Recap:
Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 FVP/Menards Toyota Tundra made his 14th career start at at Gateway Motorsports Park (GMP) in Saturday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Drivin’ for Linemen 200. Starting sixth, the ThorSport Racing driver finished third in Stage 1, and second in Stage 2. Utilizing pit strategy, Carl “Junior” Joiner opted for fuel only during a green-flag pit stop late in the 160-lap event. After pacing the field twice for 16 laps, Crafton brought the field to the green on the final restart of the night, but would lose valuable track position on old tires, and settle for a fourth-place finish behind race winner, John Hunter Nemechek.
The solid result was Crafton’s second top-five finish at the 1.25-mile track, and his second top-five result of the 2017 NCWTS season.
Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images
Quote:
What happened at the end of the race?
“Those guys just took two tires, and I was on no tires. You win some, you lose some. Everybody is upset, but at the same time, they knew we were here tonight.”
Team Information:
Started: 6th
Finished: 4th
Laps: 160/160
Laps Led: 16
Status: Running
Driver Points: 3rd
Owner Points: 3rd
Notes:
- The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) had two practice sessions on Saturday morning in preparation for Saturday night’s Drivin’ for Linemen 200. Matt Crafton was sixth, and first, respectively, in each session.
- Saturday night’s Drivin’ for Linemen 200 at GMP marked Crafton’s 14th career start at the 1.25-mile track. Starting sixth, Crafton led the 30-truck field two times, for 16 laps, and finished fourth in the 160-lap event.
- The ThorSport Racing driver earned bonus points in both Stages for finishing inside the top-10.
- In 14 starts at GMP, Crafton has led 76 laps en route to two top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
- In eight starts in 2017, the Menards driver has led 72 laps en route to two top-five (Atlanta), and five top-10 finishes.
- In 392 career starts, Crafton has 12 poles, and has led 2207 laps en route to 13 wins, 99 top-five, and 231 top-10 finishes.
- Crafton’s ThorSport Racing teammates finished fifth (Enfinger), eighth (Rhodes), and 12th (Coughlin).
- Up Next: The M&M’S 200 at Iowa Speedway in Newton on Friday, June 23 at 8:00pm ET.