the racing groove there is so narrow. Kansas has a couple of groove you can race in and we’ve had some good races there in the past so we’re going there with a great chance to win.”

Getting Crafton Comfortable: The challenge of setting up the truck to handle the high speeds and relatively flat corners at Kansas Speedway falls on crew chief Bud Haefele’s shoulders. He has developed a solid intermediate setup that has put Crafton in contention to win at the 1.5-mile tracks several times over the past four seasons. “The best way to get the driver comfortable at Kansas or any racetrack is to give him a truck that handles good and is fast,” Haefele said. “We have good horsepower and a good mile-and-half package so Matt is usually pretty happy, so we really concentrate on making fine adjustments. The challenge at Kansas is it’s usually really hot and the track gets slick. We start with our baseline mile-and-half setup and work with the changing track conditions. Most years we’ve gone there, even in the spring, and it’s been really warm. Last year it was cool and wet and that threw everyone for a loop.”

Matt at Ronald McDonald House: Along with his ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton will visit the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City on Friday April 30. Crafton will tour the facility and playground being built in memory of former Sprint marketing exec Tom Murphy. “It will be fun to visit with the families at the Ronald McDonald House,” Crafton said. “These families have a lot going on in their lives, so hopefully we can help take their mind off some of those things and have some fun talking racing with them.”

McGuire-Nicholas on the hood: McGuire-Nicholas, providers of quality work wear since 1932, will be on the hood of the No. 88 Menards Chevy for the first of four 2010 races at Kansas Speedway. Other races include Charlotte, the November race at Texas, and the season finale at Homestead. The McGuire-Nicholas product line includes tool aprons, knee pads, work gloves, plastic storage systems, back support belts, and other products for use in all work fields.

Matt at Kansas: Matt Crafton has raced in all nine previous NCWTS events at Kansas Speedway. He has one top-five finish and four top-ten finishes, with his best finish of fifth coming in 2004. He finished seventh in 2009. His average start is 16.2 and his average finish is 15.7. He has completed 1,428 of a possible 1,471 competition laps (97.1%) and has led six laps. Crafton has made 105 NCWTS starts on “intermediate” tracks between 1.33 and two miles in length, with one win, 19 top-five finishes, and 51 top-ten finishes.

04-23-10

ThorSport Racing Drivers to Visit the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City

ThorSport Racing drivers Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter will make an appearance at the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City on Friday April 30. The NASCAR Foundation is partnering with Sprint and Turner Construction to build a playground in honor of Tom Murphy, the Sprint vice president who passed away in an accident one year ago. ThorSport Racing is assisting with the build by donating over two tons of FunSand colored play sand.

Crafton and Sauter will tour the Ronald McDonald House and the playground site then meet with the children and their families.

“This is a really great cause and we’re happy to be a part of it,” said Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 13 In Country Television/Curb Records Chevrolet. “Tom was a great guy and he did a lot to help move NASCAR racing forward. We were all shocked when we heard the news last spring about his accident, but this is a great way for the sport to honor his memory and all he did. I’m looking forward to getting there and seeing the kids and meeting their families. I’m sure there will be some NASCAR fans among them so it will be fun to talk racing with them and give them a chance to think about something fun for a while.”

Fun Sand colored play sand can be used both indoors and outdoors, and thanks to the Dust Lock Formula additive provides a clean, dustless play environment. It can be molded into shapes without water and its brilliant blue or purple color will not run or stain. Its lifelike textural experience is ideal for childhood development and it is also perfect for non-traditional uses such as in reptile enclosures.

“We’re honored the NASCAR Foundation thought high enough about us to reach out and ask us to participate,” said Rick Noon, director of research and development for ThorWorks, manufacturer of Fun Sand. “It’s a great product that allows families and businesses the chance to have a traditional sandbox for kids to play in without all of the mess that goes along with it. It will be a great fit on the playground at the Ronald McDonald House and we hope it helps bring a little enjoyment to some families that are going through a rough time.”

Fun Sand is available at stores nationwide. For more information, log on to www.funsand.net.

04-03-10

Crafton Sixth at Nashville

Matt Crafton raced the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish in Friday night’s Nashville 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. Crafton qualified in the third position and battled a tight condition in the cool night, eventually settling in one position short of the top-five.

Crafton started third but quickly darted into second on the start. He held that position until the first round of pit stops. Crafton’s pit crew made an adjustment to loosen up the Menards Chevrolet, the extra time for the adjustment costing Crafton three positions for the restart. Crafton was able to race into the top five following the second round of pit stops but the tight condition gradually worsened, forcing him back to sixth at the finish.

“We were a little tight out there tonight,” Crafton said. “The last run we were just way too tight to make a run for fifth. That’s what we fight every time we come here, and racing at night made it worse. Bud Haefele and the rest of the guys did a great job making adjustments to the Menards Chevy but we couldn’t get it loosened up enough to get up there and race for the win.”

Crafton remains fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings, 128 points behind leader Timothy Peters and 22 points behind Kevin Harvick in fourth.

The next race for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet is the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, May 2. The race will be televised live on SPEED starting at 12:30 P.M. Eastern with the green flag scheduled for shortly after 1 P.M. The race will also be broadcast on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128.

03-31-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet Silverado Preview: Nashville 200 at Nashville Superspeedway

Matt Crafton heads to Nashville Superspeedway coming off a seventh-place finish in the short track battle at Martinsville. While Crafton and the ThorSport Racing Team excel on the intermediate tracks such as the 1.33-mile Nashville tri-oval, the track’s concrete surface is not high on Crafton’s list of favorites.

Do you enjoy racing at Nashville? “I like the town and the fans there are great. The facility at Nashville Superspeedway is pretty nice too. But I am not a real big fan of the concrete surface there. The other concrete tracks at Dover and Bristol have a lot more banking and that allows you to race up in the high groove if you need to. Nashville is pretty flat compared to those other tracks so you have to keep it right on the line through the corners. If they’d put a layer of asphalt down over the concrete I think you’d see two- and three-wide racing there. The drivers would like it a lot more and the fans would love it.”

So you spend all your time and effort in practice working on getting the truck to work on that white line in the corners? “It’s all about staying low. Last year after a couple of green flag laps into every run our truck would start to push pretty bad. I kept it right down on the bottom and left the entire outside lane wide open and every time someone tried to go up and pass they’d lose grip and get passed by three or four other trucks.”

Do you head over to downtown Nashville for any music and nightlife while you’re in town? “No, we leave that to the other teams. If they can go out and listen to loud music all night and then get up early the next morning and be ready to race more power to them. We’ll hang out at the track, maybe go out and get some dinner somewhere, and put all of our energy and focus into winning on Friday night.”

Intermediate Prowess: On tracks between one mile and two miles in length, Matt Crafton has 134 career starts, with one win (Charlotte, 2008), 22 top-five finishes, 70 top-ten finishes, and three poles.

Ideal Door on the Hood: Ideal Door will make its first of eight 2010 season appearances on the hood of the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards Chevrolet. Since 1963, Ideal Door has been an industry leader in sectional garage doors and the preferred choice of home owners, architects and builders for their current and future door needs. For more information, visit www.idealdoors.com.

Matt Crafton at Nashville Superspeedway: Crafton is one of two drivers to compete in all nine previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Nashville Superspeedway. He has one top-five finish (August, 2009) and four top-ten finishes. His average starting position is 15.3 and his average finishing position is 12.1. He has completed 1,261 of 1,356 competition laps (93.0%).

03-27-10

Crafton Takes Seventh in Short Track Clash at Martinsville

Matt Crafton scored a solid seventh-place finish in Saturday’s Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Crafton started outside the front row and stayed with eventual race winner Kevin Harvick for much of the early going before dropping towards the bottom of the top-ten as differing pit strategies scattered the field. Despite numerous late-race caution flags – including one that forced ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter from the second position - Crafton remained solidly among the top ten eventually bringing the No. 88 Menards/Australian Gold Chevrolet across the stripe in seventh.

“That was a pretty solid afternoon for the Menards Chevy,” Crafton said after the race. “We’ve put a lot of extra effort into our short track program over the off season trying to bring it up to pace with our intermediate program and I can say that it’s paid off. The truck was really strong and we were right there in contention for a top five finish. Track position is so important here and it’s hard to pass and we got caught behind a couple of guys I thought we were better than there at the end of the race but we couldn’t get past them.

Crafton, like most of the drivers who took any of the many restarts in the outside groove, was not happy with the disparity between the inside lane and outside lane.

“The double file restarts are tough at a place like this and we got hung out in the outside once and lost a ton of track position, but once we were restarting on the bottom lane we were okay,” he said. “You definitely didn’t want to restart on the outside if you could help it. But the guys did a great job getting the truck up to speed and out pit stops were solid so we’ll take it and head on to Nashville.”

Crafton jumped up three positions to fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, just 113 points behind leader Timothy Peters and two points behind Harvick for fourth position.

Next up for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet is the Nashville 200 on Friday April 2 at Nashville Superspeedway. The fourth event of the 2010 NCWTS season is a one-day show with practice slated from 11 A.M. through 1:30 P.M Eastern. Qualifying will follow at 5 P.M. with the 150-lap/200-mile race scheduled for 8 P.M. Eastern. The race will be televised live flag-to-flag on SPEED and can be heard on select affiliates of MRN Radio nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM104).

03-25-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Australian Gold Chevrolet Silverado Preview: Kroger 250 at Martinsville

Matt Crafton has a four-race streak of top-ten finishes on the line this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. But a top-ten finish is not what Crafton has in mind; he wants to re-establish the ThorSport Racing Team’s strength on short tracks by collecting his first win on a track less than a mile in length. The Kroger 250 is also a milestone of sorts for the team, with the No. 88 truck making its 300th consecutive appearance in NCWTS competition.

The style of racing is a little different at Martinsville, almost like a road course race because of the way teams work their way from the end of the race with their pit strategy. Do you like that type of racing? “The best truck doesn’t always win that way. You can have someone who has a tenth-place truck get the timing of their pit stop right and win the race off pit road, and because it’s so hard to pass at Martinsville that can end up winning the race for them. I’d rather see us out there racing for it. The guys put a lot of effort on making our short track program better over the winter, so I am expecting to be up there fighting for the win.”

Is it hard to be patient and aggressive at the same time? “It is, but you have to do it for the whole race. You have to be smart for 250 laps. I hate to say you have to points race but sometimes you need to look at the bigger picture. I was running second a couple of years ago and got turned around on the last lap trying to make a move for the win. But you can’t wait around all day either. If you take it easy early in the race you’ll end up a lap down in a hurry and your day can be ruined that way too.”

Matt at Martinsville: In 16 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Matt Crafton has scored two top-five finishes and eight top-ten finishes, including a best finish of second in the March, 2008 event. He has four consecutive top-ten finishes, including two ninth-place finishes in 2009. His average start is 17.1 and his average finish is 12.9. He has completed 3,494 of a possible 3,661 competition laps (95.4%).

Matt’s Martinsville Truck: Matt will drive ThorSport Racing Chassis No. 28 this weekend at Martinsville. It is the chassis Matt used in the majority of short track races in 2009, including both races at Martinsville.

300 Straight for the 88: The Kroger 250 will be the 300th consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in which the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Chevrolet has competed. The streak dates back to the opening race of the 1998 season at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla.

03-06-10

On-Track Scuffle Leaves Crafton 27th in Atlanta

An on-track scuffle with another truck ultimately forced Matt Crafton into the garage area for repairs and ended his chance for a top-five finish with the No. 88 Menards/Australian Gold Chevrolet in Saturday’s E-Z-Go 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
 
To underscore the strength of Crafton’s ride, he led the opening 10 laps after powering past front row starters Ron Hornaday and Kyle Busch before the field had even reached the first turn of the first lap.
 
While Crafton was racing Todd Bodine through turn two on lap 61 for a spot among the top-five, Bodine’s truck sucked the air off Crafton’s spoiler. Crafton chased the truck up the track but made contact with Bodine, sending Bodine into a spin and Crafton into the outside barrier. The ThorSport Racing crew made quick repairs to the truck, but on lap 68 the right front tire was cut down and Crafton smacked the wall again in turns one and two. Crew chief Bud Haefele ordered Crafton to the garage area for repairs, costing Crafton 35 laps and relegating him to 27th at the finish.
 
“It’s the second year in a row we’ve had one of the best trucks here and we are leaving here without the finish to show for it,” Crafton said. “I hate it for the guys on the Menards Chevy team and I hate it for the guys on the 30 truck with what happened down there. I was super loose all day and when he got to the outside of me it sucked the air off the spoiler and it started to go around on me. I tried to catch it but we got together and wrecked. We went back out then cut down a right front tire and that did some real damage and we had to come in and fix it. The guys did a great job all weekend. We definitely had a top five truck here and it’s a shame we didn’t get the finish our team deserved.”
 
Crafton maintains the eighth place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings, 98 points behind leader Todd Bodine and just 30 points behind fifth-place Aric Almirola.
 
Next up for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards/Australian Gold Chevrolet is the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday March 27. There will be two rounds of practice on Friday March 26, the first at 10 A.M. Eastern and the second at 1:10 P.M. The 36-truck starting field will be set immediately following Sprint Cup Series qualifying. The race will be televised live on SPEED starting with a 30-minute pre-race show at 1:30 P.M. Eastern. The race can also be heard live on select affiliates of the Motor Racing Network nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM 104).

03-02-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Australian Gold Chevrolet Preview: Atlanta

Matt Crafton is anxious to return to the intermediate speedways that make up a significant portion of the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule. The 1.5-mile tracks have given the team numerous top-five and top-ten finishes over the past several seasons, including Crafton’s first career win at Charlotte in 2008. Crafton returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway looking for some redemption after a late-race scrape with another driver cost him a chance for a top-five result.

Do you have some unfinished business at Atlanta after last year? “The most frustrating part of that race last year was that we had one of the best trucks we had all season and we ended up with one of our worst finishes. We ran with Kevin (Harvick) all race long, it was just the two of us up at the front. Every time there was a caution, the green would come back out and we’d just take off and hide. Late in the race we lost a lot of track position because we took tires and a bunch of the other guys either didn’t take tires or just took two. Once we were in the back we just couldn’t get back up to the front no matter what. Then Ron (Hornaday) got to racing us really hard. We ended up eleventh with a truck that could have won the race, so yeah, we’re going back there with some unfinished business to take care of.”

Why do you and the No. 88 team perform so well on the mile-and-a-half speedways? “When Bud (Haefele) joined the team a few years ago and became the crew chief we looked at where we needed to improve. Our short track program was really good then but we were a little weaker on the intermediate stuff. He came in and really stepped up our entire program, and our performance at the intermediate tracks has been a big part of that.”

How much of a boost does coming out of Daytona with a top-five finish give you for the rest of the season? “As long as I have been going to Daytona and as brutal as that place has been to us over the years, it is really awesome to come out of there with a top five finish and not have a huge points deficit to overcome. You can always use momentum to your advantage and it’s given the guys back at the shop a big boost in confidence too.”

Crafton at Atlanta: Matt Crafton has ten previous starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, collecting three top-five finishes and five top-ten finishes. His best finish is third, coming in the March race in 2007. His average start is 17.6 and his average finish is 11.6. He has completed 1,267 of a possible 1,313 competition laps (96.5%) and has been running at the finish of all ten previous starts at Atlanta.

Crafton’s Atlanta Truck: Crafton will race ThorSport Racing Chassis 31 at Atlanta. No. 31 is the truck Crafton raced at the majority of the intermediate tracks in 2009, including runner-up finishes at Texas (June), Las Vegas, Texas (November) and Homestead. It is the first time Crafton will race this chassis in 2010.

02-13-10

Patience the Keyword for Crafton as He Scores Top-Five at Daytona

Despite losing his two teammates and drafting partners in a lap one crash, Matt Crafton played his strategy perfectly to score a fifth-place finish in the No. 88 Menards/Herculiner Chevrolet at the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway.
 
Crafton patiently spent much of the race several seconds behind the lead pack, preferring to ride outside the danger zone at the front of the field while the pack was constantly whittled down by numerous accidents. In all, more than two-thirds of the field was involved in the seven cautions that slowed the 250-mile race, including ThorSport Racing teammates Johnny Sauter and Landon Cassill.
 
“We ran at the back of the pack on purpose,” Crafton said. “That was one of the hardest races I’ve ever driven to just sit back there and ride around. But we had two trucks wiped out on lap one because of someone else’s mistake. Our whole plan was to get the three of us lined up and ride and then be there with ten laps to go and it was out the window on lap one. I kept telling Bud (crew chief Bud Haefele) and the guys that we had a good truck and I knew we’d be able to race up to the front, but I didn’t want to be up in that pack and get wrecked. Every time the green would come out and we’d drop back we had to wonder if that was the last caution but as wild as it was out there we knew there would be more.
 
“We had a restart with about 13 laps to go and that was when it was time to go racing. We tried to get something going in the outside lane at the end but couldn’t get any help so I worked down to the bottom and that’s when we were able to get a little closer to the front. I saw those guys bumping like crazy on the last lap and thought we might have a chance to win if they took each other out but they all held on to their trucks until after the checkered and then they wrecked. I’m disappointed for our team that we had two trucks get wrecked, but I am really happy to come out of here with a top five finish and our Menards/Herculiner Chevy in one piece.”
 
Crafton leaves Daytona unofficially in fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings, 30 points behind leader – and race winner – Timothy Peters.
 
The next race for Crafton and the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards Chevrolet is the Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 6. The 135-lap/200-mile race will be televised live on SPEED starting with a 30-minute pre-race show at 1:30 P.M. Eastern. The race will also be broadcast live on select affiliates of the Motor Racing Network nationwide and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (XM 104).

02-09-10

Matt Crafton No. 88 Menards/Herculiner Chevrolet Preview: Daytona

Matt Crafton is anxious to get back in the seat of the No. 88 Menards/Herculiner Chevrolet to kick off the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Crafton accomplished much in 2009, scoring two poles, eleven top-five finishes, 21 top-ten finishes and a career-best second-place finish in the series championship standings. But victory lane eluded him – something he’s anxious to change in 2010.

How driven are you to get back into victory lane in 2010? “It’s everything for us. We want to win with everything we have. As a team we did a lot last year; we ran up front and had a ton of top fives and top tens and we were really consistent. But the one thing that was missing was that win. I think some of that was out of our hands because of the pit road rules we used last year. The Chevrolets had a ton of power all season long but we just didn’t get the mileage that the other manufacturers had so when they could come down late in the race and pit for just tires, we’d have to come in for tires and the next lap come back in for fuel too. I know we gave a couple races away with the pit rules, and I am really happy we’re going back to the normal pit road rules this year. There’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders to get us another win, but the way both ThorSport trucks ran last season I think you’ll see us get our share of wins this year.”

Do you enjoy the racing at Daytona – big drafting packs, racing at high speeds inches apart for 250 miles? “Last year I went up and led a lap early then dropped to the back and just rode around. I was a straightaway behind the lead pack just logging laps. That’s what you have to do to make it to the end at Daytona and Talladega. You can get up there and run at the front all day where they are beating and banging on each other, but you know there’s going to be a big crash that’s going to take half of you out. That’s what happened to (teammate) Johnny Sauter last year. He didn’t do anything wrong but was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got taken out. It looks cool from the grandstands and on TV but it’s not a lot of fun out there in that big pack like that. We’ll do it when we have to, but I’d rather drop to the back and log some laps and know I am going to make it to the end.”

After a career-best year in 2009, what can you and the team do in 2010 to perform even better? “The guys have worked all winter long on every aspect of our program. They’ve torn down every truck in the shop and rebuilt them from the ground up. The mile and a half program has been really strong for a couple years and they’re still working on making it even better. We need to get our short track program a little better. I don’t think we were there on the short tracks last year so I know the guys are putting a ton of effort into getting our short track trucks up to speed.”

Matt Crafton at Daytona: Matt has started nine NCWTS races at Daytona, with two top-ten finishes in his past three attempts. His best finish is a pair of eighth-place finishes, coming in 2007 and 2009. He has completed 800 of 912 possible laps (87.7%) and has led one lap in competition at Daytona, that being in 2009. He started outside the front row in 2009, his best qualifying effort at Daytona. His average start at Daytona is 18.4 and his average finish is 17.6.

Crafton’s Daytona Truck: The truck Crafton will pilot at Daytona is ThorSport Racing Chassis No. 24. It’s the truck Crafton drove at both Daytona and Talladega in 2009, qualifying second and finishing eighth at Daytona and qualifying seventh and finishing tenth at Talladega.

ThorSport now the longest-tenured team in the NCWTS: With the departure of the Roush Fenway Racing organization from the Camping World Truck Series following the 2009 season, ThorSport Racing is now the longest tenured team in the series. The team made its debut in the series at Milwaukee in 1996, and has entered at least one truck in 315 races. The Daytona race will be the No. 88 truck’s 298th consecutive NCWTS race.



Crafton’s consecutive starts streak now the longest: Matt Crafton has the longest active streak of consecutive starts in the Camping World Truck Series. Crafton has started 222 consecutive races dating to his series debut at the season-ending race at California Speedway in 2000. Crafton has been in every NCWTS race since.

Kitrick Schrader on the mend: ThorSport Racing crew member Kitrick Schrader’s recovery from injuries in an early January snowmobile accident is continuing. Schrader has been released to his home to continue therapy and recently visited the team shop, supervising some last minute preparations on the two TSR Daytona trucks.

ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards/Herculiner Chevrolet Pit Crew:

Crew chief: Bud Haefele
Jackman: Cody Slater
Truck chief: Jeriod Prince
Rear tire changer: Jeriod Prince
Front tire changer: Tommy Jacobs
Rear tire carrier: Marshal Zalewski
Front tire carrier: Ed Riley
Gasman: Rich Riley
Spotter: Tad Boyd
Transport driver: Bob Tebo

Next Race: The 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicks off with the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday February 12. The first practice is a 90-minute session scheduled for 6 P.M. on Wednesday February 10, with the final two-hour session slated for Thursday February 11 at 9 A.M. The 36-truck starting field will be determined in two-lap qualifying runs at 6 P.M. on Thursday evening. The eleventh annual NextEra Energy Resources 250 will go green shortly after 8 P.M. on Friday night; it can be seen live on SPEED and heard live on select affiliates of the Motor Racing Network and on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128.

01-13-10

ThorSport Racing Crew Member Kitrick Schrader Injured in Accident

ThorSport Racing crew member Kitrick Schrader was injured in a snowmobile accident Saturday January 9. Schrader was en route to meet friends for a late night snowmobile ride when he collided with a fire hydrant hidden in drifting snow, causing serious injuries to his left leg, hip, and pelvis.

Schrader is a native of Ft. Wayne, Indiana and a current resident of Sandusky, Ohio. He serves as a fabricator and general mechanic in the shop and is the rear tire carrier on Matt Crafton’s pit crew at the track.

After the accident, Schrader was air lifted from Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky to Cleveland Metro, a level one trauma care center.

“We were shocked at the news, and we ask that everyone in the NASCAR community keep Kitrick in their thoughts and prayers,” said ThorSport Racing team manager David Pepper. “We’ve all been out to visit him and have already heard from a lot of our friends in the Truck Series offering their support. We’re behind him 110 percent. We know it’s going to be a long rehab process, probably ten to twelve months. All of us on the ThorSport team want him to know we love him like a brother and he’s still a very important part of the team.”

Pepper said that Schrader’s absence has already had an impact on the team.

“The guys in the shop are a tight bunch,” he said. “Everyone does whatever it takes to get the trucks ready to race. Kitrick is a talented mechanic and fabricator and much more. Whether it was installing a windshield or working on crush panels, it didn’t matter. If it needed to get done, he’d be helping. We’re just now starting to realize just how many different things he would work on.”

Cards and other well wishes can be sent to:
Kitrick Schrader
C/O ThorSport Racing
PO Box 2218
Sandusky, Ohio 44870

Matt Crafton 2009 Headlines

11-23-09

Crafton Charges to Second-Place Finish in Homestead Finale

Matt Crafton charged to a season-ending, second-place finish in the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday.

“We just came up short tonight,” Crafton said. "I pumped those tires up on that last run. The run before that one, we got behind, caught some lapped traffic, and the No. 4 and No. 17 got too far away from us. We could slowly run them down, but they just had too much distance on us. The crew chief made a great call to take four tires right there at the end. I said I wanted to go down swinging, and we did. But overall, our No. 88 Australian Gold Chevy was really strong. The guys worked on it a bunch from the time we rolled it off the trailer. We qualified seventh for the race, and we knew we’d have a great shot to win. We wanted to win so badly, but it wasn’t to be for us. Our guys did a heck of a job, like they have all season, and I really appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”

It was Crafton’s fifth second-place finish this season, and his second in the last three races. He finished in second-place in the NCWTS standings. For the season, Crafton racked-up a career-high eleven top-five and twenty-one top-ten finishes. He won Pole Awards at Chicagoland and Texas.

“We did some good things this season, and there’s no doubt we expect to be right there battling for the championship again next season,” he said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be better next season. We’ve sold a few trucks already here at the end of the season, and we’re building new trucks for next season. We know what we need to do to make our trucks just that much better, and our sights are set on a championship run. This team has come a long way in a few years, and we just keep getting better. I’m thankful to (owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson for providing us all of the resources we need to try to win races and a championship, thankful to Menards and Chevy for all of the great help they continue to provide to us. Hopefully, we can bring a championship home next season."

11-16-09

Crafton Looks to Cap Season with Win at Homestead

Matt Crafton raced to an eighth-place finish in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday, and heads for Homestead-Miami Speedway with victory on his mind.

Crafton has finished in the top-ten in twenty of twenty-four races this season, and owns a career-high ten top-five finishes entering Friday’s Ford 200 season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has won a couple of Keystone Light Pole Awards this season, and battled for a championship throughout the season. He is in second-place in the NCWTS standings. Victory at Homestead-Miami would seem a fitting cap to Crafton’s ultra-consistent season.

“We always talk about putting ourselves in position to win races, and, for the most part, we’ve done a really good job of it this season,” Crafton said. “We’ve been right there at the end with a shot to win so many times, but it just hasn’t fallen our way yet. We’ve had strong trucks all season, and I’m really thankful to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys for their efforts. A win at Homestead would be a great way to end the season for us.”

In eight career starts at Homestead-Miami, Crafton owns three top-ten finishes. His best finish at the track is fifth.
“The banking at Homestead makes for great racing,” said Crafton. “You can race side-by-side, and from up against the wall down to the bottom. It’s a fast, wide, multi-groove track, and it keeps getting better. I think drivers in all forms of racing love to race at Homestead. It’s always an exciting show for our fans.”

As consistent as Crafton has been this season, he continues to seek improvement.

“We’ve done some good things this season, and we keep looking for ways to get better, and I’m proud as heck of our guys,” Crafton said. “We’re happy with our performance, but far from satisfied. We expect to take our No. 88 Menards Chevy to Victory Lane each week, to win a championship, and we’ll keep pushing to do it. I feel like we’re right there on the verge. We’ll just keep bringing our best, and see where it takes us.”

11-11-09

Crafton Just Wants Win at Phoenix

Matt Crafton rolls into Phoenix International Raceway for the Lucas Oil 150 on Friday seeking the victory to which he has come oh-so-close numerous times this season.

Crafton has been in the thick of contention for his first NCWTS championship throughout the campaign, and has racked-up career-highs in top-five (ten) and top-ten (nineteen) finishes along the way. He has captured Keystone Light Pole Awards at Chicagoland and Texas thus far. He is in second-place in the NCWTS standings. He has finished second in four races this season, including last week at Texas. Now, he simply wants to win Friday’s race.
“We’ve been really close a number of times this season, have been right there with great shots to win races, but it just hasn’t fallen our way,” Crafton said. “It’s frustrating, but, at the same time, we always talk about putting ourselves in position, and we’ve been able to do that consistently. I’m really proud of this team, and, hopefully, we can break-thru and take our No. 88 Menards Silverado to Victory Lane on Friday.”

Crafton’s record at Phoenix would seem to suggest he’ll again be in the victory mix this time around. In eight career starts at the one-miler, he owns a pair of top-five finishes, and has finished in the top-ten five times.
“Phoenix has always been a special place to me,” said Crafton. “It’s one of my favorite tracks.”

The Tulare, CA native has paid many a visit to Phoenix as a driver and fan over the years. He won the final Copper World Classic Southwest Series 100 at PIR a few years ago. "That win meant a lot to me because of the race's place in the history of the track," he said.

Crafton welcomes the challenges inherent to racing at Phoenix.

“The racing at Phoenix is outstanding,” Crafton said. “There’s great side-by-side racing, but the track is a little tricky, too. You have two completely different ends of the track, and it’s a big challenge to get your truck to handle well at both ends. But that’s what makes it fun. It’s a ‘driver’s track’, and I always look forward to that."

11-09-09

Crafton Roars to 2nd Place Finish at Texas

Matt Crafton roared to a second-place finish in the WinStar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night. Crafton started the race from the pole position. He also finished second in the spring race at TMS.

“Our No. 88 Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Silverado was really fast tonight,” Crafton said. “Unfortunately, we just came up a little bit short. We were trying to save fuel a bit toward the end, because we knew we were gonna be close, and we probably waited too long to try to catch (race-winner Busch) Kyle. It was one of those situations where you just really don’t know, because, at the same time, if we’d tried to run him down earlier, we might’ve run out of gas at the end. I can’t thank our guys enough. They brought an awesome race truck, and we really thought we had the truck to beat. In clean air, our Silverado was better than any of ‘em tonight. It just wasn’t meant to be for us.”

Crafton remains in second-place in the NCWTS standings with two races remaining as he heads for Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. He owns a pair of top-five and five top-ten finishes in eight career starts at Phoenix.

11-06-09

Crafton Captures Pole Award At Texas

Matt Crafton posted a lap of 179.354 miles per hour to capture the pole position at Thursday’s 7-Eleven Qualifying Day for the WinStar World Casino 350k NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

The pole was Crafton’s second of the year and third of his career, with his previous ones coming at New Hampshire in 2005 and earlier this season at Chicagoland. Crafton’s previous-best qualifying effort at Texas Motor Speedway was third in June’s WinStar World Casino 400.

Todd Bodine, a record five-time truck series winner at Texas Motor Speedway, qualified on the outside pole with a lap of 178.235 mph. Rounding out the top five were Chad McCumbee at 178.212 mph, points leader and defending race champion Ron Hornaday Jr. at 178.183 mph and David Gilliland at 178.083, respectively.

Rookie James Buescher, of Plano, qualified 10th with a lap of 177.288 mph to pace the trio of Texans competing in the WinStar World Casino 350k. David Starr, a Houston native who lives in Fort Worth, qualified 16th at 176.327 mph and Colin Braun, of Ovalo, was 19th at 176.131 mph.

SOURCE: Texas Motor Speedway

11-04-09

Crafton Looks to Keep Championship Hopes Alive at Texas

Matt Crafton enters the WinStar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday looking to capture the victory that eluded him at the track in June.

“We had an awesome truck at Texas last time around, and were disappointed that we weren’t able to take it to Victory Lane,” said Crafton of his second-place finish. “Hopefully, we can put ourselves in position again on Friday, and finish the deal.”

Crafton has finished in the top-10 in nearly half of his numerous career starts at TMS. He also owns another top-5 finish at the track.

“I love racing at Texas,” Crafton said. “We’ve had some really strong runs there over the years, and maybe don’t have all the results to show for it. But it’s a place where we always feel like we can win. It’s a place where you have to have the whole package. It’s always an exciting race for the fans, and usually a great time of year there, weather-wise. We expect our No. 88 Menards Chevy to be really good again on Friday, and, hopefully, that will translate to a trip to Victory Lane for us this time.”

Crafton remains in second-place in the points-standings with three races to go this season, and recognizes it would take special circumstances, indeed, to capture his first NCWTS championship. Given the unpredictable nature of the series, however, he still believes anything is possible.

“As we’ve said, our focus each week has to be on the things we can control and, after that, let the chips fall where they may,” said Crafton. “Do we still believe we have a chance to win this thing? Absolutely. There’s no reason to think otherwise, because we’ve seen that anything can happen in this series. No matter what, like always, you just have to keep shooting for wins each time out, race as hard and smart as possible each lap. We’ll pull out all the stops, and we’ll see what happens.”

11-02-09

Crafton Charges to Top-10 Finish at Talladega

Matt Crafton overcame a flat-tire that dropped him a lap down early in the race and charged to a top-ten finish in the Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.

Crafton suffered a flat tire on lap twenty-seven and fell a lap behind the race leaders, but then displayed the tenacity for which his team is known. Though still a lap down, Crafton kept the pressure on and his No. 88 Menards/Tide Chevrolet in front of the pack for several laps during the midpoint of the race. Crafton got back on the lead lap when a caution flag flew a bit later, and rallied to a spot on the fringe of the top-ten with ten laps to go. He hooked-up on the outside line with ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, and pushed toward a spot near the front of the pack. With a handful of laps left in the race, Crafton held a spot in the top-five and was positioned for a battle to the wire. Via the aid of a patented Talladega drafting push, Crafton took the lead on the backstretch during the final lap and appeared headed for pulse-pounding victory. Crafton lost his drafting help on the straightaway, however, and settled for a tenth-place finish. It was his first top-ten finish in four career starts at Talladega.

“It was a typical wild, mentally-draining day at Talladega,” Crafton said. “We were right there at the end, with as good a shot to win the race as anybody, but just lost our pusher and came up a little bit short. That’s the way Talladega works; you just never know. But we learned an awful lot, and I’m proud that we were able to battle back after the flat tire and finish in the top-ten. The trucks put on a heck of a good show for the fans at Talladega again, no doubt. All in all, considering how things unfolded out there today, we can’t be too disappointed with our finish. We’ll take it and be ready at Texas next week.”

Crafton remains in second place in the NCWTS standings with three races remaining this season.

10-28-09

Crafton Hopes for Triumphant Talladega Visit

When it comes to Talladega Superspeedway, wild is the operative word, a description that applies equally to action on and off the track.

Unlike anywhere else in NASCAR, Talladega conjures images in the minds of drivers and race fans of a beast beyond control, and none would have it any other way. Matt Crafton hopes, however, that when the smoke from Saturday’s Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega clears, his No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado will be sitting in Victory Lane.

“Talladega is awesome,” Crafton said. “It’s door-to-door drafting at 190mph, and it can be mentally-draining. During practice, you get an idea of which of the other trucks your truck seems to suck-up best with in the draft, and you go from there. During the race, you have to find the groove that best suits your truck. There’s so much about this race that is impossible to predict. You just have to be smart, and hope that you don’t get caught up in someone else’s trouble. Hopefully, we can take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane on Saturday.”

While he would prefer a win, of course, Crafton will gladly accept anything that aids his effort to quickly gain chunks of points in his battle for a first NCWTS championship. He is in second place in the NCWTS standings and faces a sizeable point-disadvantage with four races remaining this season. Crafton has finished outside the top-10 in each of his three previous NCWTS starts at Talladega.

“Our goal each time out is to win races, period,” said Crafton. “That’s our focus, and it never changes. We know we need some help in the points-deal, but we’ve seen that anything can happen week-to-week in this series. We can only focus on trying to control what’s happening with our team, and whatever else happens, happens. For the most part, we’ve been good at putting ourselves in position to win races, and, hopefully, we can do it again on Saturday. As always, the race will be a heck of a show for drivers and fans."

Crafton would relish adding his name to the list of winners at Talladega. “There’s just so much history at Talladega, so many great drivers who have found a way to get to Victory Lane there,” he said. “It would be special to be able to add my name to that list. We’ll try to be in position with a few laps to go on Saturday, and, from that point, it’s a roll of the dice.”

10-26-09

Crafton Battles to Top-10 Finish at Martinsville

Matt Crafton battled handling issues throughout the race on his No. 88 Schrock Cabinetry/Menards Silverado, and fought to a 9th place finish in the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday. It was Crafton’s fourth-consecutive top-10 finish, and eighth overall, at Martinsville.

Crafton lost valuable points in his quest for a first NCWTS championship. He remains in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings, but is now 224 points from the lead with four races left this season.

“We just had a tough day all the way around with our No. 88 Schrock Cabinetry/Menards Chevy,” he said. “It wasn’t for lack of effort. I’m thankful to our guys for all their effort, all the changes they threw at our truck. The guys got the truck to a point where it would be good for the first twenty or thirty laps of a run, but then it would just really fall off, and it just seemed like there was nothing we could do. We were just off a bit all day long. It just wasn’t meant to be for us today. All things considered, after the day we had, to at least bring our truck home in the top-10 is a credit to our guys. It wasn’t the finish we were looking for, obviously, but we’ll be ready at Talladega next week.”

Crafton knows only to expect the unexpected at Talladega.

"Talladega is such a wildcard, such a roll of the dice," he said. "You just never know what's gonna happen there. Hopefully, we can put ourselves in position to be there in the last few laps with a shot to win the race. That's all you can really hope for, and the rest is pretty much out of our control. We'll bring our best, and we'll see what happens."

10-21-09

Crafton Relishes Return to Martinsville

Matt Crafton heads down the homestretch of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season seeking an additional bit of good fortune in his bid for a first NCWTS championship.

Crafton enters the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings, where he has been for much of the season, save for a couple of weeks spent as the points-leader. With five races remaining this season, Crafton remains in striking position for a championship, but knows part of the title equation is beyond his control.

“We’re focused on what we have to do each week to win races, and everything else will shake out the way it shakes out,” Crafton said. “We know that, to have a shot to win the championship, some things would have to happen that are out of our control, and we can’t spend our energy worrying about that. But there’s no doubt that the next two races, here at Martinsville this week and next week at Talladega, will play a huge part in the equation. They are two wildcard tracks, for sure, and you just never know what’s gonna happen. It’s kind of like rolling the dice at both places. The picture will be a lot clearer after the next two races. So we know we need to be at our best in Martinsville, and we’ll see how it plays out from there."

In fifteen career NCWTS starts at Martinsville, Crafton has claimed a pair of top-5 finishes, including a 2nd place finish last season. He has finished in the top-10 seven times.

“Martinsville is a great symbol of the old days of racing, a reminder of the Saturday night, short-track races that most of us were raised on,” said Crafton. “I love the place. There’s such great history here, which makes it one of the really special tracks we visit. The track can take a tremendous toll on your truck. Handling and track position are obviously keys at Martinsville, and strong pit stops are crucial. If you aren’t careful, you can get shuffled to the back of the pack pretty quickly, and it’s difficult to work your way back to the front. Martinsville is always a heated battle, and there’s no margin for error. We’ll just try to stay patient and avoid the messes that can happen in a hurry, and, hopefully, we can take our No. 88 Menards Chevy to Victory Lane on Saturday.”

09-27-09

Crafton Helps Give ThorSport 1-2 Finish at Vegas

Matt Crafton charged to a 2nd place finish in the Qwik Liner 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, teaming with race-winner Johnny Sauter to give Sandusky, Ohio-based ThorSport Racing the organization’s first 1-2 finish in NCWTS competition. Earlier this season, both ThorSport drivers finished a race in the top-5 together for the first time.

The finish was Crafton’s second consecutive in the top-5, and he gained valuable points in his quest for a first NCWTS championship. He remains in 2nd place in the points-standings with five races remaining this season.

“I’m happy for Johnny that he won the race, and it’s a strong showing for ThorSport Racing that we finished in the top couple of spots,” Crafton said. “It’s an example of the commitment that (ThorSport Racing owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson made to this team a long time ago, of the resources we have available to us. Our No. 88 Australian Gold Chevy was really good, but it just didn’t have quite the speed that Johnny’s did. His truck was super fast. Track position was everything, and, for the most part, we just didn't have it. It was a decent night for us, and we gained a few points, but I’m most happy about finishing 1-2 for ThorSport.”

Crafton and crew will fine-tune during the four-week break in NCWTS action. The next race is at Martinsville on October 24. Crafton has a track record of success at Martinsville. In fifteen career starts there, he owns seven top-10 and a pair of top-5 finishes, including a second-place finish in the spring race last season.

“We’ll work on some things during the break with an eye on Martinsville,” said Crafton. “We’ve always been pretty strong there. For the most part, we’ve been strong at all of the tracks left on our schedule this season, so there’s no reason to think we won’t be in position for wins. We’ll enjoy the break and regroup a little bit, and be ready to go in a few weeks.”

09-24-09

Crafton: Familiar Faces in Crowd at Vegas

Matt Crafton returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Saturday's Las Vegas 350 looking to build on his 3rd place finish at the track last season. The finish was his first in the top-5 at Vegas in eight career starts. He also owns a top-10 finish at LVMS.

“We’ve always had good trucks here, but, until last year, just hadn’t had the results to show for it,” Crafton said. “I love racing at Las Vegas. The facility is outstanding, one of the best we visit. The track has continued to improve since it was reconfigured, and is really fast, but it’s still a little difficult to race side-by-side. You have to be on your game in terms of the handling piece of it, because the track will punish you thru turns one and two. Las Vegas is always a great show for the fans, and we’re ready to go.”

Included among the faces in the crowd at Vegas on Saturday will be many familiar to Crafton, who is a native of Tulare, CA.

“ I always enjoy coming back to the West Coast,” he said. “I’ll have a bunch of friends and family at the race, and that’s always special. You always want to win, of course, but it would be really cool if we could take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane for everybody on Saturday. Hopefully, we can again put ourselves in strong position to have a shot to win it."

Coverage of the Las Vegas 350 begins at 9pm EST on SPEED.

09-21-09

Crafton Fights to 4th Place Finish at New Hampshire

Matt Crafton showed the grit that exemplifies the NCWTS championship-challenger as he battled to a 4th place finish in the Heluva Good! 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Crafton suffered damage to the left-front fender of his No. 88 Sylvania/Menards Silverado early in the race, and fought a resultant tight truck for the duration. Crafton, who started 8th, scrapped his way into the top-5 by mid-race, however, and never relinquished position en route to his eighth top-5 finish of the season.

“We’re disappointed, because we expected to battle for the win at New Hampshire,” Crafton said. “The guys on our No. 88 Sylvania/Menards Silverado team had a great truck for me, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to show what we had. I’m thankful to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys for continuing to fight their tails off for me, to make the adjustments they made to keep us running up front. Like always, they never gave up. All things considered, we were able to salvage a decent day out of it, and we’re looking forward to getting to Las Vegas next weekend.” Crafton finished 3rd at Vegas last season.

Crafton is in 2nd place in the NCWTS points-standings with six races remaining this season.

“We’re focused on trying to win races,” Crafton said. “Nothing else really matters to us right now. We’ve always had the approach that, as long as we’re taking care of the things we can control, and focusing on continuing to find ways to improve, we’ll be in position for good things to happen. That’s where we continue to put our energies.”

09-17-09

Crafton Focused on Victory at New Hampshire

Matt Crafton seeks to strengthen his position in the heated battle for a NCWTS championship in Saturday’s Heluva! Good 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Crafton won his first Pole Award at New Hampshire in ’05, and owns three top-10 finishes in eight career starts at the track.

“New Hampshire is a really cool place to race,” Crafton said. “It’s always a great show for the fans, and they really come out to support this series up here. As we know, it’s difficult to pass at New Hampshire, so track-position takes on added-importance. We’ve run well here thru the years, but just haven’t had the results to show for it. I see New Hampshire as sort of a ‘bigger Martinsville’ type of track. Hopefully, we can qualify well and stay up front in our Menards/Sylvania Chevy, and put ourselves in position to win the race.”

Despite the hubbub surrounding his pursuit of a championship, Crafton remains entrenched only in the moment. “Our focus as a team has always been on taking care of our own business, on making sure we’re as good as we can possibly be each week,” he said. “We expect to put ourselves in the best possible position to win races each time out, and, for the most part, we’ve done that. I’m really proud of our guys for the job they’ve done. We know there’s a lot of racing left this season, and anything can happen. As far as the points-race goes, our approach is the same as ever: do our jobs the best we can, keep finding ways to try to improve, and just see how it all plays out. If you’re looking ahead or behind you in this series, and you’re not focused on what’s happening right now, you’ll cost yourself opportunities for success. We’ll give it everything we have on Saturday, and, hopefully, we’ll win the race.”

09-14-09

Strange Events Force Crafton to 6th Place Finish at Gateway

Matt Crafton settled for a 6th place finish instead of apparent victory in a bizarre ending to the Copart 200 at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday.

Crafton overcame some strange late-race happenings, including a black flag with a few laps to go, en route to the finish.

Crafton, who is 2nd in the NCWTS standings, started the race in 6th place and quickly moved into the top-5, where, save for a brief period spent outside the top-10 following truck adjustments to cure a splitter problem, he stayed for the duration of the race.

Crafton was in 3rd place during a restart with nine laps remaining when the driver of the No. 30 truck, who admittedly struggled on restarts throughout the race, tried to block an apparently already-there Crafton on the inside and spun, yielding a caution.

Crafton was in 2nd place when green-flag racing resumed with four laps to go. Crafton, who was strong on restarts all afternoon, had a run on the race-leading No. 33 truck and darted to inside position. The driver of the No. 33 truck attempted to pinch Crafton, who held his ground, and the No. 33 truck spun, bringing out a caution.

To the likely surprise of many race fans, Crafton was black-flagged.

He salvaged a 6th place finish, far from the victory he would likely have claimed.

“Without a doubt, our No. 88 Menards Chevy was awesome today, and we were positioned for the win,” Crafton said. “I’m really thankful to the guys on this team for their efforts today. We did everything we had to do, and were right there. Sometimes, things happen out there, or decisions are made, that are out of your control, and that’s what we faced today. We’re not happy about it, and anyone who saw what happened can easily make up their own minds. It’s definitely a strange deal, to say the least. But, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I’m proud of our guys, and they deserved that win. As always, we’ll be focused and ready for New Hampshire, and hopefully, we can come out of there with a victory.”

09-10-09

Crafton Hopes to Turn Up Championship Heat at Gateway

Matt Crafton hopes to turn up the heat in the NCWTS championship battle in the Copart 200 at Gateway on Saturday.

Crafton remains in 2nd place in the points-race, with eight races left this season.

“Our guys have done a great job all season of focusing on what’s in front of us, on the race at hand and the things we can control, rather than getting caught-up in speculation or what other people are saying,” Crafton said of his No. 88 Menards Chevrolet team. “Our goals are the same each week: to try to win races and be as good as we can be.

There’s only so much we can control, and that’s where our energies are.”

Crafton owns five top-10 finishes in eight starts at Gateway, with a best finish of 6th. “I love going to Gateway,” he said. “We’ve always had good trucks there. It’s one of those tracks where we’ve always seemed to run well for the most part, but just had something bite us at one time or another, especially in the last few years. Gateway reminds me of Phoenix a little, with respect to how different turns one and two are from turns three and four at both tracks. As a driver, it’s tough to be perfect at both ends, and that’s what makes it a challenge. Gateway means great racing, and we’re always confident there. Hopefully, we’ll be right there in position for a win on Saturday.”

09-08-09

Crafton Finishes 6th at Iowa

Matt Crafton raced to a 6th place finish in the Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway on Saturday.

Crafton qualified 3rd for the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa, and promptly charged to the front of the pack in his No. 88 Menards Chevrolet. Crafton led the first several laps of the race, and appeared primed for a victory battle.

He lost all-important track position during the first pit stop of the night, however, and spent the remainder of the evening playing catch-up, running on the fringe of the top-5 for the duration.

“We had a really good truck,” Crafton said. “We just lost track-position on that first stop, and couldn’t get it back. It was difficult to pass out there. With the race being at night, the track just had so much grip, and it was tough to race side-by-side. All in all, it was a decent night for us, but we expected more. We lost a few points tonight, but we’ll keep focusing on what we can do to get better, and we’ll be ready to go at Gateway.”

Crafton remains in 2nd place in the NCWTS points-standings. He owns 7 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes this season.

09-03-09

Crafton Says More Than Meets the Eye at Iowa

Matt Crafton makes his first start at Iowa Speedway in the Lucas Oil 200 on Saturday. While the 7/8 mi. track would appear to be a throwback to the short-track racing Crafton enjoys most, he says it likely will instead yield intermediate track-style performance.

“I know the track has been compared to Richmond, but, from what I’ve heard, it sounds like Iowa races more like some of the mile-and-a-half tracks than anything else,” Crafton said. “It should lend itself to some great side-by-side racing. The fast line should be on the bottom, but if someone is running strong up top, you run the risk of being pinned down there. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.”

Crafton says back-to-back visits to new venues on the NCWTS circuit are a breath of fresh air.
“It’s great for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to be making our first start at Iowa, after our first visit to Chicagoland last week,” he said. “It’s cool to see new tracks on our schedule, just adds to the great racing in this series. I’m excited about racing at Iowa. We’re looking forward to it, and I think the fans are in for a great show. Our goal each week is to win, of course, but it would be special to take our Menards Silverado to Victory Lane in the first Truck Series race at Iowa. We’re bringing a new truck this week, and I’m confident it will be a good night for us.”

Crafton remains in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings, and within striking-distance of his first championship. “There’s a lot of racing left, and anybody who knows how this deal works knows things can change in a hurry,” said Crafton. “Our guys have always been good at focusing on the task at hand, and not looking ahead or behind, and we’ll keep doing that. We’ll focus on controlling the things we can, and take it from there.”

08-31-09

Crafton Wins Pole Award at Chicagoland, Finishes 14th

Matt Crafton won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the EnjoyIllinois.com at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday, but had to settle for an uncharacteristic 14th place finish to the race. He remains 2nd in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.

Crafton turned a qualifying lap of 31.411 in winning his first Keystone Light Pole Award this season.

He led the first several laps of the race, and spent nearly half the race running among the top-three trucks. Tire issues cost Crafton several spots, however, and he never regained front-running status.

“We had an issue with the right front tire during a long green-flag run, and unfortunately it cost us a great deal in terms of track position,” he said. “We were never able to get it back. We had a really good truck at Chicagoland, but just weren’t able to show it like we expected. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Our guys kept battling like they always do, and it turned-out to be one of those nights where we made the most of an unfortunate situation, and avoided a night that could’ve been really bad. We’re disappointed, obviously, but we expect to bounce back strong and battle for a win at Iowa. Our focus now is to be as strong as possible at Iowa, and hopefully take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane in the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race there. It would be special.”

08-27-09

Crafton Believes He Still has Shot at Title

- Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
By Tim Tuttle

Matt Crafton knows what it will take to close the big points gap in the Camping World Truck Series championship to Ron Hornaday Jr., who leads him by 211 points with 10 races remaining.

"Realistically, I've got to win and he's got to have a bad race and that would make up over 100 points," Crafton said leading up to Friday's inaugural EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. "Hornaday has done a great job and the team (Kevin Harvick Inc.) has gone a great job and it took five races for us to lose those points and five races for them to gain them. It's not over by any means."

Crafton led Hornaday by 39 points going into Milwaukee. Hornaday then began a truck-record five-race winning streak, tying Richard Petty and Bobby Allison for the second longest string in a NASCAR national series. It ended at Bristol last week with Kyle Busch winning. Crafton sliced five points off the deficit by finishing second to Hornaday's third.

"We had two bad races during Hornaday's streak," Crafton said. "He came to me joking at Michigan and had the voodoo doll on me and here comes the next race at Milwaukee and I have brake trouble."

Crafton finished 16th at both Milwaukee and O'Reilly Raceway Park during Hornaday's winning streak, losing a combined 155 points. He has only one other finish outside the top 10 this year, 11th at Atlanta. Crafton has seven top-fives, two less than his career-best nine of last year, and 12 top-10s, equaling the second-highest total in his nine full seasons in the series.

"The top fives and the top 10s are great, but we're capable of winning," Crafton said. "We've been in position a couple of times and still don't have a win and, my God, we should have. It's aggravating. Some if it has been the stupid pit rules. They've benefited the Toyotas more than the Chevrolets because the Toyotas get better fuel mileage. Mark Smith, our engine builder, builds awesome horsepower, but we don't get the mileage that the Toyotas do and it's cost us in several races."

NASCAR instituted rules this year in the truck series that don't allow teams to change tires and add fuel on the same stop.

Crafton has spent eight of his nine seasons with ThorSport Racing and has a long-term contract with the organization. He won at Charlotte and was fifth in the points last season, his best with the team. Crafton also was fifth in the points in 2004, when he drove for Kevin Harvick Inc. Crafton has made 212 consecutive starts in the series, third on the all-time list behind Terry Cook's 287 and Dennis Setzer's 266.

Crafton and ThorSport are on a pace for their best season together in 2009.

"I've been very happy with what we've done without a doubt," Crafton said. "What's been really cool for the team owners, Duke and Rhonda Thorson, is they've proven you can be competitive from Ohio."

ThorSport is based in Sandusky, Ohio. The vast majority of truck teams are in the NASCAR stronghold in and surrounding Charlotte, N.C.

"A few years ago, I didn't think it was impossible, but that it's definitely tougher to be in Ohio," Crafton said. "It's still tough, but there's good and bad. The good about being in Ohio is you don't have people jumping from team to team. The bad is if you lose somebody of high value, it's a little harder to replace them."

