Sounding Off – Matt Crafton:
“Kentucky Speedway and I have had a love-hate relationship, to be quite honest – it’s been really good to us at times, and really bad for us too. With the new asphalt on it, there is a difference in the corners. Turns 1 and 2 are wide open, with a bunch of banking, and Turns 3 and 4 are virtually flat compared to 1 and 2. So, it’s a huge juggling act to try and get the balance of the vehicle right.”
Team Stats:
2017 Driver Point Standings: 3rd
2017 Owner Point Standings: 3rd
News & Notes:
- Chassis Chatter… The No. 88 ThorSport Racing (TSR) team will unload chassis No. 58 for Thursday night’s Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. This is the same chassis Crafton piloted earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The Menards driver started third, led six laps, and finished ninth.
- Bluegrass State Stats… Among active series drivers, Crafton has the most starts (18), is one of only two drivers entered with a win, has the most top-five finishes (5), has the most top-10 finishes (13), and has completed the most laps (2525).
- Intermediate Icon… No current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver is better at Intermediate-size tracks than Crafton. Dating back to 2014, Crafton has finished in the top-10 in 26 of the last 30 races at ovals measuring 1.5 or 1.54 miles. Included in that stretch are seven wins, and seven runner-up finishes.
- In the Loop – 2017… According to NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics, Crafton ranks second Laps in the Top-15 (1436), third in Average Running Position (7.041), and fourth in Driver Rating (96.9) entering Thursday night’s 20th annual event at the 1.5-mile track.
- Take Me Back – Kentucky, 2016…Making his 18th career start at Kentucky Speedway in the NCWTS, Crafton started eighth, ran as high as fourth, and finished eighth.
- Rearview Mirror – Iowa…Making his 11th career start at the Iowa Speedway, Crafton started 12th, ran as high as seventh, and finished 19th, due to a late-race incident, in the 200-lap event.
- Catch Crafton at Kentucky…Crafton, along with his ThorSport Racing teammates, will be at Toyota Pit Pass, signing autographs, from 3:30-4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 6 at Kentucky Speedway.
Crafton’s Kentucky Stats:
- 18 starts since 2001
- 2525 of 2685 laps completed (94.0%)
- 79 laps led
- Wins: 1 (2015)
- Top-5 Finishes: 5
- Top-10 Finishes: 13
- Poles: 1 (2012)
- Average start: 10.2
- Average finish: 10.4
Crafton’s Career Truck Series Stats:
- Starts: 393, since 2000
- Wins: 13
- Top-five Finishes: 99
- Top-10 finishes: 231
- Poles: 12
- Laps Completed: 60,789
- Laps Led: 2207
- Average start: 12.6
- Average finish: 11.4
Kentucky Stages:
- Stage 1 – 35 laps (concludes at lap 35)
- Stage 2 – 35 laps (concludes at lap 70)
- Stage 3 – 80 laps (concludes at lap 150)
Race Information:
Date: Thursday, July 6 2017
Time: 7:30pm ET on FOX Sports 1, SiriusXM & MRN
Track: 1.5-mile oval
Distance: 150 Laps, 225-Miles
Social: @KYSpeedway, #ThisIsSPARTA
About Jack Links:
Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is an American snack company best known as the producer and marketer of the eponymous brand of beef jerky. It was founded by John ‘Jack’ Link in 1986. They are known for their “Messin’ with Sasquatch” ads. For more information on Jack Links visit: www.JackLinks.com.