Matt Crafton – Ready to Re-Write the History Books Once Again at Kansas

May 4, 2015

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Team Information:

2015 Driver Point Standings: 1st (+2)

2015 Owner Point Standings: 1st

Crew Chief: Carl “Junior” Joiner

Sandusky, Ohio (May 4, 2015) – Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Slim Jim®/Menards Toyota Tundra, re-wrote the NASCAR history books in 2014 when he became the first back-to-back NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) champion. Now, the ThorSport Racing driver, who is once again atop the point standings entering the fourth race on the 2015 schedule, looks to re-write history once again in Friday night’s Toyota Tundra 250.

In 14 NCWTS races at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS, there have been 14 different winners. Crafton, who went to victory lane at the 1.5-mile track in 2013, will not only have the same chassis he piloted to his third career victory at Kansas Speedway, he is the only driver entered in the 167-lap race that has competed in all 14 NCWTS events at the Midwestern track. In fact, the two-time champion sets the standard for dominance at Kansas Speedway. Crafton is tied for the most top-five finishes (3), has more top-10 finishes (6), has completed more laps (2239), and has the most lead lap finishes (8) than any other active NCWTS driver entered in the 15th annual event. Furthermore, according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Crafton ranks first in Laps in the Top 15 (1092).

With Crafton’s consistency, don’t count him out to defy history, once again, and become the first repeat Truck Series winner at Kansas Speedway on Friday night.

Sounding off – Matt Crafton:

“It’s been an eternity since we’ve been on the race track, but I always look forward to going back to Kansas; it’s a very cool race track. As the only driver entered that’s competed in all 14 Truck Series races at Kansas, I feel old, at 37, crazy. Kansas is definitely a tricky race track – it’s tough to get off Turn 4 and to get your stuff handling good in Turns 1 and 2 and then be that good in Turn 4, it’s tough. Just getting balance overall is key. I expect the track to have lost some grip since the repave. We were really, really fast there last year; a contender all night. We were a little bit free-in and tight center and off, but we were scared to make any adjustments to hurt us on corner entry. I had to protect my entry and that’s how Kyle (Busch) got around us for the win.”

News & Notes:

Chassis Chatter… The No. 88 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 35 for the 15th annual Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. Crafton has piloted this particular chassis in his last two visits at the 1.5-mile oval, including his 2013 win.
Previous Race Recap… Starting 13th, Crafton led six times for a total of 100 laps in last month’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. In what looked like the race winning pass, Crafton was able to prevail from a fierce battle with Sprint Cup Series regular, Joey Logano on lap 245 of 250 before rookie Cole Custer bumped the rear of the No. 88 machine for the lead. Ultimately, the race concluded in a green-white-checker finish with Crafton crossing the stripe in the second position behind race winner, Logano.
Taking His Skills Off-Road… Crafton didn’t sit idle during the five week break on the NCWTS schedule. The ThorSport Racing driver took his skills off-road in The Off-Road Championship presented by AMSOIL on April 24-25 at Texas Motor Speedway. The two-time NCWTS champion, who was making his second start in the series, carried a special Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit paint scheme on his truck to help promote the Second Annual Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit & Auction. Running on only two-wheel drive, due to a differential issue in practice, Crafton finished sixth.
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Crafton’s NCWTS stats at Kansas Speedway:

14 starts since 2001
One win (April 20, 2013)
Three top-five finishes
Six top-10 finishes
2239 of 2306 laps completed (97.1%)
43 laps led
Average start: 14.1
Average finish: 14.2
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Crafton ranks:
- Eighth in Average Running Position: 8.12
- Sixth in Driver Rating: 84.9
- Third in Fastest Laps Run: 24
- First in Laps in the Top 15: 1092
- Fourth in Laps Led: 37
Has more starts than any other active NCWTS driver (14)
Tied for the most top-five finishes (3) than any other active NCWTS driver
Hast the most top-10 finishes (6) than any other active NCWTS driver
Has completed more laps (2239) than any other active NCWTS driver
Has more lead lap finishes (8) than any other active NCWTS driver

Crafton’s Kansas Speedway NCWTS Performance Profile:

Date	Started	Finished	Laps	Status	Led
July, 2001	11	22	137/167	Engine	0
July, 2002	13	10	166/167	Running	0
July, 2003	10	19	162/167	Engine	0
July, 2004	7	5	164/170	Running	6
July, 2005	21	27	167/167	Crash	0
July, 2006	14	20	167/167	Running	0
April, 2007	30	10	167/167	Running	0
April, 2008	26	21	132/132	Running	0
April, 2009	14	7	143/167	Running	0
May, 2010	2	25	167/167	Running	0
June, 2011	17	18	167/167	Running	3
April, 2012	17	12	167/167	Running	0
April, 2013	6	1	167/167	Running	34
May, 2014	9	2	167/167	Running	0

Matt Crafton’s 2014 Highlights:

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

Crafton’s Career Truck Series Stats: