NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News | Matt Crafton 2013
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series news for Matt Crafton. Based Sandusky, Ohio, ThorSport Racing is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Matt Crafton enters 2015 as the defending back-to-back NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers’ champion (2013, 2014). In 2015 Matt once again joins ThorSport owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson with the team’s No. 88 Menards Toyota.
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Crafton Maintains 41-Point Edge at Las Vegas
Matt Crafton is so unconcerned with the statistical aspect of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season that all he could do after finishing 11th Saturday night in his No. 88 Jeld-Wen / Menards Toyota in the Smith's 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was to look ahead for his next trip to Victory Lane. "I don't care about the points, I just want to go out there and win races," Crafton said. "I...
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Crafton Again Extends Point Lead, at Dover
Matt Crafton's adventuresome, but consistently out-front NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season continued Friday at Dover International Speedway with a second-place finish to Kyle Busch in the Lucas Oil 200. Crafton's sixth top-10 finish this season in as many Truck Series races for his No. 88 Goof Off / Menards Toyota fielded by ThorSport Racing enabled him to open a 30-point lead in the cha...
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Crafton Claims Truck Series’ Drivers’ Title at Homestead
Matt Crafton claimed his first career NASCAR national series title Friday night by taking the green flag in the Camping World Truck Series' season finale Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota. Thus, Crafton will be feted Monday night for NCWTS drivers' championship at the Leows Hotel Miami Beach in a black-tie awards ceremony shared with competi...
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Crafton Maintains Focus on Homestead Prizes
Even though Matt Crafton's slept better the past few days than he has for months, he hasn't lost his season-long focus on what he plans to consummate Friday night following the Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway: securing the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' drivers' and owners' championships with his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota for ThorSport Racing. Crafton, who's had a car...
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After PIR 5th Crafton has 1 Lap, 1 Race Left for 2 NCWTS Titles
Matt Crafton finished fifth in his No. 88 Splash / Menards Toyota Friday night in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway and in the process all but claimed his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers' championship -- leaving only ThorSport Racing's quest for the series' owners' championship in question. Crafton had his series-best 19th top-10 finish in 21 races this season o...
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Crafton Eyeing Win, Not Title Clinch, in Phoenix
For Matt Crafton, this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway could be the realization of a dream that's developed over the past 13 years committed to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series -- and considering it's Phoenix, even back to his childhood -- depending on the results of Friday night's Lucas Oil 150 with his No. 88 Splash / Menards Toyota. Crafton, who's had a career year in one of Th...
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Crafton, ThorSport Near Truck Title Clinches After Texas 10th
Matt Crafton used some late adjustments Friday night by his ThorSport Racing crew to their No. 88 Fisher Nuts / Menards Toyota to corral a 10th-place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway. The result, the team's series-best 18th top-10 finish of the season, brought the team and championship leader Crafton's two title-clinching scenario...
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Sauter Trading on Winning Legacy at Texas
Johnny Sauter hasn't been standing around tapping his foot waiting for Friday night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway, but with the history he has there with his No. 98 Carolina Nut Co. / Curb Records Toyota, he could've been. As is the case with several tracks the Truck Series competes at, Sauter has the best average finish at Texas, 6.5 in 1...
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Crafton on a Top-10 Roll Heading to Texas
As far as Matt Crafton's concerned, Friday night's 16th annual WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway -- where Crafton's riding a string of four consecutive top-six finishes -- comes at just the right time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule for his No. 88 Fisher Nuts / Menards Toyota team. After a caution-marred conclusion last weekend at Martinsville Speedway that kno...
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Crafton Minimizes Point Loss in Hairy Martinsville Scrum
Saturday's Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway included every high and low evident in a full season of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing for championship leader Matt Crafton's No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota team. Crafton had endured an up-and-down lead-up to the 19th race in the Truck Series season -- not quite getting his truck where he wanted in practice and then qualifying 13th wh...
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Crafton Knows Martinsville Victory’s Within Reach
Sitting at Martinsville Speedway waiting for Saturday's Kroger 200, Matt Crafton's status in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is everything he hoped it would be for his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota team with four races left in the championship. But that doesn't change Crafton's game plan going into Saturday afternoon's 200-lapper one bit. Crafton has a 57-point lead over Ty Dillon...
