Crafton Fights to 22nd in Atlanta
Matt Crafton started a career worst 35th, but major adjustments to the No. 88 Menards/SealBest Chevrolet put him in a position to win the EasyCare 200 NASCAR Truck series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway before contact with another truck damaged the nose of his truck, changing the aerodynamic balance and relegating him to 22nd-place at the finish. Crafton fell off the lead lap during the first green flag run of the day, but a timely caution allowed him to rejoin the lead lap and quick work on pit road by the ThorSport Racing crew turned the bright yellow truck into a rocketship, allowing Crafton to move from 32nd to as high as 14th before the incident on the speedway slowed his charge.
"You never want to have your career worst start, especially at a place like Atlanta because you know the leaders are going to be closing on you so fast when you start that far back," Crafton said. "We got lapped just at the end of the first green flag run, but as soon as the leader got by us the caution came out and we got the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap. I almost started thinking our luck for the weekend was going to turn around after that, and it did for a little while. The guys made some changes and patched up a little damage to the left side of the nose and we were really good after that. We were passing them as we were catching them and I thought we'd come out of here with a pretty decent finish.
"As fast as this place is, there was a lot of stuff going on out there today, and all that bumping ended up damaging the right side of the nose too. It pushed it in like it was flat sided almost, and from there out we couldn't do anything. We were actually pretty lucky to hold on and finish as well as we did, but coming in 22nd after looking like we could get a top ten is really disappointing."
The result cost Crafton two positions in the NASCAR Truck Series point standings, dropping him from eighth to tenth with just three races to go. Crafton is just two points behind ninth-place Ricky Craven and thirty points behind eighth-place David Starr.
"That sure didn't help us in the points," Crafton said. "Every position is so important this time of year. I am still confident in our mile and a half program, and I love Phoenix too. We have three races left and they are all on my kind of racetracks. We finished fifth at Texas earlier this season and we had the strongest truck there last fall before someone made a bonehead move and took us out. I know the ThorSport guys are going to give me a truck that can run at the front and we'll do the best we can do to keep it up there. If we keep doing what we've been doing, the points will take care if themselves."
The Silverado 350 from Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday November 4 and will be televised live on Speed Channel. Motor Racing Network will provide live radio coverage on selected affiliates nationwide, while TruckSeries.com will have real-time practice, qualifying, and race updates as well as audio interviews and pictures throughout the course of the event at www.truckseries.com.
Loose Truck in Traffic Hampers Hines Atlanta Run
Tracy Hines fought a loose truck in race traffic and drove the ThorSport Racing No. 13 David Zoriki Inc. Chevrolet to 26th in the EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hines was able to stay out of trouble all afternoon and miss the several incidents throughout the day and picked up several positions late as problems struck several others.
Hines started 28th, but on the first caution flag just three laps into the race, he brought his machine down pit road so the crew could look at the tires and a handling adjustment.
"We headed into turn one on the second lap and everyone just started crashing in front of us," Hines said. "I saw a couple of trucks up next to the wall and there were debris flying everywhere. The way our luck has been lately, I think it's amazing we didn't get caught up in it too, but thankfully we were able to miss it. This place is way too fast to be playing around with tires, so I wanted the guys to take a look at them after going through all that debris."
The pit stop sent Hines to the back of the pack for the restart, and dealing with all of the dirty air from the 32 trucks in front of him did not help the handling on the No. 13 Chevy.
"Once we went back to green, we got up there and raced with a couple of other guys but the truck was just so loose I could barely hang on to it," Hines said. "We don't need to tear up any more stuff before the end of the year if we can help it, so I just backed it down and did what I could do to stay on the lead lap. It really takes a lot to do that because as a racer you want to go out and drive it as hard as youcan and get up there and race with people and try to pick up positions."
Next up for Hines and the ThorSport Racing No. 13 David Zoriki Inc. Chevrolet is the Silverado 350 from Texas Motor Speedway, which will be shown live on Speed Channel at 9 P.M. Eastern on Friday November 4. Motor Racing Network will have live radio coverage on select affiliates nationwide, while TruckSeries.com will have real-time practice, qualifying, and race updates at www.truckseries.com.