08-26-09

Crafton Ready for Chicago Debut

Matt Crafton looks to keep the heat on in his quest for a NCWTS championship in the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday.

Crafton enters his first start at Chicagoland on the strength of a 2nd place finish at Bristol last week, his 7th top-5 finish this season. He remains in 2nd place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.

“We had a heck of a truck at Bristol, and I’m thankful to our guys for all the work they did to get the truck where it needed to be,” Crafton said. “It was a perfect example of how these guys keep battling and adjusting. It was a good night for us.”

Crafton hopes to ride the momentum from Bristol thru his first start at Chicagoland.

“We’ve tested at Chicago, but really, it’s still largely an unknown until we get into the heat of racing battle on Friday,” he said. “It’s exciting to be taking the Camping World Truck Series to Chicago. The fans there just love racing, and they really support it. I expect it to be a great race for them to watch. It’s definitely a track where you need the whole package. It’s similar in many ways to Kansas and Kentucky, so, setup-wise, we can draw from that. There are multiple grooves, which should lend itself to some great side-by-side racing. Hopefully, we can take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane in our first race at Chicagoland.”

08-24-09

Crafton Storms to 2nd place Finish at Bristol

Matt Crafton stormed to a 2nd place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday.

The finish was Crafton’s best at Bristol, his 7th top-5 and 12th top-10 this season, and kept him squarely in the thick of NCWTS championship-contention.

“I’m just so proud of our guys,’ said Crafton of the No. 88 Menards crew. “They did an awesome job with the changes to our Menards Chevy Silverado. We were coil-bound all day, but went conventional at the end of practice and threw everything but the kitchen sink at it. When the race started, we really had no idea what we had, but early in the race, it became obvious to me that we had a heckuva piece. Our truck was really good, just outstanding on the long runs. It took a few laps to get going, but then just kept getting better.”

Crafton qualified 18th for the race at a venue where track-position is paramount, adding to the team’s challenges.

“Tonight was a great example of what these guys continue to do for me,” Crafton said. “We just kept battling and the guys were doing everything possible to keep improving our truck, and it paid off for us. We keep looking for ways to get better, ways to maximize what we have each time out, and that’s what it’s about. These guys expect to finish at the front, and will keep battling and making adjustments to put us there. We all know things can happen at Bristol that can cause a bad night in a hurry, and we were fortunate to come out of there with everything intact. All in all, it was a good night for us, and we’ll take it and be ready at Chicago.”
Crafton remains in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings.

08-17-09

Crafton Relishes Return to Bristol

Matt Crafton heads for the high-banked, short-track madness of Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday hoping to emerge unscathed and in continued hot-pursuit of the NCWTS title.

Crafton is in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings entering Bristol, where he owns a lone top-5 finish in 6 career starts.
“Bristol has always been my favorite place to run,” Crafton said. “I think most drivers feel that way, because of the track’s history and tradition and the way the fans there are just so passionate about racing. Bristol is a place where you’d just love to have a ‘W’ on your resume. The best in our sport have won here. We’ll try to put ourselves in position to be there at the end of the race with a chance to win. That’s all you can do.”

Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevy crew are focused on winning races and fighting for a first NCWTS championship, of course. Nonetheless, Crafton’s next top-10 finish will be the 100th of his career, testament to his long-running consistency.

“We just look for ways to get better each week, and we never get too high or too low,” said Crafton. “Any consistency I’ve had is a credit to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and our guys, who keep building great trucks for me and doing a fantastic job in the pits. We’re all focused on being as good as we can be, and we’ve come a long way. We prepare hard and we’re confident each time out, but we also know that things don’t always go your way in this deal. It’s how you respond on those occasions, how you make the most of the days when things aren’t happening the way you’d like, that ultimately determines your situation. Bristol in particular is a place where things happen quickly, and you hope not to get caught up in somebody else’s mess. You have to constantly be aware of what's happening around you. It’s a fast track, and there isn’t much room for error. You have to walk that fine-line of aggressiveness and patience, because if you get impatient, you can ruin a good night in a hurry. Hopefully, we'll give ourselves a chance to be there at the end with a shot to win."

08-05-09

Crafton Races Back Into Familiar Top-5 Territory at Nashville

Matt Crafton raced back into familiar top-5 territory on Saturday, as he nabbed a 5th place finish in the Toyota 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

The finish was Crafton’s sixth in the top-5 this season, but his first-ever at Nashville.

He moved back into 2nd place in the NCWTS standings.

“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Nashville, and I’m glad we were able to bring home a top-5 finish here,” Crafton said. “We’ve run well here over the years, but just hadn’t had the results to show for it. I’m happy for our guys, because they kept battling and making adjustments to our Menards Chevy. All in all, it was a decent night for us. We’ll take our top-5 finish here and be ready at Bristol in a couple of weeks.”

While top-5 finishes and his place in the standings are a testament to Crafton’s consistency, he and crew remain focused on finding ways to improve.

“Our goal each week is to win races,” he said. “That hasn’t changed. There’s a lot of racing left this season, and we’re confident we can win races. The biggest part of that is being able to put yourself in position to do it, to be there at the end of the race with a shot. We’re right there. We’ll keep sticking to our game-plan, and keep looking for ways to get better.”

07-29-09

Crafton Looks to Regain Ground at Nashville

Matt Crafton looks to get back on track in his pursuit of the NCWTS championship in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday.

Crafton finished 16th at ORP last week, yielding precious points in the series standings. He hopes to regain some of the lost ground at Nashville.

“Whether you have a great finish or a night where things maybe don’t go the way you planned, you still have to approach the next race the same way,” Crafton said. “Last week wasn’t what we wanted, obviously, but we didn’t dwell on it. You can’t afford to let it distract you and take away your focus from the next race. We were quick to put it behind us, and we’re focused on Nashville. We expect our Menards Chevy to be strong there.”

In eight career starts at Nashville, Crafton has finished in the top-10 three times. He seeks his first top-5 finish at the track on Saturday.

“I always look forward to racing at Nashville,” Crafton said. “The fans are great, the winner’s trophy is really cool, and there’s just lots of excitement. The track is fast, and with the concrete surface, handling is important. You have to be able to turn well thru the corners there. For some reason, we haven’t had the strong runs here that we’ve had at other tracks, but, hopefully, we can turn that around a little bit on Saturday.”

07-22-09

Crafton Aims for Victory Lane Visit at ORP

Matt Crafton seeks his first win at ORP in Friday’s AAA Insurance 200 presented by JD Byrider.

Crafton has been in the thick of victory-contention multiple times at the track, including a 4th place finish last season. In 8 career starts at ORP, Crafton has collected 6 top-10 finishes. He has finished in the top-5 twice. “I love racing at ORP,” he said. “There’s a lot of history here, and we’ve been coming here a long time. ORP has always been a special track to ThorSport Racing, and we've run pretty well here for the most part. We’d love to bring home a win on Friday.”

Crafton enters the race on the strength of a 3rd place finish at Kentucky last week, his 5th top-5 finish of the season. Crafton dodged a number of proverbial bullets in the race, from being forced to yield the top spot with the field apparently frozen during a caution to numerous adjustments on his No. 88 Menards Chevy, which left him on the outside looking in for much of the race.

“We battled all night, never quite had the truck where we wanted it, but Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys kept working their tails off for me,” said Crafton. “There were some things that happened out there that left us scratching our heads a bit, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. You just accept it and move on. I’m proud of the way we kept fighting, and we minimized the damage on what could’ve been a bad night. We’re looking forward to short-track racing and everything that comes with it at ORP.”

Crafton is in 2nd place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings as the series enters a 'short-track stretch'. Three of the next five NCWTS races, including ORP, will be short-track battles.

“There’s just something special about the short-tracks,” Crafton said. “You grow up racing on these types of tracks, and it’s a feeling that stays with you. You have to be aggressive, but you can’t get impatient, and it’s a fine line. Getting impatient will get you into trouble quickly at ORP. The driver is a bigger part of the equation in short-track racing. ORP means old-school beatin’ and bangin’, and you can’t get away from it. Your truck has to turn well thru the center here, so you can drive strong off the corner. You hope to stay out of someone else’s mess, and to keep the fenders on the truck, and to put yourself in position for a shot to win.”

07-14-09

Crafton Focused on Continued Improvement

Matt Crafton looks to resume his charge to the front of the championship-contender pack in the Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday.

Crafton enters the night race in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings. He owns a pair of top-5 finishes, including last year’s 3rd place run, and five top-10 finishes in eight career starts at Kentucky. He has finished outside the top-10 at Kentucky only once in his last six starts.

“I really enjoy racing at Kentucky,” he said. “There’s plenty of room to run, but it’s not just another mile-and-a-half track, where you’re glued to the bottom most of the time. Kentucky is unique. It’s a rough track, anything but glass-smooth, so you have to lift, you have to work hard. That keeps everybody on their toes, from the drivers and crew to the shock guys. Kentucky always offers great side-by-side racing, and running under the lights adds extra excitement.”

As the season's midpoint approaches, Crafton’s consistency remains in the spotlight. He owns four top-5 and nine top-10 finishes in eleven races thus far. Crafton knows, however, that there is much unfinished business.
“From a team standpoint, we’re just focused on finding ways to get better, to be as competitive as we can each week,” he said. “That’s where our energy is. We can’t spend time worrying about the point standings, or who’s doing what, because that would take focus away from the things we can control. We know that if we do what we’re capable of each week, we’ll put ourselves in position for good things to happen. All you can do is to put yourself in position to win, whether it's races or a championship, and from there, whatever happens, happens. We’re focused on being the best we can be at Kentucky, and we feel like we have a great shot to win the race. Hopefully, we can take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane.”

06-29-09

Crafton Nabs Another Top-5 Finish at Memphis

Matt Crafton raced to a top-5 finish in the MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts on Saturday.
Crafton’s fifth-place finish in the blistering Mid-South heat was his fourth in the top-5 thru eleven races this season. He has nine top-10 finishes. The finish was his third in the top-5 in his last four races at Memphis. On-track temperatures at race-time soared well into the triple-digits.

“We’re racing for wins each week, so it’s a little bit disappointing to come up short in that regard,” Crafton said. “We expect to win races and finish in the top-5 every week. For the most part, we’ve put ourselves in position to have a shot to win, and it all starts with that. We just need to close the deal, and we will. At the same time, we have great trucks, and we keep trying to stay consistent and find ways to get better. That’s what you have to do. We’ll take it, and we’ll be ready at Kentucky in a couple of weeks.”

Crafton is 2nd in the NCWTS standings. Though he lost ground on the top spot, he managed to put some additional point space between him and a pack of fellow competitors.

“It sounds so cliché, but anything can happen out here week-to-week, so you just really have to take each race as it comes,” he said. “If you start looking around, instead of keeping your head down and staying focused, you’ll find yourself in trouble. We have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be, and everybody’s on the same page with our expectations. But we know we have all the pieces we need, and we’ll just keep working to put them in place.”

06-26-09

Tulare native Crafton becoming force in NASCAR Truck Series

There's one thing Matt Crafton learned while cutting his teeth racing in Tulare and all of California: Don't ever give up on yourself no matter what.

Crafton just raced and won. But little did he know he was being groomed for bigger and better things in his racing career.

Since joining the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2000, the Tulare native has gone from just being a blip on the NASCAR radar screen to a serious contender for a championship.

Going into last week's Copart 200 in West Allis, Wisc., Crafton had a 39-point lead over Ron Hornaday Jr. in the CWTS points standings. Hornaday won the race and has taken over the point standings, just narrowly ahead of Crafton, 1,518-1,482, 10 races in. The goal for Crafton is to have the lead once the 25-race season is completed.

"Our goals have been the same every year: Win races and compete for a championship," said Crafton in a phone interview from Mooresville, N.C. "It's what we shoot for to be competitive and win races."

So far, Crafton has just one race win in 206 starts in the Trucks Series and that came last year in Charlotte, N.C.

In 2009, the just turned 33-years-old, has three top-5 finishes and eight top-10 finishes in nine starts. The series resumes Saturday in Memphis, Tenn., before taking a three-week break.

"[Life] isn't any different than the last few years," Crafton said. "We're racing every race. I'm just having some luck on my side so far this year. Also, the guys are doing a good job of building trucks and making things better."

Crafton said he expects this season to continue to be successful as long as the team remains consistent. That means more top 5s and top 10s as well as visiting victory lane.

"It's a very tough series," Crafton said. "These guys have won championships and races in other series. Johnny Benson, until last season, had won a Nationwide championship. I don't think people quite realize how tough the series truly is."

Among the drivers competing in the truck series are past series champions Hornaday, Mike Skinner, Todd Bodine, Benson (until recently) as well as Kyle Busch (a star in the Sprint Cup Series), Dennis Setzer, Colin Braun, Rick Crawford, David Starr and Johnny Sauter.

And unlike the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series where the race schedule is 36-plus events, the trucks run just 25 races.

But that's also the charm of the series, Crafton said.

"I love doing this," Crafton said. "The biggest thing is that I have great owners and great people to work with. They've been great to me and allowed me to be competitive. I've had opportunities to run other series but I'd be 20th to 30th every week. I want to be competitive and capable of winning a championship.

"That's more important than being in the Nationwide Series or making a [Sprint] Cup race and starting 40th and finishing 40th."

The aspirations are there for Crafton to race in the larger NASCAR series' but the Tulare Union graduate doesn't just want to ride around and be a backmarker, he wants to be up there challenging for victories.

That competitive spirit is what brought him to the truck series back at the beginning of the century, that and a touring series championship in hand.

Back in 2000, Crafton won the points championship in the Featherlite Southwest Tour Series, which ran all along the West Coast. At the end of the season, Crafton entered the final truck series race of the year the Motorola 200 in Fontana at the then-California Speedway. His finish was a very respectable ninth place as the race winner was future Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch.

In 2001, Crafton got a full-time ride in the truck series and he has never finished lower than 16th in the series standings. His best points finish has been fifth which came last year and in 2004.

"I have to thank my parents for giving me the opportunity in a late model," Crafton. "There was a lot of people telling me I wouldn't be able to do this because I was from Tulare. But I never gave up.

"If people tell you you can't do it, you have to show them you can."

Crafton, while talented and skilled at what he does, said he knows he also had a little luck on his side along with some determination.

"You have to get lucky," Crafton said. "Like in any professional sport, there are always people out there watching you. You never know. That's what happened with me. I had no idea they were watching what I was doing but they were.

"Don't let anybody tell you you can't [do it] is the biggest thing. Whatever you set your mind to, you can do it."

That is partially the reason why Crafton has succeeded in the Truck Series. He has a good, stable race team in ThorSport Racing and a good racing sponsor in Menards.

Crafton also drives a Chevrolet Silverado which, if he were part of a factory team, might have had him a little shook up with General Motors impending pulling of its funding for Chevy teams out of the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.

But Crafton is confident in his team and his owner that they'll be around for awhile despite the tough economic times.

"GM does help us with technical help but we don't need them to survive," Crafton said. "They don't write us a check every month. I think it's going to take a year or two for the industry of racing to slowly get better. It's not going to happen overnight. With us, we have the longest running team owner in the series history and his business with Menards allows us to keep racing."

And isn't that what it's all about racing?

Whether it's running on the high banks and concrete in Dover, Del. or the flat track at the Milwaukee Mile, Crafton said he is having the time of his life racing in NASCAR.

"I love going racing at any of [the tracks]," Crafton said. "I love going to Atlanta. It's truly my favorite race track. We only go there one time and that kind of stinks. It's fast and you can go any where on the race track.

"Getting to travel is one of the coolest things. We go to 17 different places. There's not a whole lot of people that've been to the places that I've been too. It's one of the big parts I love about [the series]."

Crafton also loves the fact that he's an old-school racer. While he isn't exactly an elder statesman, Crafton has been in the truck series for nearly a decade. And during that time, the former Redskin has prided himself on the fact that he's no Johnny-come-lately who jumps in the truck and just races.

Quite the contrary, Crafton grew up helping his father Danny Crafton build their own race cars on a shoe-string budget.

That knowledge has translated well when it comes to passing on information to his team about what needs to be done to the truck to make it better in qualifying and during races.

"I've always prided myself in being smart about taking care of my stuff," Crafton said. "I think that has a lot to do with where I came from building my own stuff and knowing what it takes. Some of these kids haven't worked a day in their life and don't care if they tear up their stuff and win.

"I know everything that goes on with the truck every spring, shock and setup."

And maybe five months from now, Crafton will know what it takes and how it feels to be called champion with the fun part being able to watch it as it happens.

- BY MARK A. PEINADO - Visalia Times-Delta

06-24-09

Crafton Eyes Victory Lane at Memphis

Matt Crafton looks to rebound from last week’s subpar showing at Milwaukee with a return to top-5 finish territory in the MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts on Saturday. As championship-contenders must, Crafton quickly put his performance at Milwaukee behind him. “It just wasn’t a good night for us,” said Crafton, who finished 16th. “That’s the simplest way to put it. It wasn’t the performance we expected, and we weren’t happy about it. But good races or bad, you don’t have time to dwell on it. We’re focused on Memphis, on what we need to do there to put ourselves in position to win the race.”

Memphis would appear to be a welcome sight for Crafton. He thrives on short-track racing, where skill at the wheel comes to the fore. Crafton has finished 3rd in two of his last three starts at the ¾ mi. oval. In eight career starts there, he has finished in the top-10 seven times.

“Memphis is one of my favorite tracks,” said Crafton. “I’ve always felt comfortable there. The track will test you, and it’ll eat your tires, which makes handling a priority. Handling and driver skill are a big part of the equation at Memphis, and that’s a nod to the roots of racing. It’s tough to pass there, so track position takes on added importance. Racing at Memphis is always a good show for the fans.”