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Despite Talladega Wreck Crafton Increases Point Lead
Saturday's Fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway was almost everything Matt Crafton could've hoped for, even though his No. 88 Slim Jim / Menards Toyota finished the race wrecked, but just past the finish line. In a bizarre last half-mile -- even by Talladega standards -- Crafton went from looking like a second-place finisher to his...
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Crafton’s 2013 Achievements Prompt Talladega Confidence
Matt Crafton isn't one bit nervous about Saturday's Fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. What Crafton and his ThorSport Racing team have done in the season's first 17 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races -- specifically putting Crafton's No. 88 Slim Jim / Menards Toyota comfortably out front in the championship -- has everything to do with that. For sure, the...
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Crafton Ready to End Las Vegas Runner-Up Streak
Matt Crafton's finished second in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway three of the last four years so it's no surprise -- with the biggest payoff he's ever had within his grasp -- that Crafton and his No. 88 Jeld-Wen / Menards Toyota team are ready to win Saturday's Smith's 350 at LVMS. Crafton's recent career at Las Vegas -- five consecutive top-five finishes --...
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Comeback 4th Has Crafton Fired-Up at Chicagoland
Matt Crafton and his No. 88 Serta / Menards Toyota team Friday night wrote the latest chapter in a memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season with a late-chase fourth-place finish in the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. Crafton started the race "wrecking loose" and hadn't been too pleased with his Tundra all day. But crew chief Carl "Junior" Joiner and his team put Crafton...
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Crafton Feeding Off Recent Chicagoland Success
Matt Crafton's consistency in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been a plus all season, but Crafton's really hoping his recent success at the fast, 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway pays dividends in Friday night's fifth annual EnjoyIllinois.com 225. "We've been up-and-down there -- decent, but not great," said the typically low-key driver of the No. 88 Serta / Menards Toyota. "But for sure...
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Crafton Perseveres For Top-10 in Iowa
Matt Crafton and his No. 88 Jeld-Wen / Menards Toyota team Sunday exercised extraordinary willpower -- for the latest time this season -- and with it grabbed a seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' Fan Appreciation 200 presented by New Holland at Iowa Speedway. Crafton survived four restarts and a dwindling fuel supply in the race's last 22 laps -- though 12 of them wer...
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Crafton Ready to Move on in Iowa Sunshine
Matt Crafton's riding a wave in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series that includes a top-10 finish earlier this season under the lights at Iowa Speedway. So Crafton sees no reason the positive roll won't continue Sunday afternoon with his No. 88 Jeld-Wen / Menards Toyota in the Fan Appreciation 200 presented by New Holland. "My guys have been so solid that I'm really psyched to get to the race...
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Crafton’s Top-10 Streak Continues in Canada
Matt Crafton and his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota team are much too competitive to be happy with their 10th-place finish in Sunday's inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. But the bottom line is, by evading the mayhem that ensued on the last lap -- including a classic short-track bump-and-win move by Chase Elliott -- the Truck Series' champions...
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Crafton Well-Prepared for Silverado 250 Debut
Matt Crafton hasn't road-raced in more than 13 years -- the time frame in which the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last raced on a road course -- but Crafton and his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota team feel they're ready for Sunday's Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. "I'm looking forward to it," Crafton said. "I wish we had more tha...
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Crafton Survives Wild Bristol Finish in 10th
Matt Crafton had a shot to score a breakthrough NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway in Wednesday night's 16th UNOH 200, but after a typically spectacular Bristol finish, Crafton was relieved to come home 10th. Crafton's crew chief Carl "Junior" Joiner and his crew turned a No. 88 Great Lakes Wood Floors / Menards Toyota that wasn't very good in the day's opening prac...
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Crafton Ready For Whatever Bristol Dishes Out
Matt Crafton didn't include Bristol Motor Speedway on his recent list of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series "wild card" racetracks. But maybe he should have thought twice about the site of Wednesday night's 16th UNOH 200. Crafton's No. 88 Great Lakes Wood Floors / Menards Toyota carries a 51-point edge in the standings over NCWTS Rookie of the Year leader Jeb Burton into the 13th event of the 22...