Crafton Ready for High Speed Atlanta Clash
Sandusky , Oh. - Matt Crafton moved to eighth place in the NASCAR Truck Series point standings following the event last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, and with three 1.5-mile superspeedways and a flat one-mile track to round out the 2005 season, Crafton has his eyes set on picking up a couple more spots before the season is over. With the ultra-fast, multi-groove Atlanta Motor Speedway next on the schedule, Crafton is ready to continue to make his mark in the standings.
"We've been really consistent this year," Crafton said. "We looked at what we wanted to accomplish this year and that was at the top of the list. We needed to make our bad days not so bad and so far we've been able to do that. One of the bad days we had early on was the first race at Atlanta , when we had a carburetor problem that kept us off the pace for most of the race. But the guys never gave up and we ended up 14th at the end. We always want to be up in the top ten if we can be, but we also need to make the most out of the days when we are a little off. We did that in the first Atlanta race, and I am looking forward to going back because we had our truck really good if not for that carburetor problem."
Crafton has reason to be confident going back to Atlanta . He picked up the first top-five finish of his career at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2004, and looked to have a shot to repeat that performance in the spring.
"We qualified back in the pack in the spring, but once the green flag flew I went outside and it seemed like we were passing everyone we caught. That's what's great about Atlanta is the surface is worn just right and you can run down low, in the middle, or way up high. I've always liked getting up on the outside where no one else is going to run, and if we have a truck that can do it, I think you'll see us up there riding around the top and picking them off as we get to them this time too."
Crafton has been among the most consistent drivers in the NASCAR Truck Series to this point in the 2005 season. His 13.3 average finish is fifth-best among all competitors in the series with four races remaining.
The Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for a 3 P.M. Eastern start, and will be seen live on Speed Channel. Motor Racing Network will have live coverage on select radio affiliates nationwide, and TruckSeries.com will provide continuing updates throughout practice, qualifying, and the race at www.truckseries.com.
Hines Looks to Break Atlanta Streak
Tracy Hines has two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and it both races he has earned a 16th-place finish. Hines looks to break that streak and improve upon those finishes when he takes to the 1.54-mile speedway for this weekend's Easy Care Vehicle Services Contracts 200 in his ThorSport Racing No. 13 David Zoriki Motorsports Chevrolet. In fact, in both races he's contested at AMS, he's started and finished in the same positions.
"We've been there twice, and I think we definitely improved on out performance in the spring race there over last year," Hines said. "We finished on the lead lap in the spring, and we had a really good handling truck. We had to start at the back because we needed to check for a problem under the hood, but once we got out there we could take the truck anywhere it wanted to go. That's what's fun about Atlanta , you can run anywhere. We were in a pretty tight group of trucks most of the night and it was a lot of fun. I think if we can come back and the handling is the same, we can run a little closer to the front. We've had some pretty decent runs on the superspeedways this season, but we've always had to overcome some sort of problem early on that puts us to the back. If we can get some good luck on our side and keep from going to the back early on I think you'll see us running near the top-10 late in the race."
Hines is locked in an intense battle to break into the top-20 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings, and strong finishes in the final four races of the season would go a long way in helping achieve that goal.
"We got buried by bad luck early in the season and knocked out of the points pretty quick, but I think it would say a lot about this team if we could come back and end up in the top-20," Hines said. "We need to get a couple more top-10 finishes before the season's over. That's what's going to do it for us. If we can run in the top-10, the points will take care of themselves. If you look at some of the guys we're racing with and some of the names that are just in front of us, you'll see how intense the competition is in the Truck Series. There's guys that have won races back there with us, and there's guys that have won races in the Cup and Busch series back there. I've been a part of some of the toughest racing series around in the open wheel cars, but this one is about the most competitive I've ever seen. It would mean a lot for all of us to get back into the top-20. Our teammate is fighting for a spot in the top-10, and it would be good for this team to have both of us achieve our goals."
The Easy Care Vehicle Services Contracts 200 from Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for a 3 P.M. Eastern start and will be televised live on Speed Channel. Motor Racing Network will have the live radio call on selected affiliates nationwide, while TruckSeries.com will have continuous updates throughout practice, qualifying, and the race at www.truckseries.com.