Crafton is second in the NCWTS standings after a few weeks at the top, and a special battle to the championship wire appears to be brewing. “We’re taking each race as it comes, and all of our energy is spent on finding ways to get better,” he said. “The points race is nice for other people to look at, I guess, but it’s not our focus. We know this deal is a marathon, not a sprint, and as long as we bring our best each week, we’ll be in a good position when it matters most.”

Crafton expects the No. 88 Menards Silverado to again be among those battling for victory at Memphis.
“I think we’ll be really strong again,” he said. “We know what we need to do at Memphis to be successful, and hopefully we can take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane.”

**note: Crafton's start at Milwaukee last week marked the 300th for ThorSport Racing's No. 88 truck. The No. 88 truck also made its first start for ThorSport at Milwaukee in '96.

06-19-09

Crafton takes the Truck Series lead to Milwaukee

Nine-year vet hasn't finished worse than 11th this season

Despite his inexperience as the front runner in the Camping World Truck Series, Matt Crafton is not allowing his No. 1 status to enter his thoughts going into the Copart 200 on Friday night at the Milwaukee Mile.

"I'm racing [Milwaukee] just like it was my first race this year," Crafton said. "I'm out there to run up front, to win races and collect the most points at the end of the day. Everybody made a lot more out of me leading the points than I have.

"I've won championships in other things that I've raced, and if you sit there and put it in your head and worry about it, you're going to beat yourself. You just have to go out there and do what you're paid to do and drive and win races."

Crafton, in his ninth full season in the series, took the lead two races ago at Texas and extended it to 39 points in front of Ron Hornaday by finishing fourth at Michigan. Crafton has been sixth or better in the past four races and leads the series with eight top-10s in nine races. Crafton's worst finish in 2009 is 11th.

Crafton should be strong at Milwaukee, too. He finished second last season, his first top-five in eight races at the legendary Mile.

- By Tim Tuttle - Sporting News Wire Service

06-17-09

Crafton Continues Charge at Milwaukee

Matt Crafton seeks to stay on a roll that has lifted him to the top of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings entering the Copart 200 at The Milwaukee Mile on Friday.

Crafton has been a model of consistency throughout his career, and this season has been no exception. He has collected 3 top-5 finishes in his last 4 races, and has finished outside the top-10 only once thus far in '09. In 8 career starts at Milwaukee, Crafton has finished in the top-10 five times. He finished 2nd there last season.

Crafton seeks wins each time out, and, while he isn’t a big believer in moral victories, can nonetheless see the bigger championship picture. “We’re racing our rear-ends off each week, expecting to take our No. 88 Menards Silverado to Victory Lane,” he said. “We’ve had awesome trucks all season, and I’m thankful to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys for the great work they do. We feel like we should’ve been in Victory Lane multiple times this season so far, but we haven’t closed the deal. But as I’ve always said, you have to first put yourself in position to have a shot, and we’ve done a good job of that. We’ve continued to learn and find ways to get better, and that’s what you have to do.”

Championship talk has swirled around Crafton for some time, and has intensified in recent weeks. He and the No. 88 team remain focused on each week’s task. “We’re focused on the things we can control,” he said. “There’s so much that can happen week to week out here, because this series is so competitive. If you start looking behind or ahead, you’re in trouble. We know what we’re capable of, and we’re a long way from where we want to be. The only way to get there is to keep working hard. Our guys have always done that, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

Crafton looks forward to the change of racing pace that Milwaukee’s flat mile provides. “I always enjoy racing at Milwaukee,” he said. “The racing is always good. It’s a place where driver skill figures into the equation a bit more, and I always like that.”

Crafton and ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter have forged a formidable partnership in a short period of time, based on a steady flow of information give-and-take. Crafton is inspired by Sauter’s track record of success at Milwaukee, and believes it bodes well for both teams.

“Johnny is a Wisconsin guy, and has won a race and had some great runs here,” Crafton said. “That just adds more fun to the race. Hopefully, he can continue what he’s done here, and we can be strong again, and one of us will end up in Victory Lane.”

06-08-09

Points Leader Crafton Focused on Michigan

Matt Crafton enters the Michigan 200 at massive Michigan International Speedway on Saturday as the leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, but he has more pressing issues on his mind.

“It’s nice to be leading the points race, I guess, but we all know how this deal works,” said Crafton, who finished 2nd at Texas last week, his second top-5 finish in the last three races. “We’re not spending any time thinking about that stuff. This series is so competitive that you have to focus on being your best each race, each week, and then do all you can to put yourself in position to have a chance to win races. That’s our focus.”

Crafton’s runner-up finish at Texas only served as further motivational fuel for a team already on the verge.
“It was disappointing not to win at Texas, because we had an awesome truck and I really wanted to take it to Victory Lane for the guys,” he said. “At the same time, it turned-out to be a decent points day for us, and that’s obviously important in the big picture.”

Crafton welcomes the wide-open affair that is Michigan. “I love racing at MIS,” said Crafton. “It’s been a strange track for us, in that we’ve really been hit-or-miss there. For the most part, we haven’t had the type of runs there that we would’ve liked.” In 7 career starts at Michigan, Crafton has one top-5 finish.

“There are probably four or five grooves at MIS, so you have plenty of room to move,” he said. “Truck control is a big key in this race, because the tires wear out in a hurry. You can lose two seconds from the beginning of a run to the end. So you lose grip, and the truck will start to slide sideways. You have to be able to control that slide. We’re taking the same truck we raced at Texas, so hopefully we’ll have a strong shot to win.”

No matter their place in the standings, Crafton says he and the No. 88 crew will keep doing what they do best.
“We’ve been together a long time,” said Crafton of his crew. “We know what this deal is about, and we know that, to have success in this series on a consistent basis, we have to keep working our rear-ends off. You have to constantly find ways to keep getting better, and that’s our goal. There’s no sense in worrying about anything else. Our game plan is always the same, and that’s to try to be at our best each week. If we do that, we’ll be where we want to be.”

06-03-09

Crafton Looks to Break Thru at Texas

Matt Crafton enters the WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday looking to take the No. 88 Australian Gold Silverado to Victory Lane.

Crafton, coming off a 6th place finish at Dover last week, is 3rd in the NCWTS standings and closing on the top spot.
“Dover turned out to be a decent points day for us,” Crafton said. “We didn’t have the finish we would’ve liked, because toward the end of the race, our truck was really fast. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the track position to make a run at it. That’s just the way this deal works sometimes.”

Crafton enjoys the high-banks and speeds of Texas Motor Speedway. “It’s an awesome track,” he said. “The asphalt has aged well, and there’s always good side-by-side racing. It’s an exciting race for the drivers and fans.”

In 16 career starts at Texas, Crafton owns 7 top-10 finishes. His lone top-5 finish there came in ’05.
“We’ve run well here over the years, but we just really haven’t had the finishes to show for it,” he said. “Some things have happened that were out of our control. But we always feel like we can win here. We’re bringing the truck we ran at Atlanta, Kansas and California, and I think it will be strong for us.”

Crafton likes the improvement he sees in the team’s 1.5 mi. program. “It’s getting better each time out,” he said.

While many drivers would likely trade places with Crafton in terms of his consistency and place in the championship race, he is anything but satisfied. “We’re here to win races and finish in the top-5 every week,” he said. “We believe we’re capable of it, and that’s where our mindset is. We know things happen that are out of our control sometimes, but we expect to put ourselves in position each time out. We won’t be satisfied with anything less, and that’s what we keep working toward.”

05-26-09

Crafton Ready to Rumble at Monster Mile

Matt Crafton seeks to follow his top-5 finish at Dover last season with a similar effort in the AAA Insurance 200 on Friday.

Crafton enters Friday’s race on the strength of a 3rd place finish at Charlotte two weeks ago, his first top-5 finish this season and 5th in the top-10 in 6 races. He is 3rd in the NCWTS standings.

“I really enjoy racing at Dover,” Crafton said. “You can run pretty much anywhere on the track, and that makes for great side-by-side racing. We’ve brought some great trucks to Dover over the years, trucks that were more than capable of winning the race, and we’ve been in position for it to happen, but luck just wasn’t on our side. We hadn’t had much to show for our efforts until last year. We always expect to be good here, and hopefully that will be the case again on Friday.”

According to Crafton, survival is key to success at the Monster Mile. “The name of the game is survival,” he said. “Because of the way the track is designed, and the banking, things happen in a hurry, and it’s easy to get caught up in somebody else’s mess. What otherwise would be a one-truck wreck can turn into a big mess, so you have to try that much harder to avoid any trouble. Dover is definitely more of a ‘driver’s track’, the driver is a bigger part of the equation here, and I always like that. You have to find that balance, because you have to be aggressive, but you can’t get impatient or you’ll have a bad day in a hurry. Hopefully, we’ll have the kind of day we expect, and continue to build momentum. We’re entering the stretch of the season where guys will start to separate themselves from the pack a little bit. We’ll just try to stay consistent and keep battling.”

05-18-09

Crafton Battles to 3rd Place Finish at Charlotte

Matt Crafton flirted with possible repeat victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte on Friday, leading laps late in the race before settling for a 3rd place finish.

The finish follows Crafton’s victory at Charlotte last season, and his pattern of stellar performances at the track. In 7 starts, he has never finished outside the top-10 there.

“It was a good points night for us,” said Crafton, who moved to 3rd place in the NCWTS standings. “We didn’t have any speed in the truck when we unloaded, but our guys didn’t give up. We threw everything we could at the truck during practice, changed a whole bunch of stuff. I knew we were a sitting duck when we were in the lead, because the truck just would not go by itself. It was a new truck, and the guys did everything they could to make it better. We expected to be really good here, so we’re not satisfied, but it turned out to be a decent points night for us. We’ll take it and get ready for the next one.”

Beginning at Dover next week, NCWTS competitors enter a stretch of five consecutive weeks of racing, thus commencing the ‘summer-stretch’ and meat of the series schedule, where championship contenders seek to separate themselves from the pack. True to his racing roots, Crafton looks forward to ending the waiting game inherent to the early-season schedule.

“I’m looking forward to racing every week,” he said. “The summer stretch pretty much determines your season. Last year, we put ourselves in contention during that string of races, but fell off at the end of the season and it cost us. I expect us to be strong again this year, and put ourselves in position for good things to happen.”

The NCWTS AAA Insurance 200 is May 29 at Dover International Speedway.

05-14-09

Crafton & Sauter Visit the Philip O'Berry Academy in Charlotte

Charlotte, NC (May 14, 2009) Tomorrow night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event is the anniversary of last year's thrilling win for Menards Racing driver Matt Crafton. Crafton returns in 2009 fourth in points and looking again for that jump start to victory lane.

"Charlotte is a race every driver wants to win," said Crafton Thursday morning while talking to the kids at the Philip O'Berry Academy in Charlotte. "Last year was one of those great nights, I'd love to repeat that tomorrow night and make it some sort of tradition that we always win on this turf."

Early Thursday, Crafton and his Thorsport teammate Johnny Sauter spent the morning talking to the kids at the O'Berry Academy automotive education and engineering departments in Charlotte.He fielded questions about his racing career and also some tougher questions about how his Chevy Silverado might get around the Charlotte Motor Speedway a little quicker.

"What a cool program over there. I was asked more than a few times how I got into NASCAR and I told them it was basically just doing exactly what they are doing - learning about cars. Really that's what got me interested in racing, just working on cars and understanding how the rubber meets the road. They're getting a huge head start over there with the facility they have and the tools they are using.

"When we pulled in they immediately popped the hoods of our cars and started checking out what the latest Chevy's had in the engine compartment. They're motivated and really into it, it's cool to see that."

As one of the faster tracks on the Truck racing circuit, the racing at Charlotte is always exciting and you never know quite what you're going to get once they drop the green flag.

"I don't know if it's the fact that we're all home here in Charlotte or what, but it's definitely one of the more rough and tumble races we have," Crafton explained. "It's a night race and it's just wide open, I mean everyone just gets after it. But that's really what most of our races are like. They're shorter than a Cup race by almost half so you just have to go from the start or you will be left behind.

"We don't have a whole lot of that "let's work on our car during the race and see if we can make it better stuff." There is no time for that. That's why practice is so important. In a truck race you have a few pit stops - that's it. The rest is all racing. At Charlotte it's just a different intensity I guess. It's fun, I really like racing at this track and I like winning here even better."

Crafton will sport the McGuire-Nicolas hood this weekend. McGuire-Nicholas creates leather and synthetic tool aprons, tool holders, and other high-quality work gear products.

Friday night's Truck race kicks off on the SPEED Network at 7:30pm.

05-12-09

Crafton Hopes for Repeat at Charlotte

Matt Crafton returns to Charlotte for Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 hoping he’s again holding the winning race ticket.

Crafton captured a thrilling victory here last season, and the significance of winning in the cradle of NASCAR is not lost on him. “Getting to Victory Lane at Charlotte last year was special,” he said. “It meant so much to me, to do it for (ThorSport Racing owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson, because we’ve all been in this together for a long time and they’ve provided this team with whatever it has taken over the years to help us succeed. I’m grateful for that. It was great to win for Menards, too, and for everyone involved with ThorSport Racing. But we know that race has nothing to do with what happens on Friday, so we have to be ready to go.”

It may have more bearing on Friday’s race than Crafton admits. Crafton has 6 career starts at Charlotte, and has finished in the top-10 each time. In a sport where consistency is key, Crafton has shown it in spades, particularly at Charlotte. “I’ve always loved racing at Charlotte,” he said. “Even after they repaved the track, we’ve been able to have great side-by-side racing here. They obviously did it right. We should be really good when we roll off the trailer. But as I’ve said, you have to be lucky and good to have a chance to win. Things have to go your way, and hopefully that will be the case for us on Friday.” Possible repeat victory at Charlotte would be ultimate testament to Crafton’s focus on the aforementioned consistency.

“This series is so competitive, and we only have 25 races, so you have to make each race count,” he said. “It’s important to make the absolute most out of your situation each week, and the biggest part of that is finishing races, obviously. You can’t challenge for wins if you’re not there at the end, if you’re not in position. We’re heading into the meat of our schedule now, and this is where contenders will start to separate themselves from the pack a bit. Sometimes, you have an awesome truck and maybe don’t have a strong finish to show for it, and other times you’re fortunate to finish well when you don’t have your best truck. The bottom line with all of it is staying focused on what it takes to be successful each week, on the things we can control. That’s what will get us to where we want to be.”

04-28-09

Crafton Finishes 7th at Kansas

Matt Crafton raced to a 7th place finish in the rain-shortened O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on Monday.

Crafton collected his fourth top-10 finish in five races this season, and moved to 4th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.

“Our goal is always to win races and finish in the top-5 every week, so from that perspective, it wasn’t a great weekend,” he said. “But at the same time, it was tough with the weather issues and all the waiting around to finish the race, and that’s something we can’t control. We were way off on our air-pressure to start a run. We adjusted it after the first run, and continued to adjust it, and we got a lot better. By the last run, we had the truck pretty much where we wanted it, and then the race was called. We definitely had a top-three truck out there.”

Crafton returns to Charlotte, the site of his thrilling win last season, when NCWTS action resumes in a few weeks.
“I’ve always loved racing at Charlotte,” he said. “We’ve had some strong runs there, and it was really special to win there last year. We’ll keep working hard, and hopefully we can go to Victory Lane at Charlotte again this time around.”

04-22-09

Crafton Eyes Victory at Kansas

Matt Crafton enters the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday seeking his first win of the season.

Crafton’s No. 88 Menards Chevy has been in contention for victories each week, with the possible exception of Martinsville, and he’d like nothing better than to visit Victory Lane this time around.

“Our trucks have been awesome so far, and we were more than capable of winning the races at Daytona, California and Atlanta,” Crafton said. “At Martinsville, we just missed on the setup. But our guys have built some great trucks for me, and I appreciate it. Hopefully, we can take our truck to Victory Lane this weekend.”

In 8 career starts at Kansas, Crafton owns one top-5 finish, and has finished in the top-10 three times.
“I enjoy racing at Kansas,” he said. “The track surface has come in a lot better as it has aged, and the track has multiple grooves now, so there’s good side-by-side racing. There’s plenty of room to move around. The fans at Kansas are great, too. There’s always such a great turnout, and that adds to the excitement for the drivers.”
Crafton is 5th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.

“We know consistency is the key to success in this series, that it’s about putting yourself in position for good things to happen each time out, and that’s what we expect on Saturday,” he said. “It’s tough with our schedule early in the season with the time off, because you want to be out there each week. During these open weeks, we've been busy doing some of the Grand Openings for Menards stores, which is always a lot of fun. But even when you're doing other things, you’re constantly thinking about getting back on the track. We’re ready to go.”

03-25-09

Crafton Ready for Return to Racing's Roots at Martinsville

Matt Crafton seeks victory at one of NASCAR’S venerable tracks in Saturday’s NCWTS Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

Crafton finished 2nd in last year’s spring race at Martinsville, and owns a pair of top-5 and 6 top-10 finishes in 14 career starts at the half-mile track. “Martinsville is a return to the roots of racing, a symbol of the Saturday Night short-track races so many drivers appreciate,” Crafton said. “The track has been around for a long time, and has such a cool history. It would be really special to get to Victory Lane here.

Races at Martinsville are notorious slam-bang affairs that oftentimes push truck performance, and driver tempers, to the limit. Crafton knows patience will be at a premium on a cramped, crowded track. “You have to stay patient here, and that’s tough to do with everything that’s going on around you,” he said. “You can get caught up in somebody else’s mess real easy, and if you get impatient you can ruin a good day in a hurry. You have to stay focused on your own situation, and try to stay out of trouble and put yourself in position to have a shot at the end.”

Martinsville is a track that harkens to racing staples like setup and handling instead of aero and horsepower.
“Track position is key here, because if you get shuffled to the back of the pack, it’s difficult to work your way back up front,” said Crafton. “Obviously, qualifying takes on added importance here for that reason. You can make things much easier for yourself by qualifying well.”