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Crafton Escapes Michigan; Extends Top-10 Truck String
Matt Crafton, in the immediate aftermath of his ninth-place finish in Saturday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Michigan National Guard 200, was having a hard time finding much to be cheerful about at Michigan International Speedway. "We definitely had a better truck than what we finished," Crafton said, particularly citing two restarts in the race's last 25 laps. "We lost track position and...
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Crafton Re-Aligned for Year-Old Michigan
Matt Crafton and his ThorSport Racing team miscalculated the effect of Michigan International Speedway's new pavement on 2012's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event, but Crafton claims that won't happen to Crafton's No. 88 Great Lakes Wood Floors / Menards Toyota at this weekend's Michigan National Guard 200. Crafton has a lot more riding on that gambit this week, as he's leading the Truck S...
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Crafton Relieved to Escape Pocono ‘Chaos’ in 8th
Matt Crafton was wide-eyed on Pocono Raceway's pit road after the Pocono Mountains 125. Two green-white-checker attempts while you're running top-five and defending the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship lead will do that to you -- but Crafton was especially relieved to leave this vacation capitol with an eighth-place finish and a largely unscathed No. 88 Rip It Energy Fuel / Menard...
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Crafton Hopes Pocono Consistency Continues on Saturday
For years, Matt Crafton's been the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' "Mr. Consistency," and despite Pocono Raceway's short, three-year history with NASCAR trucks, the "Tricky Triangle" epitomizes Crafton's level of performance with ThorSport Racing. Crafton, who's the only NCWTS driver with 10 top-10 finishes in this season's first 10 races, has a series-best average finish at Pocono of fifth...
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Crafton Accomplishes Mission at Eldora
Matt Crafton accomplished his primary goal Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway in the inaugural CarCash Mudsummer Classic presented by CNBC Prime's 'The Profit' and the bonus was his eighth-place finish expanded his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship lead. "Awesome facility -- very cool -- but the track was definitely a lot narrower, the groove at least, than I thought it was going t...
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Crafton On-Track for Eldora Success
Matt Crafton was surprised about nothing during four hours of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice Tuesday and Wednesday morning's Happy Hour for that evening's inaugural CarCash Mudsummer Classic presented by CNBC Prime's 'The Profit' -- but he was more optimistic than he had been in anticipation of NASCAR's first national series dirt-track race in 42 years. His crew chief, Carl "Junior"...
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Crafton Extends Truck Series’ Point Lead with Iowa 6th
Matt Crafton dodged a couple bullets in his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota Saturday night at Iowa Speedway but in the end the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point leader was smiling on pit road after he finished sixth in the American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen. Crafton kept a couple significant career streaks going in his ongoing record 303rd consecutive Truck Series start, namely n...
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Winning History on Crafton’s Side at Iowa
Matt Crafton's half of a potent one-two punch for ThorSport Racing at Iowa Speedway this weekend, as he and teammate Johnny Sauter dominate most key NASCAR Camping World Truck Series statistical categories at the Midwest venue heading into Saturday's American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen. But the fact is Crafton, the NCWTS' championship leader, has an edge over Sauter via Crafton's 2011 vict...
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Crafton Retains Truck Series’ Point Lead with Kentucky 10th
Matt Crafton persevered through a frustrating night Thursday at Kentucky Speedway but in the end maintained his lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' championship standings with his ninth consecutive top-10 finish this season -- 10th in the UNOH 225. Crafton went to the line seventh in his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota and actually maintained a position in the upper half of the to...
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Point-Leader Crafton Loves Kentucky Chances
Matt Crafton has the most career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, 14, at Kentucky Speedway, site of Thursday night's UNOH 225. And while Crafton, who'll come to the line for the Truck Series' eighth race this season in his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota, will extend his series record for consecutive starts to 301, he's also competed at a very high level in that time. Crafton has...
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Crafton Notches 7th Straight 2013 Top-10, at Texas
Matt Crafton's 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' season prognosis might be pretty good, if series points leader Crafton keeps proclaiming disappointment over top-10 finishes. That was Crafton's tone after he scored his seventh consecutive top-10 finish this season, Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway in the WinStar World Casino 400, maintaining his streak as the only Truck Series competi...
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Truck Leader Crafton Seeks Texas Breakthrough
In what's shaping up as a career year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Californian Matt Crafton, a real highlight would be a victory in Friday night's WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Crafton's scored six consecutive top-10 finishes so far this season in his No. 88 Goof Off / Menards Toyota, which has led to ThorSport Racing's veteran driver having a 30-point lead i...
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Truck Leader Crafton Craving Dover’s Versatility
Matt Crafton and Toyota are both riding significant success streaks into Dover International Speedway this weekend and both obviously hope they continue in Friday afternoon's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' Lucas Oil 200. Crafton's 2013 ThorSport Racing teammate Todd Bodine won last year's Dover Truck race, albeit for another team. Bodine's 22nd career win was Toyota's fifth consecutive Truc...
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Crafton – Charlotte Motor Speedway Post-Race
Matt Crafton only finished fourth in Friday night's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he extended his lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' championship standings by nine points in the process. Friday night's event was only the fifth of 22 this season, but later this year Crafton and crew chief Carl "Junior" Joiner might look back on Charlotte -- a t...
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Crafton – Charlotte Motor Speedway Pre-Race
Matt Crafton's led the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' championship standings a few times in his career, but heading into Friday evening's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with his No. 88 Fisher Nuts / Menards Toyota atop the points could come at no better time for Crafton. First, he and wife Ashley celebrated the birth of their first child, daughter Elladee,...
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Cracton Living a dream in Kansas Win
Matt Crafton was badly off-the-pace in Happy Hour practice Friday at Kansas Speedway, but his confidence in crew chief Carl "Junior" Joiner and his ThorSport Racing crew was so great, Crafton said he was sure his team could dream up a set-up that would give them a chance at success with their No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota in Saturday's SFP 250. About 20 hours later, Crafton and Joiner's dr...
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Crafton – Kansas Speedway Pre-Race
Matt Crafton's enthused about taking his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota to Kansas Speedway this weekend -- and he says Saturday's SFP 250 "will still be exciting" despite the 1.5-mile racetrack's repave and reconfiguration last season. Crafton, who with 12 has the most career starts in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history at Kansas, loved the multi-groove racetrack Kansas had developed...
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Crafton – Rockingham Speedway Post-Race
Matt Crafton raved about Rockingham Speedway's tire-grinding track surface as the weekend opened, but after Sunday's Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock presented by Cheerwine, he realized that attempting to keep up with the track's varying condition had been his undoing. Even though Crafton's No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota raced in the top 10 all day after starting a ThorSport Racin...
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Crafton Sets Record With Start
For a race-winning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver and a former NASCAR touring division champion, Matt Crafton is about as low-key as you can get -- when he's outside the race vehicle.. But when he takes the green flag at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway for Sunday's NCWTS Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock presented by Cheerwine, Crafton will take sole possession of the Truck Series...
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Crafton – Martinsville Speedway Spring Post-Race
Matt Crafton ran out of laps at the end of Saturday's Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway, but in the end Crafton's second-place finish in the second race of the season was notable on several counts. When Crafton took the green flag in his No. 88 Rip It Energy Fuel / Menards Toyota, it was his 296th consecutive Truck Series start, which tied the series' al...
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Crafton – Martinsville Speedway Spring Pre-Race
Matt Crafton's raced long enough to know no racetrack could ever owe anything to a driver or a race team. But he's also human enough to know when payback might be called for. And that's a perfect scene-setter for Saturday's Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway in southern Virginia. Because at the series' last stop at NASCAR's shortest track on its nation...
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Crafton – Daytona International Speedway Post-Race
Matt Crafton only has to look back 12 months to know his ninth-place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway was a good deal. Crafton's No. 88 Slim Jim / Menards Toyota was a little bent-up, but it easily rolled into its ThorSport Racing transporter. Crafton had plenty of time to stroll over to Daytona's Victo...
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Crafton – Daytona International Speedway Pre-Race
ThorSport Racing driver Matt Crafton doesn't have much recent history to rave about when it comes to Daytona International Speedway and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but there's no question the ability of his No. 88 Slim Jim / Menards Toyota crew has the California veteran eagerly looking ahead. "I absolutely feel like this (2013) is the best chance I've had at winning a championship i...