Crafton Perseveres to 12th in Martinsville
Matt Crafton drove the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards Chevrolet to a 12th-place finish in the Kroger 200 NASCAR Truck Series race on Saturday. Crafton, who also started 12th for the 200-lap short track finale, was able to stay out of the numerous incidents throughout the day and picked up two positions in the championship standings as a result.
"We had a decent day," Crafton said. "Track position is so important here because the second groove never really came in. We tried to make some moves to get around the guys in front of us and get into the top-10, but every time we did it opened up a lane for the guys behind us to get around."
Crafton was happy to escape the last short track race of 2005 without getting involved in any of the several incidents that spiced the action throughout the day.
"We talked about it before the race and it was really important for us to get out of here in one piece," Crafton said. "Martinsville isn't fast like Bristol or Richmond, but you can get caught up in someone else's problem just as quick if not quicker here. It's so tight and everyone is so close you never get a chance to get spread out. There were some close calls out there, but we were lucky enough to make it past most of them. There's a few dents and scratches on it, but it's no where near as bad as it could have been."
Crafton now sits eighth in the series point standings, 65 points behind seventh place and just 88 points out of fifth with just four races remaining.
"The battle for the championship is close, but the battle back where we are is definitely just as intense," he said. "We have a shot to finish up in the top five in points, but with one bad race we could drop out of the top ten too. We'll head to the last four races of the season and do our best to get that first win and stay as high in the points as we can. We need to stay consistent. Top tens are nice, but we need a good top-five run to help in the points."
Crafton returns to action this weekend in the Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 200-miler is scheduled to start shortly after 3 P.M. Eastern on Saturday October 29 and will be seen live on Speed Channel. Select affiliates of the Motor Racing Network will have the live radio call, while TruckSeries.com will have complete event coverage including practice, qualifying, and race updates at www.truckseries.com .
Hines Recovers to Finish 17th in Martinsville
Tracy Hines made a dramatic recovery in Saturday's Kroger 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, coming back from 36th on the field and a lap down after slight involvement in the first incident of the day to finish 17th. Hines pitted early to ensure the ThorSport Racing No. 13 David Zoriki Inc. Chevrolet wasn't overheating after he was caught in a logjam trying to avoid a spin involving former series champions Mike Skinner and Bobby Hamilton on the backstretch, and fought hard throughout the day to regain lost track position to come home 17th.
"We had the same thing happen to us here last year," Hines said. "We had a stackup in front of us, and it got the radiator and we didn't know about it until we lost all the water. We didn't want the same thing to happen to us here so we pitted early and made sure the grille wasn't closed off and the radiator was okay. Everything was good, but we were at the back of the pack. The track is so narrow and slick that we couldn't pass, and we were forced to run as fast as the rest of them were. The leaders got us a lap down, but we lucked out and got the free pass to get back on the lead lap and the guys tuned on it a little and got us a little faster."
On the final run of the day, Hines had a chance to crack into the top-15, but more stacking up in front of him ensured 17th at the checkered.
"I thought we were going to get up into the top-15 at the end," Hines said. "There was some beating and banging out there and it stacked everyone up and we got the short end of the stick. But the guys did a great job today. No one ever gave up on it and they made some changes that got us pretty good. When we were a lap down there we were in the lead pack and we could run with anyone out there. We need to get rid of this bad luck that gets us down early and get up in the lead pack sometime and I think we could give anyone a run for their money."
Hines returns to action this weekend as the series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts 200. Speed Channel will have the live broadcast starting at 3 P.M. Eastern, while Motor Racing Network will have the live radio call on select affiliates nationwide. TruckSeries.com will have complete event coverage including practice, qualifying, and race updates at www.truckseries.com .
Crafton Back on Comfortable Turf in Martinsville
Sandusky , Oh. – Matt Crafton returns to Martinsville Speedway for the final short track race of the 2005 NASCAR Truck Series season with an added level of comfort. Crafton, considered to be a flat-track specialist since his championship-winning days in the NASCAR Southwest Tour, has racked up three top-10 finishes at the paperclip-shaped oval, including a sixth-place run in this event last fall. He looks to take the ThorSport No. 88 Menards/SealBest Chevrolet to the top-10 to solidify his chances at a top-10 finish in the series point standings.