Crafton believes the softer Goodyear tire to be used at Martinsville will add another element of uncertainty to the affair. “It should add a lot to the race,” he said. “Now guys will have to race harder, and you can’t afford to just play the fuel-mileage game. You have to be extra strong in the pits if you hope to win at Martinsville, too, because the difference from the fastest car to the slowest may be a couple of tenths of a second. The smallest things can make the biggest difference, so there’s no margin for error.”

Saturday's national broadcast coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 begins at 2pm EST on FOX.

03-04-09

Crafton Hopes to Celebrate 200th Truck Series Start with Win at Atlanta

Matt Crafton makes his 200th career (Camping World) Truck Series start in the American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, and hopes to make it an afternoon to remember. “It’s awesome to think about making my 200th start in this series, and to be doing it for ThorSport Racing and owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson,” Crafton said. “Duke and Rhonda have always believed in me, have stuck with me thru thick and thin over the years, and I’m grateful for that. We’ve been together a long time, and we’ve focused on finding ways to make this team better each year, and we’ve done it. I expect us to put ourselves in position for a special win on Saturday.”

Crafton made his first start for ThorSport in the final race of the 2000 season, and drove to a top-10 finish. With the exception of the ’04 season, he has started every race since for ThorSport. “Loyalty and communication have been the biggest keys to the steady improvement of our team,” said Crafton. “We’ve gotten better each year because everybody has the same goals.”

Crafton is off to a strong start this season. He is 3rd in the NCWTS standings, and finished in the top-10 at Daytona and California. “We were more than capable of winning those races,’ he said. “We had really good trucks at both races. They were new trucks and were really strong, which is a tribute to (crew chief) Bud Haefele and the guys on this No. 88 Menards team. They've built some great trucks for me, and their work in the pits has been awesome, making the trucks better during the race. We just ran into some unlucky circumstances, and never really got the best chance to show how good we could be.”

Atlanta has long been Crafton’s favorite stop on the NCWTS circuit. “I love the place,” he said. “We can run two and three-wide, and from the white line up to the fence. It’s a really fast track, and you can hold it wide-open there, but handling is important because the tires wear out quickly. After about ten laps, the trucks are sliding all over the place, and the driver becomes a big part of the equation. The turns at Atlanta have almost as much banking as Daytona and Talladega, and you can carry some great speed into the straightaways.”

In 9 career starts at Atlanta, Crafton owns 3 top-5 finishes, and has finished in the top-10 five times.
As he approaches his 200th Truck Series start, Crafton thrives on the ultra-competitive nature of the NCWTS.
“It’s incredible how competitive this series has become,” he said. “At one time, there might have been about ten teams capable of winning a race on a given day, and it’s probably double that number now. If you’re off even the slightest bit, it's tough to finish in the top-10. We have all the resources to win a championship at ThorSport, and that's a credit to Duke and Rhonda Thorson, and to Chevy. We've always said it's about putting yourselves in position to win, and that's all you can ask. We'll just keep getting better."

02-19-09

Crafton 8th at Daytona, Rides Momentum into California

Matt Crafton rolls into Auto Club Speedway for Saturday’s San Bernardino County 200 riding the momentum of a top-10 finish at Daytona and looking forward to seeing familiar faces in the stands.

Crafton is a native of nearby Tulare, and among his fans on Saturday will be a host of family and friends.
“It’s always special to come back to California,” he said. “This is where I ran my first Truck Series race for ThorSport Racing (Crafton will make his 200th NCWTS start next week at Atlanta), and it feels great to have so much support here.”

Crafton realizes the importance a strong start to the season plays in any potential championship hopes, and his 8th place finish at Daytona was a first step in that direction. It appeared Crafton had a truck capable of winning the race, and he was able to move to the front of the pack via the outside line with ease. He received little drafting help once he reached the front, however, and resigned himself to taking what he could get at a track where good nights can go bad quickly.

“We were able to come out with a top-ten finish and our truck in one piece, and that hasn’t always been the case for us at Daytona,” Crafton said. “We definitely had a fast truck, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Hopefully, we’ll follow it up with another strong finish this week.”

Crafton seeks his first top-5 finish at California. He has three top-10 finishes in 9 previous starts here.
“There are so many lines you can run on this track,” he said. “You can run all the way up to the fence. It's a big, fast track and pretty flat, so that brings driver skill into the equation, also. We’re bringing a brand-new truck with us, too, so I’m excited to see what happens with our Menards Chevy. Hopefully, we can put on a good show for all the people that will be out here supporting us.”

02-09-09

Crafton Looks to Start Season Strong at Daytona

He raced to a thrilling win at Charlotte, a career-high in top-5 finishes, was in the thick of championship contention for most of the season, and finished fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings. Rather than calling last season successful, however, Matt Crafton says it serves merely as added motivation for the No. 88 Menards Silverado team as they prepare for Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona. “Some good things happened for us last season, but we felt we could’ve been stronger at the end,” Crafton said. “It left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths, as far as knowing what we’re capable of and not showing it there at the end of the season. But it’s a new season, and it’s all about improving and building on what we accomplished.”

According to Crafton, there’s no better place to begin a championship pursuit than Daytona. “This place is awesome, in terms of the energy and excitement you feel here, all the history,” said Crafton. “And especially with the race taking place at night, it just adds a whole different element to the mix. It’s an incredible atmosphere.” Results-wise, Crafton and Daytona haven’t been the best of friends. In 8 career starts here, Crafton has finished in the top-10 once. He was 8th in ’07. “I haven’t always had the best luck here, but I love the track and feel like we have as good a shot as anybody else to win this race,” Crafton said. “Things can get crazy at Daytona in a hurry, but you just have to stay focused and try to run up front as much as possible, try to put yourself in position with about ten laps to go. I’ve said before that racing at Daytona is kind of like playing craps, rolling the dice…it’s definitely unpredictable, especially the last ten laps or so, and that only adds to the excitement for the fans.”

Adding to the uncertainty is a new pit rule in effect for this season. Drivers must make separate stops for fuel and tires, necessitating additional stops and strategy. “There might be some grumbling about the rule, but the way I see it, it will definitely shake up the field a bit,” said Crafton. “It’ll give the pit crews extra chances to shine, to make that much more of a difference, and on the other side, as a driver, it means being aware of pit road speeds that much more and not making a mistake in that regard. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing how it plays out.” Crafton says the No. 88 crew, which is headed by chief Bud Haefele, continues to get better, and longevity plays no small part. “I feel fortunate to have been with these guys for so long. We spend so much time together, we kind of get along like brothers at this point. We’re all seeking the same goal, which is to win races, and when there are disagreements, nobody takes it personally. Each guy is focused on doing what we have to do individually and as a team to be successful, and that’s the way it should be.”

With the green flag about to drop on a new season, Crafton is aware of the instant momentum a strong finish at Daytona could provide. “It would be huge to come out of Daytona with a top-5 or top-10 finish,” he said. “Aside from the history and excitement here, it’s a long season, and you want to start out strong. A strong run here would be a big momentum-builder right out of the gate.”

Matt Crafton 2008 Headlines

11-13-08

Crafton Hopes to Finish Strong at Homestead

Matt Crafton looks to put a strong finishing touch on his season in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ford 200 at Homestead.

Crafton was in the thick of NCTS championship-contention for much of the campaign, and is 6th in the standings heading into the finale at Homestead. He is within seven points of 4th place.

“These guys have worked their tails off all season for me, and I’m thankful,” Crafton said of his No. 88 Menards crew. “We've done some good things this season, and I'd like nothing better than to finish at Homestead with a win or a top-5 day.”

In 7 starts at Homestead, Crafton has 3 top-10 finishes. His best finish was 5th in ’04.

“I love racing at Homestead,” he said. “It's fast and wide, and you can run in multiple grooves. I think the track is unique in its own right, because of its high banks and speed. You can run pretty much all the way thru the race around the top side. You'll see guys running up against the wall the whole time, but it's wide enough that you can go to the bottom and pass. They just keep making improvements and making this track better.”

If Crafton claims a top-5 finish on Friday, it will mark his first NCTS season with double-digit top-5 finishes. Ever the competitor, he is looking for more.

“We have a lot to race for at Homestead,” he said. “We expect a strong day, and to compete for the win. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to put ourselves in contention at the end with a shot to win. That’s our mentality, and it never changes. It’s important that we finish strong and build on that momentum, because Daytona will be here before we know it. We’ll give it our best shot, and hopefully it will be a good night for us.”

11-06-08

Crafton Returns to Home Away from Home at Phoenix

For Matt Crafton, Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway will be a homecoming of sorts.
Crafton is a native of Tulare, CA and has paid many a visit to the mile-oval as driver and fan.

“I’ve been coming to PIR for over twenty years, and this track has always been special to me,” he said. Crafton has raced at the venerable track in a variety of series, including Late Models, tour cars and the NCTS. One of his finest moments at Phoenix was capturing the final Copper World Classic Southwest Series 100 a few years ago.

“That meant a lot to me, because I’ve been coming here for so long and because it was the last year of the series,” said Crafton.

Crafton enters Friday’s race looking to rebound from subpar finishes at Atlanta and Texas. He is 5th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. In seven starts at Phoenix, Crafton has finished in the top-10 four times, including a pair of top-5 efforts.

“I know this track well, and know what it takes to be fast here,” he said. “There’s lots of side-by-side racing, but the track is a little tricky. You have two very different ends of the track. You have a tight corner with turns one and two, and a wide sweeping corner at the other end. It’s a challenge to get your truck handling well at both ends. But that’s what makes it fun. It’s a driver’s track, and I always love that.”

Phoenix would seem the perfect fit to cure what has ailed Crafton in recent weeks. “We’ve had some unfortunate things happen the last couple of weeks that were out of our control,” he said. “There are things that happen out there that you can’t control, and you have to maintain your focus on doing the best you can. That’s where we are. The guys have built me great trucks all year long, and I’m trying to drive the heck out of ‘em. Our confidence is always high when we come to Phoenix, and hopefully we can put ourselves in position for a shot to win.”

10-29-08

Crafton Looks to Rebound with Top-5 Finish at Texas

Matt Crafton enters the Chevy Silverado 350 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday expecting a return to the form that has kept him in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship hunt all season.

Crafton’s disappointing finish at Atlanta last week dropped him into a tie for 4th place in the NCTS standings with three races remaining. He hopes to recoup valuable points at Texas.

“Last week was a tough one to swallow, coming to Atlanta 3rd in points and leaving after a horrible day,” Crafton said. “But you’ll have days like that in racing; it’s part of the game. Fortunately for us, we hadn’t had a day like that all season. Unfortunately for us, it came at a critical time. There’s nothing you can do except try to put it behind you, and we’ve done a great job of that this week. Our focus is completely on Texas, and we know we have to be mistake-free to put ourselves in contention for a win or top-5 finish.”

If familiarity breeds success, good things may be indeed be in store for Crafton on Friday. He has started 15 races at Texas, more than any other track on the circuit, and has finished in the top-10 seven times. He has finished 7th in each of his last three visits to TMS. His lone top-5 finish there came in ’05.

“I always enjoy racing at Texas,” said Crafton. “The asphalt is old, and we can run in multiple grooves, which makes for some good two-and-three-wide racing. It’s always an exciting race for the fans and drivers alike. We’ll give it our best, and I’m confident that will translate to a strong finish for us. We have a few races to go, and a lot can still happen, points-wise. It seems like something dramatic happens every week in this series.”

10-23-08

Crafton Looks to Keep Championship Hopes Alive at Atlanta

Matt Crafton roars into Atlanta Motor Speedway for Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series E-Z-GO 200 looking for his fourth top-5 finish at the 1.5 mi. fast track.

Crafton is 3rd in the NCTS standings with four races remaining this season, and a strong finish at AMS is paramount to his flickering championship hopes.

“I love racing at Atlanta,” Crafton said. “It’s one of my favorite tracks. You can run the white line around the whole track, or you can run up against the fence. We can run two-and-three-wide here, and there’s no ‘follow the leader’ type of racing.”

Crafton has been among the leaders in the NCTS championship race for the bulk of the season. He has nine top-5 finishes this season, including a 4th place finish at Atlanta in the spring.

“The track is really fast, and you can hold it wide-open for awhile,” said Crafton. “But handling is still a factor because the tires wear-out quickly. After 15 or 20 laps, we’re all kind of back on an even playing surface. The turns here have almost as much banking as Daytona and Talladega, and you can carry some really good speed going into the straightaways.”

Crafton has never lacked for confidence, and he enters Saturday’s race believing good things are again in store for the No. 88 Menards team.

“We feel real comfortable at Atlanta, and tend to run well here,” he said. “We expect to run with the race leaders, and be there at the end of the day with a shot to win or at least come out with another top-5 finish. Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys on this No. 88 team have done a heckuva job for me all season long, and I’m so thankful to them. We’re all in this thing together, and we plan to finish strong.”

10-16-08

Crafton Seeks Repeat Top-5 Performance at Martinsville

Matt Crafton looks to rise beyond the inherent fender-banging madness of Martinsville Speedway in the Kroger 200 on Saturday.

Crafton dodged a last-lap wreck en route to a 2nd place finish at Martinsville in March, his best finish in 13 starts at the track. He is all-too-familiar with Martinsville’s unforgiving nature.

“Typically, things get crazy at Martinsville, and guys are running into each other all afternoon,” Crafton said. “You don’t have much room here, so you have to be patient. Otherwise, a good day can turn bad pretty quickly.”

Crafton has no room for error in his pursuit of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. He is 3rd in the NCTS standings with five races remaining this season.

“I expect us to be really good at Martinsville,” he said. “We tested at Sandusky recently, and were really happy with our truck. Usually, when we test well at Sandusky, it translates to success here. You have to have a good truck, but so much of this race is about handling and track position. Races can be won or lost here by the smallest differences in the pits, so we have to be at our best.”

Crafton has an affinity for old-style, short-track racing.

“Martinsville is a return to the roots of racing,” said Crafton. “There’s so much history here. The fans are awesome, too, which pumps everybody up that much more. Our goal is to be patient and try to stay out of trouble and give ourselves a chance at the end. It’s a challenge to make it to the checkered-flag at Martinsville, but we're confident we can have a strong day.”

10-01-08

Crafton Knows Talladega is Roll of the Dice

Matt Crafton enters Saturday’s Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway looking to close the gap on the leaders in the race to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.

Crafton arrives in Talladega on the heels of a 3rd place finish at Las Vegas, his ninth top-5 finish this season. He is in 3rd place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings with a handful of races remaining.

His approach to the wildcard that is Talladega is simple: survive and thrive.

“Talladega is probably the one true place on our schedule where you really have no idea what’s gonna happen in the race,” said Crafton, who has finished 18th in both previous visits to the track. “It’s all about survival. It’s a fifty-fifty shot whether you’re gonna finish the race or wreck, and so much of that is out of your control. You have to know how to draft, but beyond that, literally anything can happen. You just take your best shot and hope not to be caught up in someone else’s mistake, and if you’re running in the top-10 with a few laps to go, you have as good a chance as anyone to win the race. It’s a fine line between patience and aggressiveness, because you can’t stay in the back all day and expect to make a late-race run to win. You have to race your heart out from the green flag to the checkered, and just try to avoid trouble to put yourself in contention at the end.”

Crafton has put himself within striking distance of his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. He is matter-of-fact about his chances.

“All we can do is continue to focus on top-5 finishes, and try to control what we do the best we can,” he said. “If we start worrying about what other people are doing, we’ll lose our focus. We have to keep running our own race, and let things unfold."

09-18-08

Crafton Looks for Return to Top-5 at Las Vegas

Matt Crafton seeks a return to the familiar territory of top-5 finishes in the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 on Saturday.
Crafton, who prides himself on consistency, has shown it in spades for most of the season. In the last four races, however, the driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado has found himself on the outside of the top-5 looking in.

“We’re doing the same things now that we’ve done all season, in terms of preparation and focus,” Crafton said. “This sport is crazy that way. You can get on the streaks of top-5 finishes, and it’s almost as easy to find the flip-side, where you’re doing the same things but just have circumstances that you can’t control. That seems to have been the case for us lately. We have good trucks each week, but some things just haven’t gone our way in the last few races. So we’ll keep doing what we know how to do, and things have a way of turning around.”

That said, Crafton remains within striking distance of his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. He is in 3rd place in the NCTS standings.

“I love coming back to Las Vegas,” said Crafton, a native of Tulare, CA. “I always enjoy coming back to the West Coast. I’ll have lots of friends and family in the grandstands on Saturday, and their support means a great deal to me.”

In 7 NCTS starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Crafton has never finished in the top-5. He has a lone top-10 finish.

“I love racing here, and we’ve always had good trucks here, but we just haven’t had the results to show for it,” he said. “In terms of the facility as a whole, this is one of the nicest we visit. It’s awesome. The track itself is improving, but it’s still a bit tough to race side-by-side. We’re ready for a strong day on Saturday, and hopefully we can come out of here with a top-5 finish.’

09-11-08

Crafton Seeks To Regain Momentum at New Hampshire

Matt Crafton enters the Camping World RV Rental 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway on Saturday looking to recapture the momentum that propelled him to championship-contention in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Crafton, who won the Bud Pole Award at New Hampshire in ’05, has finished outside the top ten in three consecutive races for the first time this season. That follows a run of 6 top-10 finishes in 7 races (including 4 top-fives). He says Loudon provides a welcome opportunity to take matters back into his own hands, in a sense.

“Loudon puts driver skill back into the equation…it puts the driver back in the game. We haven’t had the results we would have liked the last few weeks, and hopefully we can turn it around here. This is a flat track, so it’s important to have a truck that handles well. I’ve always enjoyed racing here. Hopefully, we can stay out of trouble and have strong pit stops, and come out with a top-5 finish. A strong finish here would give us a big lift toward getting back the momentum we had.”

Crafton is 3rd in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings as the season heads for turn four, and he knows the margin for error in his championship quest is razor-thin at best.

“We’ve been fortunate so far to be able to put ourselves in position for good things to happen, and a big part of that has been keeping our focus on the race in front of us and not looking ahead, “ Crafton said. “This series is too competitive, there are too many good drivers, to worry about things we can’t control. You can go from hero to zero pretty quickly here. We’ll do what we always do…prepare the best we can and keep looking for ways to get better. You can’t afford to bring anything less than your best each week.”

In 7 starts at New Hampshire, Crafton has finished in the top-10 three times. His best finish was 8th in ’05.

09-04-08

History Bodes Well for Crafton at Gateway

Matt Crafton hopes to add to his successful track record at Gateway International Speedway in the Camping World 200 on Saturday.

In 7 previous starts at Gateway, Crafton has collected 5 top-10 finishes. He has never finished in the top-5 at the track, however, and would like nothing better than to change that this weekend.

“I love coming to Gateway,” he said. “It’s one of those tracks where we’ve always seemed to run well for the most part. We’ve always had good trucks here. Last year, we had a great truck but we suffered a couple of flat tires and fell a lap down for most of the race. We were able to run down the leader to get our lap back and pulled-out a top-10 finish. This track reminds me a lot of Phoenix, where we’ve been pretty successful, also. We always feel confident here, and it would be great to get that first top-5 finish here."

Crafton has driven into the thick of championship contention. He is 3rd in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings entering Gateway. He won at Charlotte earlier this season, has finished in the top-5 in half the races this season, and his next top-10 finish will mark his 6th consecutive season with double-digit top-10 finishes. Despite the increased attention inherent to a possible championship push, he remains focused on the task at hand.

“We’re happy with where we are right now, but we’re far from satisfied,” said Crafton. “Our focus each time out is top-5’s and trying to win races. The guys on this team have been awesome all year, have worked their tails off, and I’m really thankful for that. We know what we’re capable of, and we have to show it every week. If we do that, we’ll be where we want to be. We’ll stay focused on each race and look up with a couple of races to go and see where we are.”

08-20-08

Crafton Looks for Return to Top-5 at Bristol

Matt Crafton looks to continue his charge toward the top of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings in tonight’s O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Crafton is among three drivers who have separated themselves a bit from the rest of the pack in the drive to a Truck Series championship, but to stay on track, he will need to better a string of three consecutive 12th place finishes at the high-banked half-mile speedway. In 5 career starts at Bristol, Crafton’s best finish was 3rd in ’04.

“I love racing at Bristol,” Crafton said. “The high banks of the track and the speed make for an awesome race for the drivers and fans. We get to put on a heck of a show.”

Crafton’s enthusiasm for Bristol is tempered by his awareness of how quickly a promising night can turn sour.
“It’s easy to get caught up in someone else’s mess here, because things can happen in a split-second,” he said. “You just have to do the best you can to stay out of trouble, so you can be there at the end of the race with a chance to win or at least to finish in the top-5.”

The top-5 has been a familiar place for Crafton this season. He owns eight top-5 finishes, a career high, and collected his first win in ready-for-primetime fashion at Charlotte. Crafton’s 11th place finish at Nashville was his first finish outside the top-5 since mid-June.

“Our Menards Silverado team has been really consistent so far this season, and we will continue to focus on being the best we possibly can each week,” Crafton said. “These guys have worked their tails off for me, and I’m really thankful. They are building awesome race trucks for me, and we’re all on the same page in terms of what we need to do to keep getting better and finding ways to improve. We’ve got a long way to go in this deal, and there’s so little margin for error in this series. You just can’t make mistakes. As long as we maintain our focus each week, we’ll be in position for good things to happen.”

Crafton hopes those ‘good things’ include a fine finish tonight. “Bristol is one of those places where every driver would love to have a ‘W’ on their resume,” he said. “There’s so much history and tradition, and the best in our sport have won here. We’ll try to put ourselves in position to be there at the end and have a chance. That’s all you can do.”

08-07-08

Crafton Hopes to Stay on Roll at Nashville

Between Matt Crafton and Nashville Superspeedway, something’s got to give in Saturday’s Toyota 200.

On one hand, Crafton hasn’t finished out of the top-5 in a race since mid-June. On the other, Crafton has yet to claim a top-5 finish at Nashville. In 7 starts here, his best finish was 7th in ’04. He has 8 top-5 finishes this season, including four in a row, and would like nothing better than to keep his streak intact this weekend.

“I always look forward to coming to Nashville,” Crafton said. “The fans are great, the winner’s trophy is really cool, and there’s just lots of excitement here. But for whatever reason, we just haven’t been able to produce the kind of results here that we have at other tracks. I’d love to change my fortune here on Saturday.”

His pursuit of a first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship demands it. Crafton is 3rd in the standings, and, though anything can happen in the rough-and-tumble NCTS, appears to be one of only a few prime challengers for the championship. Accordingly, Crafton knows he can’t afford many, if any, subpar performances.

“We have a lot of racing left, and we know things can change quickly in this series,” he said. “We’re happy to be where we are right now, but we’re far from satisfied. Our focus hasn’t changed a bit from race to race. We know the mission is the same every week…we’re shooting for top-5 finishes and wins, and we can’t afford mistakes. If you start thinking about what could happen or might happen down the road, it takes your focus away from the only thing that really matters, and that’s the next race. We keep working on getting better and trying to improve. That’s what’s important, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

07-28-08

Crafton Battles to 4th Consecutive Top-5 Finish at Indy

For much of Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Matt Crafton struggled to find his rhythm. When it mattered most, however, Crafton found his groove as he raced to a 4th place finish and remained in the thick of championship contention.

Crafton qualified a respectable 11th for the race, but realized early in the short-track affair that his night would not be without considerable struggle.

“We were just horrible when we started the race,” Crafton said. “I said to our guys, ‘I’m not trying to be a jerk, but this truck is awful’. But we’re all in this thing together, and we all decide what we think will work best and make decisions as a unit about our Menards Chevrolet Silverado. We just kept making changes to the truck throughout the race, and we were fortunate to finish the way we did. I give my guys so much credit for the work they did in the pits, because they just kept working their tails off for me. I joked with them after the race that we’d better take that finish and get the heck out of town, because things could’ve been a lot worse tonight.”

The avoidance of disappointing finishes has been an ever-present theme in Crafton’s possible storybook season. In most races thus far, his truck has been among the best on the track, and the results have reflected it. He has eight top-5 finishes, including four in a row. He hasn’t finished out of the top-5 since Michigan in mid-June. On the rare occasions when his truck hasn’t been right, however, Crafton and crew have found a way to overcome.

“I always recall what Davey Allison told me one time, that he’d ‘rather have been lucky than good’, meaning that it takes those times when you might not be at your best but still are fortunate to avoid a bad night to keep momentum going, and that describes our race at ORP,” said Crafton. “We were terrible early, but we got some breaks and kept battling and making changes and found a way to come out of there with a pretty good finish.”

Crafton and the No. 88 team will spend two days this week testing at Chicagoland Speedway, seeking ways to fine-tune the team’s performances at intermediate-length tracks. “We’ll keep working on our program for 1.5 mi. tracks, looking for ways to qualify better and lead laps so that we can gain some of those important bonus points,” Crafton said.

Crafton is back in race action on August 9th at Nashville.

07-23-08

Crafton Rides Wave of Momentum into ORP

Matt Crafton is riding a major wave of momentum as he prepares for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 at ORP on Friday.

Crafton hasn’t finished outside the top-3 in a race since Michigan in mid-June. He finished 2nd at Milwaukee, and collected back-to-back 3rd place finishes at Memphis and Kentucky. Crafton is a point from the NCTS lead, and his track record at ORP is impressive. In 7 NCTS races at the venerable short-track, Crafton has five top-10 finishes. He was 4th in ’05.

“I love racing at ORP,” he said. “There’s just so much history here…the track has been on our schedule for a long time. This place is a favorite of (ThorSport Racing owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson, so it’s always extra special to me to run well here. We’ve been fortunate to have some strong runs here thru the years, and hopefully we can continue that this weekend for Duke and Rhonda.”

Crafton has finished in the top-5 in more than half the races this season. He is quick to credit his teammates for his success thus far.

“I’m just so thankful to these guys for the awesome trucks they’re building for me, and for their stellar work in the pits each and every week,” he said. “This group has been together for a long time, and we’re all on the same page as far as knowing what we need to do to be successful. We’re not surprised at where we are, because we’re doing the things that are necessary to put ourselves in that position. There have been races like last week at Kentucky where we had the best truck on the track and came up just a little bit short due to track position, and other weeks where we had maybe the fifth or sixth-best truck out there. The key is to make the absolute most out of each situation, especially when we have such a fierce points battle going on. Every spot, every point makes a difference.”

Crafton isn’t caught up in the buzz about his chances for a possible NCTS championship.

“If you start paying attention to that stuff, it takes your focus away from preparation, and that’ll get you in trouble,” he said. “You have to stay focused on every little detail, on anything that can make this team and our trucks better. As I’ve always said, you can’t win races or finish in the top-five or compete for a championship without first putting yourself in position for those things to happen, and that means taking care of all the little things each week. We have a long way to go. We’ll keep doing what we do, and trying to get better. That’s what’s important right now.”

07-17-08

Crafton Eager to get Back on Track at Kentucky

Matt Crafton looks to pick up where he left off a few weeks ago in Saturday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ford Built Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

Following a schedule break, the NCTS resumes its roar under the lights at the 1.5 mi. track, and Crafton continues his pursuit of a magical season.

“I’m chomping at the bit to get back on the track,” Crafton said. “It’s tough to be away from it for a couple of weeks. It’s extra important that we have a strong run at Kentucky to reaffirm our momentum and get back in stride. I love racing at Kentucky…the track is fast and wide, and you have plenty of room to pass no matter where you are on the track. And anytime you race under the lights, it adds extra excitement and anticipation for the drivers and fans. We’re ready to go.”

Crafton is aiming for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. He is 2nd in the NCTS standings, and had 6 top-5 finishes in the season’s first dozen races, highlighted by his first NCTS win at Charlotte. He finished 3rd at Memphis before the break. The veteran driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado is happy with his start, but far from satisfied.

“We have a long way to go, and we’re not even thinking about a championship,” he said. “Things can change real quickly in this series. Our focus is on trying to finish in the top-5 every week and competing for wins. We know that if we are able to do that, good things are in store for us. We have to give everything we have each time out, and avoid mistakes and continue to find ways to improve. You have to earn everything you get in this series, and we understand that. Hopefully we can finish strong at Kentucky and keep things rolling.”

06-27-08

Crafton Contending for Title Heading to Memphis Race

Matt Crafton has enjoyed a breakout season in the Craftsman Truck Series, establishing himself as a bona-fide contender for the championship going into Saturday's O'Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Crafton, 32, won his first race last month at Lowe's Motor Speedway and has two second-place finishes, including last week at Milwaukee. Crafton's best finish in seven previous Truck seasons had been third, which he did five times. And that's not all: He has five top-fives through 11 races in 2008. In his previous 172 races, dating back to his debut in 2000, he had 13. He had one last year.

"We are definitely a top-five team, top-three team," said Crafton, who is third in the standings, 67 behind leader Johnny Benson. "We just keep doing what we are doing all year. This is what you have to do to win races and win championships, put yourself in position each and every week. I feel like we are doing that right now. Just don't make mistakes, don't beat yourself. You have to be there at the end."

Crafton's best year in the series was 2004, when he was fifth in the points and had six top-fives in his only season with Kevin Harvick Inc. Crafton has spent the rest of his CTS career with ThorSport; his eighth-place finish last season is his best with the team.

"This team is awesome," Crafton said. "It is all about these guys. ... I can't thank them enough for putting me in this position week in and week out. We keep doing this all year, come Homestead [the season finale] maybe we will have a shot."

Crafton has been solid on all types of tracks. Memphis fits the short-track category, a tight .75-mile layout with 11-degree banking in the turns. Crafton was second at half-mile Martinsville this season and was third at Memphis in 2006.

"I love racing at Memphis," Crafton said. "It's probably one of my top-three favorite tracks. The short-track feel, the outcome is more in the driver's hands than some other tracks. The track really wears tires out; you can really fall off from the beginning of a run to the end. So you have to be very disciplined with the throttle, have to take care of your equipment early in the run." (By Sporting News Wire Service, June 27, 2008, 10:46 AM EDT)

06-26-08

Crafton Looks to Stay in Groove at Memphis

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The adage applies to Matt Crafton as the driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado heads for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park on Saturday.

Plenty has changed for Crafton and crew this season. He won his first NCTS race on NASCAR’S home turf in Charlotte in dramatic fashion. He has collected five top-5 finishes already this season, one below his career best mark for a full season, set in 2004. He is 3rd in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings and a strong contender for a championship.

What hasn’t changed is Crafton’s competitive zeal and constant push for improvement. Already the owner of more than eighty career top-10 finishes, Crafton keeps raising the expectations bar, and who knows where the limit might be?
“We’ve done some good things this season, but there’s lots of racing left and we have to be on top of our game every week,” Crafton said. “We want to win a championship, and we feel like we have the pieces in place to do it. But we also know that just finishing in the top-10 isn’t enough to get us where we want to be. We’re pushing for top-5 finishes every week, and we’re not satisfied with anything else. That’s the biggest difference from the past…we’ve had strong runs and a bunch of top-10 finishes before, but the expectations have gone up. We know we have to be as sharp as possible each week, and we can’t afford to make mistakes.”

His arrival in Memphis would seem to bode well for Crafton’s mission. In 7 starts at Memphis Motorsports Park, he has finished in the top-10 six times. Crafton finished 3rd in the ’06 race.

“I love racing at Memphis,” said Crafton. “It's probably one of my top-3 favorite tracks. The short-track feel, the outcome is more in the driver's hands here than at some of the other tracks. The track really wears tires out…you can fall off quite a bit from the beginning of a run to the end. You have to be very disciplined with the throttle, have to take care of your equipment early in the run. Memphis reminds me of Mesa Marin in Bakersfield, which isn't around anymore but was one of my favorite tracks to run back in the day.”

Despite his success thus far this season, Crafton maintains his weekly focus on the task at hand. “Whether you finish in the top-5 or have a night where things don’t go as well as you’d like, you have to put it behind you quickly and be ready for the next race,” he said. "We've done a good job of that so far, and we have to keep doing it.”

06-21-08

Matt Crafton Scores Third Top-Two Finish of the Season at Milwaukee

“We definitely thought we had something for him (Johnny Benson, race winner). I was begging and pleading to go back racing when we had that little lightning scare there. I was wanting to go back. For some reason, that set of tires, I just got really really tight. Just couldn’t get the thing to go, got tight center up off. Our Chevy Silverado, the first two or three runs we put tires on it, it was really really good. I don’t know if the track cooled off or what, something changed and we got really tight on that last set of tires.

“I can’t thank these guys enough. This was the first time this truck has ever been to the race track. They came with that much confidence; they brought a brand new truck that had never seen a race track until today.

“We are definitely a top-five team, top-three team. We just keep doing what we are doing all year. That is what you have to do to win races and win championships is put yourself in position each and every week. I feel like we are doing that right now. Just don’t make mistakes, don’t beat yourself, you have to be there at the end.

“This team is awesome; it is all about these guys. These guys just built me an awesome Menards Chevy Silverado, all night it was really good. I can’t thank them enough for putting me in this position week in and week out. We had good pit stops all night. We keep doing this all year, come Homestead maybe we will have a shot.

“After practice today if you had told me we were going to finish second, I would have said you are crazy. I thought we had a top-10 truck at best. But the guys didn’t give up today. They changed a few springs before the race and quite a few things and said let’s go with her there and hopefully she will come around. For the most part they hit a home run. To come out second as bad as it was in practice, to put us where we are tonight, I can’t thank them enough.

“Johnny (Benson, race winner) was definitely hard to beat tonight, but clean air is everything at every track we go to. I want to say if we had gotten out in front that last pit stop, we might have been able to beat him. He could run faster than us, but at times we were faster than him. He was just a little bit better than us at the end. I was in dirty air, if we had been leading the race; I might have been a little bit better with the cleaner air on my nose. I am happy with this but definitely not satisfied.” (Article courtesy of GM Racing News)(6-21-2008)

06-10-08

Crafton Hopes to Stay in Groove at MIS

Matt Crafton enters the Cool City Customs 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday looking to add another strong performance to those that have lifted him to 2nd place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.

“I love racing at MIS,” said Crafton of the 2-mile track. “It’s real fast racing, and there are probably four or five grooves, so you don’t have to stay glued to the white line. You have plenty of room to move. The key at Michigan is truck control…being able to successfully slide the truck around, because the tires wear out in a hurry. You can lose two seconds from the beginning of a run to the end of a run. So you lose grip, and the truck will start sliding sideways. You have to be able to control that slide.”

Crafton prides himself on his ability to focus on the variables he can control, and pays no attention to those he can’t.
“This is such a heated series, with such great competition, that you have to maintain your focus on what you’re doing,” Crafton said. “You can’t spend valuable energy worrying about what other drivers are doing. I have to make sure that I’m doing everything I can as a driver to put us in the best position to succeed each week, and the same goes with each guy on our team. That’s probably what I’m proudest of this year…we’re not satisfied with top-10 finishes anymore. We know that to compete for a championship, we’re gonna have to run in the top-5 every week, and make the absolute most out of those days when we’re a bit off. You have to earn everything you get in this series, and we’re doing what it takes to put ourselves in position for special things to happen.”

In 6 career NCTS starts at MIS, Crafton has one top-5 finish (5th in ’06 ).

“Hopefully we can go to Michigan and come out with a top-5 finish,” said Crafton. “Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys on this No. 88 team have just been working their tails off for me, and I couldn’t ask for more. They’re building me some great trucks. I appreciate everything they’re doing.”

