Team Info/Stats:
Crew Chief: Carl “Junior” Joiner, Jr.
Driver Point Standings: 7th
Owner Point Standings: 9th
Spotter: Stevie Reeves
News and Notes:
- This Week’s No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Ford F-150… The No. 88 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 69 for Wednesday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway. This chassis will make it’s 2018 debut for the sixth annual event.
- “Big E” Stats… Defending race winner, Matt Crafton, who has competed in the last five NCWTS events at the half-mile clay oval, will make his sixth start at Eldora Speedway in Wednesday night’s 150-lap race. In five previous starts, the Menards driver has led 24 laps en route to one win (2017) and five top-10 finishes.
- Dirt Trackin’… In preparation for the Eldora Dirt Derby, Crafton has run six U.M.P. Dirt Modified races since February at Volusia Speedway Park (De Leon Springs, Florida), Tri-County Race Track (Brasstown, North Carolina), Cherokee Speedway (Gaffney, South Carolina), Mansfield Motor Speedway (Mansfield, Ohio) in an AMS Modified, and most recently, Oakshade Raceway (Wauseon, Ohio).
- Eldora Dirt… According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Crafton ranks first in Laps in the Top-15 (719) and Green Flag Passes (301), fifth in Average Running Position (8.30), and fifth in Driver Rating (95.3).
- Four to Go… Four races remain on the NCWTS schedule for Crafton to secure a spot in the 2018 Playoffs – Eldora Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. Currently, the ThorSport Racing driver is on the bubble, in eighth-place, in the Playoff standings with 397 points, 79 points ahead of ninth-place.
- Take me back – Eldora, 2017…. Starting a track-best second, the ThorSport Racing driver led the field twice, for 24 laps and ended a 27-race winless streak, winning the fifth annual Eldora Dirt Derby, his first win of 2017, and the two-time champions first win at the half-mile clay oval.
- Race Rewind – Kentucky… Crafton started 30th, finished sixth in Stage 1, ninth in Stage 2, and third in the 150-lap race. The solid run was Crafton’s fourth top-five finish of 2018.
- 2018 Stats… In 12 starts this season, Crafton has led 35 laps en route to four top-five, and five top-10 finishes. The Menards driver has a season-best start of second (Atlanta & Martinsville), and a season-best finish of second (Dover).
- Veteran-Size Stats… Crafton holds the record for consecutive starts (419) in the NCWTS. Among his success in the past 17 seasons, the two-time champion has earned 13 poles, and led 2,491 laps en route to 14 wins, 106 top-five and 247 top-10 finishes.
- Catch Crafton at Eldora… Crafton will join his fellow ThorSport Racing teammates for a series autograph session from 2:30 – 3:15 p.m. ET in the multipurpose building at Eldora Speedway, and will also participate in a Q&A at the Ford Display in the midway from 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. ET, Wednesday, July 18.
- About Ideal Door… Ideal Door is a leader in residential and commercial garage doors, and is a preferred brand among consumers, architects, specifiers and building professionals. For more information on Ideal Door, visit: www.IdealDoorGarageDoors.com.
Chatting with Matt Crafton…
“I didn’t think Eldora (Speedway) was going to be the track to get us in the Playoffs last year, but it was. I can honestly say, with four races before the cutoff this year, I wouldn’t mind solidifying my spot again at Eldora. I’ve been running my dirt modified when I can this year, to get ready for Eldora. That’s my hobby – what I do for fun on the side – but it’s definitely helped me understand the dirt a little more. Kentucky (Speedway) was a turning point for us, and ThorSport Racing as a whole. This team just keeps working really, really hard to turn our year around, we’re getting there.”