ThorSport Racing News
2007

01/08

Connor Brings Championship Experience To Thorsport Racing

Dennis Connor has joined ThorSport Racing as Director of Competition, the team announced on Wednesday.
Connor, winner of three Craftsman Truck Series championships as a crew chief, is among the most-respected figures in NASCAR. He served as a consultant to ThorSport in ’04 and ’05, and anticipates a successful return. “Being in the right place at the right time is a huge part of success in this business, and I believe ThorSport Racing is poised for success,” Connor said. “There are a lot of good things happening in the organization, and hopefully I can add some experience and insight to the mix.”

Connor is a native of Sylva, NC and has worked with many of NASCAR’S most popular names during three-plus decades in the sport, including Mark Martin, Neil Bonnett and Tim Richmond.

Sandusky-based ThorSport has competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1996. Matt Crafton, driver of the team’s No. 88 Chevrolet Silverado, finished 8th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings last season.

“The opportunity to go to the track each week and take your best shot is what continues to drive me, and I think the pieces are in place for this team to win races and consistently compete at the highest level,” Connor said. “I look forward to working closely with Bud Haefele and Lance Hooper (crew chiefs of the No.'s 88 and No. 13, respectively). There’s a strong desire to succeed on everyone’s part, and that’s what it takes. It’s about the team, not the individual, and all of us working together to find the right pieces to the puzzle. I’m excited to see what we can do.”

11/19

Thorsport Racing Duo Honored At Nascar Craftsman Truck Series Awards Banquet

ThorSport Racing drivers Willie Allen and Matt Crafton were among those honored at the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series awards banquet at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida on Monday night.

Allen won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year award, joining current Nextel Cup stars Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch among others as winners of the award.

“It’s a dream come true for me to win the Rookie of the Year award,” Allen said. “I’ve learned so much this season, and it’s been a thrill to compete against the incredible competitors in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. I’m thankful to everybody at ThorSport Racing, including my teammate Matt Crafton, for all of his help this year. Matt’s a veteran and he knows what this deal is all about, and he’s been great to me. I’m grateful to The National Pork Board, Nashville Music City and Chevrolet for all of their support this season. I’m just thrilled to be doing what I love for a living.” Allen will also be honored today along with Juan Pablo Montoya (Nextel Cup) and David Ragan (Busch) as the top rookies in each of NASCAR'S top touring series at a Raybestos luncheon at The Speedway Club in Charlotte.

Crafton finished 8th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings, and was honored as a top-10 driver for the third time in the last four years. Crafton reached double-digit top-10 finishes for the fifth consecutive year, and sixth in the last seven. He equaled his career-best finish with a 3rd place showing at Atlanta, and qualified a season-best 2nd at Martinsville and Phoenix. He has collected 76 top-10 finishes in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career.

“All in all, it was another pretty strong year for us, and I’m thankful to my guys for everything they did for me this season,” Crafton said. “We showed flashes of what we’re capable of, and did a good job of bouncing back whenever we faced adversity. I’ve said all along that I believe we’re on the right track to becoming a top-five team, and I’m excited to get to Daytona in February. I think some special things are in store for this team.”

The success of Allen and Crafton further entrenches ThorSport Racing as one of the premier teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The organization has competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1996.

3/15

Atlanta and Truck Racing Both Important to Georgia Producers

Hampton, GA (March 13, 2007) - For the Southeastern region of the National Pork Board and the Pork Producers from Georgia, racing has become a very important part of their yearly marketing campaign. This weekend's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway is truly one of the pinnacle's of the year for them from both a marketing and exposure standpoint as well as a chance to enjoy some of the best racing NASCAR has to offer.

Pork will once again adorn the trucks prepared by ThorSport Racing, based in Sandusky, Ohio for Friday night's running of the American Commercial Lines 300 Craftsman Truck event. ThorSport's two teams, the No. 88 Menard's Chevrolet Silverado piloted by Matt Crafton and the No. 13 National Pork Board Chevrolet Silverado piloted this season by Rookie-of-the-Year contender, Willie Allen, are always happy to have the Pork Producers in attendance.  

"I really want to thank Mike Walser and all the people from the National Pork Board for their sponsorship on our truck for Atlanta," said Allen. "They will have several representatives on hand at the track and they are providing dinner for all the guys in the garage. The support that they give me and the ThorSport organization is just unbelievable. I hope we can take the No. 13 National Pork Board Chevy Silverado to a great finish this weekend."

Allen will be making his career-first start at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend while Crafton will make his sixth career start at one of the fastest race tracks that the series visits. Crafton has earned one top-five and two top-ten finishes at Atlanta. Crafton also sits ninth in the NCTS points standings entering the third event in the 2007 season.  

For the Georgia Pork Producers, their involvement with ThorSport Racing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway stretches beyond on-track performance. The entertainment, comradery and exposure throughout the world of NASCAR have been the primary ingredients that keep the Pork Producers coming back year after year.

"The Pork industry has received a lot of exposure from racing," said Terry Danforth, Past President of the Georgia Pork Producers. "We have been involved in different marketing campaigns in the past including the ARCA Re/Max Series which was very successful. But about five years ago, the ARCA Series stopped coming to Atlanta which forced those of us in the area to travel to Daytona or Talladega in order to be involved in a Motorsports program. Mike (Walser) put together a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program in order to get us involved in more of the southeastern markets. I really enjoy truck racing, in fact I think they put on a better show than some of the Nextel Cup races. Plus it is a great value for the National Pork Board; we get so much bang for the buck in advertising. We have a limited budget and this gives us a big opportunity to market our products to a key audience and be tied into a major sporting event.

Teaming with ThorSport Racing is just ideal for us. They are incredibly generous people and they provide exactly what we need as a company.   They always look forward to us being there and especially look forward to us cooking for them."

The American Commercial Lines 300 is scheduled to take the green flag at 9:00pm ET at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday night, March 16. The race will be televised Live on Speed with coverage beginning at 8:30pm ET.  

1/24

Sullivan Worldwide Announces Continued Relationship Between The National Pork Board and ThorSport Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (01/24/2007) - Sullivan Worldwide Marketing Group (Sullivan Worldwide) announced today that ThorSport Racing has renewed its relationship with the National Pork Board as an associate sponsor of the #13 Chevrolet driven by Willie Allen and the #88 Chevrolet driven by Matt Crafton in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

"The Craftsman Truck Series continues to provide a tremendous value for our marketing partners. The National Pork Board's partnership was a tremendous success in 2006 and I expect it will continue to be for many years." said Sullivan Worldwide President Greg Sullivan.

"The National Pork Board is thrilled to continue our partnership with ThorSport Racing in 2007," said Mike Walser, Eastern Division Retail Manager for the National Pork Board. "Our opportunity to continue to raise the awareness of pork products with the consumer and to represent the hard-working pork producers provides unparalleled value."

Starting with the February 16 th race at Daytona International Speedway, the National Pork Board will have a significant presence on the two ThorSport Racing entries for the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

ThorSport Racing fields two Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Willie Allen competing for Raybestos Rookie of the Year and Matt Crafton contending for the 2007 season series championship.

Sullivan Worldwide is a leading producer of motorsports sponsorship in the United States. Sullivan Worldwide is best known for securing Nextel as the series entitlement sponsor for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series on behalf of its client NASCAR.

For more information, contact Sullivan Worldwide at (386) 248-0999 or at sullivanworldwide.com.