06-04-08

Crafton 5th at Dover, Looks to Keep Momentum at Texas

Matt Crafton enters the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday looking for his third consecutive top-10 finish on the 1.5 fast track.

Crafton finished 7th in both NCTS races at TMS last season, and has one top-5 finish in 14 starts there.

“I love racing at Texas,” he said. “The asphalt is old, and we can run in multiple grooves. It makes for some great two-wide and three-wide racing. Hopefully, we can continue what we’ve been doing, and come out of Texas with a top-5 finish."

Crafton is 2nd in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. He collected his first top-5 finish at Dover last week, and has finished in the top-5 four times in eight races this season.

“Coming out of Dover with a top-5 was huge for us,” Crafton said. “We’ve been on the way to some strong performances at that track over the years, but it seemed like something always happened and we never had the results to show for it. Fortunately, things finally changed in that regard last week. We came out with a top-5 finish and gained some in the points. We just have to stay consistent and do it again at Texas. We keep battling, and that’s what it’s all about. If you start to dwell on success, or on why things didn’t go your way here or there, you’ll waste the mental energy you need for the next race. The competition in this series is fierce, and you have to prepare the best you can and do what you need to do every time out. You can’t have any missing pieces if you expect to compete for wins and championships in this series.”

05-29-08

Crafton Looks for Reversal of Fortune at Monster Mile

For Matt Crafton, the Monster Mile at Dover International Speedway has proved to be a late-race nightmare in recent years, and the driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado hopes to make his dreams of a top-5 finish at the track a reality in Friday’s AAA Insurance 200.

Crafton is 3rd in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings, within a short-track lap of the top of the board, and has collected three top-5 finishes, including his first win at Charlotte, thus far this season. In 7 NCTS races at Dover, Crafton’s best finish is 9th. He has been forced to early race exits in four of those races, including last season. He hopes a little good fortune rides shotgun in the No. 88 this time around.

“For some reason, Dover is a track where I just haven’t seemed to have much good luck,” Crafton said. “In ’04, I probably had the best truck here, and blew a motor. Last year, it was late in the race and we had a shot to win, and blew up. I love racing at Dover. It’s great side-by-side racing, and you can move around pretty well. I just hope this time around we can find something good at the end of the day. We always feel we have as good a chance as anybody to win at Dover, and we’ve had some really good trucks, but we haven’t had the results to show for it. If we can come out of here with a top-5 finish, we’ll be really happy.”

In the thick of a championship chase, the veteran driver says it’s essential to make the most of those days when things are not going as planned. “At Mansfield last week, where track position is so important, we had a flat tire and had to come in and fell way back in the pack, but we kept battling and by the time it was over we had climbed back to a 12th place finish,” he said. “We made a respectable day out of what could have been a really bad one. It’s inevitable that you’re gonna face adversity some weeks, and how you handle it will say a lot about where you end up. Hopefully, things will turn around for us at Dover starting Friday, and we can continue to build on the momentum we’ve established.”

05-20-08

Crafton Brings Momentum from First Win to Mansfield Homecoming

Matt Crafton rose above the fray and roared to a long overdue first victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Friday. Now, the driver of the No. 88 Menards Chevy Silverado shifts his focus from triumph in NASCAR’S backyard to possible victory on his team’s ‘home turf’ in Ohio.

Crafton enters the Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park (located an hour from ThorSport Racing headquarters in Sandusky) on Saturday riding the momentum provided by three top-5 finishes in his last four races, including the win in Charlotte. Crafton finished 4th in Atlanta and 2nd at Martinsville, and was headed for a likely top-5 finish at Kansas before a bad break caused by reckless driving elsewhere. He is excited about his Mansfield homecoming.

“We’re really glad to be back at Mansfield,” Crafton said. “It’s the home track for ThorSport Racing, and it’s always a special time for our team. This race is circled on our calendars all year, and we’ll have a bunch of friends and family out there cheering for us. It makes us that much more determined to do well, because you don’t want to disappoint them. The fans in Ohio are some of the best racing fans anywhere. They pack the stands, and they treat the drivers like rock stars. It’s a special atmosphere.”

Crafton is cautious when discussing the half-mile menace that will also greet him. “It’s a tough track to deal with,” he said of MMP. “It’s difficult to pass anybody, so the name of the game is track position. Qualifying is real important here. You want to get that good position and hang onto it. If you’re stuck in the back, it’s real tough to work your way up front. Hopefully, we can qualify well and stay up front, and make the right calls in the pits to put ourselves in position to have a shot to win.”

Crafton qualified 10th and led several laps in last season’s rain-soaked race at Mansfield, but fell victim to the mayhem of the tight racing quarters and finished near the back of the pack. He finished 6th at Mansfield in ’06, and owns a pair of top-10 finishes in 4 NCTS visits to the track.

With the win in Charlotte, Crafton moved to 4th place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings, a mere 45 points from the top of the board. The veteran driver knows all too well, however, that there’s no margin for error at Mansfield.

“We’ve done a great job at maintaining our focus week to week, of doing the things we need to do each time out to give us the best shot for success,” Crafton said. “We’re hungry and confident, and we know the little things can make the biggest difference when it comes to preparation. We’re riding some nice momentum right now, but we know we have to work that much harder to keep it. Bud (Crew Chief Haefele) and the guys have been working their tails off for me, and I really appreciate it. We showed what we’re capable of at Charlotte, but we all know it’s about consistency, about putting ourselves in position each time out. Hopefully, we can do that at Mansfield.”

05-16-08

Crafton Storms to First Victory in Charlotte

Matt Crafton has often said that, to win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a driver must first put himself in position to do so.

Crafton, who has been in position for possible victory numerous times throughout his career, including a career-best 2nd place finish at Martinsville earlier this season, broke thru for his long-awaited first victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte last night.

Crafton entered the race with a track record of success at Lowe's Motor Speedway, having finished in the top-10 in each of five previous NCTS races at the 1.5 mi. fast track. Last night, however, the driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado was not to be denied a hard-earned visit to Victory Lane en route to ending a 178 race winless drought.
"I've said for a while that you have to be there at the end to have a shot to win, and tonight was a perfect example of that," Crafton said. "We've waited a long time for this, and tonight was our night. We don't have to listen to the same old questions about winning that first one anymore. Now hopefully they'll be asking us about more wins and trying to put ourselves in position to contend for a championship."

With the win, Crafton moved to 4th place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings, a mere 45 points from the top of the board. Though the season is still young, Crafton and his No. 88 crew served notice that the Sandusky, Ohio-based team intends to be in the championship mix.

"We continue to improve, keep finding ways to do things better, and we expect to compete for wins and top-5 finishes each time out," said Crafton. "That's always been the mentality of our guys. We've always believed it was just a matter of time until we won a race. We're hungry and confident, and the guys just continue to work their tails off for me. I'm so thankful to them for that. There's a long way to go in this thing, and we're heading into a part of the season where guys will start to separate themselves a bit. You have to be consistent, have to be focused, and we're doing that. We'll keep giving it everything we have each race, and see where it takes us. But it feels great to get that first win under our belts."

05-14-08

Crafton Looks to Keep Charlotte Streak Intact

Matt Crafton returns to Charlotte for Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 looking to add to his streak of success in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado has finished in the top-10 in each of his five previous visits to the 1.5 mi fast track, and expects no different this time around.

“I’m looking forward to Charlotte,” Crafton said. “I’ve always run well here, and hopefully we’ll be strong again and be there at the end of the race with a chance to win it.”

Crafton will drive the truck he drove at Kansas a few weeks ago, where he appeared headed for a likely top-5 finish. Crafton was blindsided in the race, however, and finished 21st. “It was a real strong truck for us at Kansas, and we were on track for a fine finish if not for a deal that shouldn’t have happened,” he said. “But you have to move on quickly in this series, and you realize you can’t control how other people drive. You have to focus on those things you can control. And our guys have worked their tails off getting this truck ready for Charlotte. The racing is always great here, and it seems that as the track ages following the repaving, we’re able to move up into the middle and higher grooves more. I was here last week with Paul Menard when he tested, and we were able to pick up some things.”

Crafton is 7th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings, and already has a pair of top-5 finishes to his credit, including a career-best 2nd at Martinsville. As the NCTS heads into the thick of the season schedule, Crafton is confident his ‘marathon, not sprint’ approach will aid his success. “We’re hungry to win races, just like other drivers in this series, but you can’t win if you’re not in the mix at the end,” said Crafton. “We’re focused on doing all the little things right, doing things the best way possible, so that we put ourselves in position to achieve consistent top-5 finishes. If we can do that, we’ll be where we want to be when it’s all said and done.”

04-23-08

Crafton Rides Momentum into Kansas

Matt Crafton enters the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday riding the momentum of consecutive top-5 finishes.

Crafton finished 4th at Atlanta and a career-best 2nd at Martinsville, and is in 6th place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.

“I’m happy with where we are right now, but our focus is entirely on Kansas,” Crafton said. “We know the challenges that are in front of us, and we’re working every day to get better.”

In 7 career NCTS starts at Kansas Speedway, Crafton has finished in the top-10 three times, including a 10th place finish in ’07. “I always look forward to racing at Kansas,” said Crafton. “The track is smooth and fast, and you can basically run anywhere. The corners are a little tricky, so the truck has to handle well. You have to get a good run down the straightaways here.”

The O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 marks the end of a lengthy break in action for the NCTS, and Crafton is raring to go. “I’m chomping at the bit to get back out there and hopefully pick up where we left off,” he said. “We want to keep things rolling. We continue to learn a lot, and everyone on this No. 88 team expects to compete for wins and top-5 finishes each time out. It’s all about consistency, about putting yourself in position for good things to happen. Hopefully that will be the case again on Saturday.”

04-07-08

Crafton & Menard Help the Community

NASCAR drivers Matt Crafton and Paul Menard are taking part in the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home today in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The drivers will help by installing insulation donated by Johns Manville. Menard and Crafton will be in Fort Wayne to give of their time and help raise awareness for the organization, while shining a light on the first green build home in Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity history. In addition to their volunteer efforts, Menard and Crafton will sign autographs for fans in celebration of the grand opening of a new Menards store location in Fort Wayne. Menard heads to Indiana on the heels of a 17th place run in yesterday's Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Crafton is coming off his career best finish of second place in last weeks Craftsman Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway. Both drivers represent Menards in their respective series. (Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing)(4-7-2008)

03-30-08

Crafton Nabs Career-Best 2nd place Finish at Martinsville

Matt Crafton eluded the fender-banging, finger-pointing madness of Martinsville Speedway en route to a career-best 2nd place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 250 on Saturday.

Crafton avoided a multi-truck wreck on turn four of the last lap to secure his second straight top-5 finish and park the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado in the thick of championship contention.

“We just had a great truck all day, and I’m thankful to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys for their effort,” Crafton said of the No. 88 crew. “It was a typical, crazy Martinsville race, and the green-white-checkered finish was the icing on the cake. Guys were running into each other, and patience was at a premium. We knew we had a top-3 truck when we unloaded, and we learned a few things from testing here earlier this month that made us better. The weather change from Friday to Saturday caught us off guard and we didn’t qualify well (Crafton started 24th), but we were good when it counted. We pitted three times, and were able to work our way back up front each time, which is difficult to do here with the one-groove racing. That’s a testament to how good our truck was.”

Crafton surged to 6th place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. Despite the career-best finish, he remains focused on the big picture.

“I’m proud of what we accomplished here, and it’s great for our guys, but our mission is to be there at the end of the season with a shot to win the championship,” said Crafton. “We know we have to be strong each time out, because the competition in this series is so tough. (Owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson have given us everything we need to compete for a championship, and we feel like we can be as good as anybody. This team won’t be satisfied with anything but top-5 finishes and competing for wins. We have momentum heading to Kansas, and I expect us to be strong there.”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 is April 26th at Kansas Speedway.

03-25-08

Crafton Ready for Short-Track Madness of Martinsville

Matt Crafton relishes a return to the roots of racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, as the driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado looks to build on a season-best 4th place finish at Atlanta.

“Martinsville is a symbol of the old days of racing, a reminder of the Saturday night, short-track races many of us have been thru,” Crafton said. “The track has been around for sixty years, and there’s just so much history here.”

Despite his fondness for the echoes of Martinsville, however, Crafton is plenty familiar with the brutish toll exacted by the half-mile menace.

“This track is extremely hard on equipment,” he said. “It’s not about aero or horsepower here, it’s about handling and track position. And you have to take care of your brakes. Track position is critical, because there’s just no room to pass anybody. If you aren’t careful, you can get shuffled to the back of the pack pretty quickly, and it’s awful hard to work your way back up front. The difference from the fastest truck to the slowest may be a couple tenths of a second, so there’s no margin for error. The race can be won or lost by the smallest difference.”

In 12 career NCTS starts at Martinsville, Crafton has 4 top-10 finishes, including a 3rd place finish in ’06. “Getting to the checkered flag here is tough, because the competition is so fierce,” Crafton said. “With all of the beating and banging going on, it’s easy to get impatient, and you can get caught up in someone else’s mess real easy. If you’re not patient, you can cost yourself a nice finish. We just need to stay patient and try to stay out of trouble, so we can be there at the end.”

03-06-08

Crafton Looks for Return to Top-10 at Atlanta

Matt Crafton enters Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway seeking a return to the familiar surroundings of the top-10.

Crafton, who owns 76 career NCTS top-10 finishes, looks for his first strong finish of the season at a track where history bodes well for him. In 7 previous visits to AMS, he has finished in the top-10 four times, including a 3rd place finish in last season’s spring race.

“I love Atlanta,” Crafton said. “The track is really fast and you can hold it wide-open, and you can run pretty much anywhere on the track, from the white line to the fence. If you catch someone, you can get around them, and not have to follow them and wait until they make a mistake to get around them.”

The driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado will pilot the truck he drove at California, where he finished 15th. “We’re racing the same truck, but the guys brought it back to the shop after California and cut it up and made a bunch of changes,” said Crafton. “We fought balance issues with it at California, but the guys worked like heck to make changes and we think the truck is a lot better. I’m looking forward to seeing how we run with it at Atlanta.’

AMS is a high-banked, high-speed monster, but Crafton knows horsepower alone isn’t enough. “Tires are a big key here,” he said. “At the beginning of a run, you have lots of grip, but by the time we’re about ten laps in, they’re wearing out, so there’s a lot of slipping and sliding. At that point, we’re all kind of on an even playing field, and that’s where handling comes into play.”

Crafton is in 17th place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings, albeit after a pair of races. He is confident that Atlanta will provide a necessary jumpstart for the No. 88 team. “We know it’s important to come out of Atlanta with at least a top-10 finish, possibly a top-5, and that would provide a nice spark for us,” Crafton said. “We’ve run well here in the past, and we know what it takes to be there at the end with a shot to win. Atlanta is a great place for us to get things turned around.”

02-21-08

Crafton Looks to Rebound in California Homecoming

Matt Crafton looks to rebound from last week’s disappointing finish at Daytona in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series San Bernardino County 200 at California Speedway on Saturday.

Crafton was the victim of a multi-truck wreck early in last week’s race, and finished 24th. The Tulare, California native knows, however, that there’s no place like home to get the No. 88 Menards Silverado back on track.

“We just got caught up in the typical craziness that happens at Daytona, and there’s nothing we could do about it,” Crafton said. “You can’t dwell on it. You have to focus on the next race, and we’re excited about being back in California. I grew up out here, and it’s always special to come back and race in front of family and friends. Their support over the years has been tremendous, and I’m thankful for it.”

Crafton has 3 top-10 finishes in 8 career NCTS starts at California. He finished 11th in last season’s race.
“I love this racetrack, because there’s lots of room to race,” said Crafton. “You can run three-and-four wide out here. It’ll be interesting to see how the trucks react this time around, since the race is in the afternoon instead of at night.”

The race was moved to Saturday afternoon from a Friday night slot in years past to accommodate a national-television audience on FOX .

“The fans are always great at California, and it’s always exciting to race out here,” said Crafton. “But being on network television really adds to the atmosphere. This series is so competitive every week, so to have the added exposure is just a great thing for all of us. I expect us to be strong this week, and hopefully we can come out of here with a top-5 finish and start to build some momentum.”

02-11-08

Crafton Ready To Roll At Daytona

Daytona International Speedway is revered for the known…legendary drivers. Massive crowds. Frenzied side-by-side racing. But it is the unknown that perhaps quickens heartbeats of drivers and fans the most here…the inevitable make-or-break wildness of a race’s final laps.

Matt Crafton expects Friday’s season-opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250 to be plenty unpredictable, and the driver of the No. 88 Menards Silverado wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The only thing you know for sure at Daytona is that you don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Crafton said. “Last year was a perfect example for us. We were third or fourth when we took the white flag, and we thought we were in pretty good shape. Then a couple of trucks jumped out to the top, and some others followed, and we got stuck toward the bottom and that was it.”

Crafton finished 8th in last season’s race, his first top-10 finish at the high-banked behemoth in seven career starts. “You never know what’s gonna happen here, especially during the last ten laps of the race,” Crafton said. “It’s so intense, and one driver mistake can tear up everybody else’s equipment. I’ve been caught up in it plenty down here. But you have to be smart, be patient. The key is to have a good truck, and put yourself in position to be there at the end.

Crafton looks to build on his 8th place finish in the NCTS standings (his third finish in the top-10 in the last four seasons) in 2007.

“We have the same truck here that we had last year, with some updates,” said Crafton. “The guys worked really hard on it, made it better. It would be a huge momentum-builder for us to come out of Daytona with a top-5 or top-10 finish and start the season strong. Daytona has been referred to as the Super Bowl of NASCAR, and I think that’s true for all of us. It’s the biggest crowd of the season, right out of the gate, and we’re racing under the lights, which always adds electricity. I can’t wait for Friday night.”

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