“Last fall was a brutal race,” Crafton said. “I don’t know exactly why, but it was rough, even by Truck Series standards. There were a lot of trucks beat up at the end of the race. With the points race as close as it is right now, you might see even more beating and banging because a lot of those guys are going to be racing their tails off to firm up their spot in the points. There is some to be gained, but a lot to lose too.”
Crafton, currently tenth in series points, doesn’t want to get involved in one of the typical short track incidents and jeopardize his chances at a top-10 finish in the series standings.
“You don’t go out and not try to win,” Crafton said. “You want to win every time out, and I think we’ve got as good a chance as anyone. But you also need to keep in mind the big picture. If someone is really racing you hard early in the race, what makes more sense, racing him hard and burning up your stuff or taking it easy and saving it for the last 50 laps? We need to race hard, but we also need to race smart.”
For Crafton, playing it smart may come a little easier at a track at which he has had previous success.
“We’ve always been pretty good at Martinsville , even if the finishes don’t always show it,” he said. “Ever since the first time we came here it’s just a place that seemed to come naturally. I don’t think coming to a place like Martinsville and needing to play it on the safe side is a bad situation, because I know when we need to go, the guys will have given me a truck that can go. And I am pretty confident in myself that when I need to go I can.”
In seven starts at Martinsville Speedway, Crafton has a 19.9 average start and a 13.6 average finish. He has racked up three top-10 finishes, including two sixth-place efforts and a seventh. He has completed 94.4% of the possible 1654 laps, and has five lead lap finishes.
The Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for live telecast on Speed Channel starting at 1 P.M. Eastern on October 23 rd . Motor Racing Network will also have live coverage on selected radio affiliates nationwide, while TruckSeries.com will provide practice, qualifying, and race updates at www.truckseries.com .
Hines Looks to Recapture Short Track Magic at Martinsville
Sandusky , Oh. – The last time the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competed on a track under a mile in length, Tracy Hines brought home a top-five finish in the ThorSport Racing No. 13 David Zoriki Inc. Chevrolet. As the series readies for its final short track battle of the 2005 season at Martinsville Speedway, Hines is ready to pick up where he left off in Richmond .
“I have always liked going to Martinsville ,” Hines said. “I ran a race there in 2003 and ended up 13 th , and it just seems like I’ve taken to it ever since. We had really good trucks there in 2004, but some problems kept us from getting the kind of finishes we deserved. We had a loose oil line in the spring race and lost a few laps in the pits while we got it fixed. Once we came out we had one of the fastest trucks on the track and even though we were so far back to make a run for it, it built some confidence that we could come back and run good. Last fall we had another good truck but we got wiped out in someone else’s mess, and that is something you’re always going to have to be careful of at Martinsville .”
With confidence that he can get the job done, Hines returns to Martinsville for the second time in 2005 looking to better the solid 13 th -place finish he picked up in the spring.
“We were still a very new team back in April when we were in Martinsville for the first time,” Hines said. “We’ve added a lot of strong people to the team since then, and we’ve come a long way. I would like to come back and pick up another top-ten finish for those guys. We showed at Richmond that once we get up to the front we are fast enough to run with anyone. Shane (Tesch, crew chief) has shown he can make some gutsy calls to get us up there, so if we can keep it out of other people’s trouble we should have a pretty good chance at picking up a good finish.”
In four NCTS starts at Martinsville Speedway, Hines has finished 13 th twice, but the troubles he fought in 2004 have his average finish at 22.5. He has three top-20 starts, with a best of 16 th in April 2004, and an average start of 19.5.
Hines has collected several strong finishes in United States Auto Club open wheel races since his last run in the Truck Series. He led more than half the race in the USAC National Midget feature in Columbus , Oh. before settling for sixth on October 8. A mid-week run at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway resulted in a sixth-place run in the National Sprint Car Series, and he made it a hat trick with a third consecutive sixth-place run after setting fast time in qualifications in the Rich Vogler Classic at the high-banked Winchester Speedway in Indiana on October 16.
The Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for live telecast on Speed Channel starting at 1 P.M. Eastern on October 23 rd . Motor Racing Network will also have live coverage on selected radio affiliates nationwide, while TruckSeries.com will provide practice, qualifying, and race updates at www.truckseries.com .
