Matt Crafton
2006

8/22
CRAFTON READY FOR BATTLE ON HIGH BANKS OF BRISTOL

Matt Crafton continues his charge toward the top-10 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings in the O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday night.

Crafton enters Bristol in 12th place in the standings, a mere 27 points from the top-10, and readies for battle on the high banked, half-mile oval on the strength of a 9th place finish at Nashville, his 8th top-10 finish in 16 races this season. Crafton claims Bristol is his favorite place to race, and history supports the ThorSport Racing driver. In 3 career starts at Bristol, Crafton owns a pair of top-ten finishes, including a 3rd-place run in ’04. Crafton has collected 19 top-ten finishes in 32 attempts on short-tracks in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

“I love racing at Bristol more than any other track on our schedule,” Crafton enthused. “The high banks of the track and the speed make for an awesome race for the drivers and the fans.” Awesome may not be the word most NASCAR drivers use to describe the concrete bullring after the race, however, when battered truck bodies and frayed nerves and heated exchanges litter the scene. Nowhere on the Craftsman Truck Series circuit is track position, and patience, more critical than at Bristol, where even drivers starting the race up front are inevitably in danger of lapped-traffic demolition.

“It’s easy to get caught up in someone else’s mess there, because things happen in a split-second,” cautioned Crafton. “The key is to try hard to stay out of trouble, so you can be there at the end and give yourself a chance to win.”

Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Silverado team hope to maintain the consistency that has become a hallmark of the team. “We’ve been so consistent this season, and I’m confident we can keep it going,” Crafton said. His search for an elusive first victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series continues, and, according to Crafton, Bristol would be a perfect place to break into Victory Lane. “Bristol is one of those places where every driver wants to have a ‘W’ on their resume,” said Crafton. “There’s so much history and tradition at Bristol, and the best in our sport have won there. It would be incredible for our team to go to Victory Lane at Bristol.”

8/11
CRAFTON SEEKS RETURN TO CONSISTENCY AT NASHVILLE

Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards team look to rebound from last week’s disappointing 20th place finish at ORP in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville SuperSpeedway on Saturday.

In five career starts on the 1.33mile concrete oval at Nashville, Crafton has two top-10 finishes. “After the way we ran at ORP, I can’t wait to race at Nashville,” Crafton said. “We had a decent run there last year (Crafton finished 13th), but I’m confident we can do better. As the race goes on, you can run different grooves at Nashville, which makes for some good side-by-side racing. The track is usually pretty easy on tires, so you can run your own race the whole time and not worry about how much the tires have fallen off.”

Crafton’s search for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory continues, and the possibility of hoisting the Gibson guitar trophy in Music City isn’t lost on him. “Every driver who races here would love to have that guitar trophy, and it sure would be special to put that one on the shelf for our first win. But as I’ve said all season, my main focus is on consistency, because that’s what will get us where we want to be.”

Crafton has seven top-10 finishes in 15 races thus far in '06.

8/4
CRAFTON CARRIES SHORT-TRACK MOMENTUM TO INDY

Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Silverado return to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series action in the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis on Friday night.

Crafton, who charged to a 3rd place finish at Memphis prior to the two-week break, has an affinity for short tracks, and ORP is no exception. Crafton has finished in the top-10 in each of his five previous starts at the .686 mile oval, including a 4th place finish in ’05. His average finish of 7th is best among NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers.

“ORP is one of my favorite race tracks,” said Crafton. “It’s more of a ‘driver’s track’. It seems to fit my style of driving. I like the long, sweeping corners. I’ll have to be extra aware of the pit road situation, because it’s much narrower than most tracks. There are so many things that drivers and crews have to consider at ORP, which adds to the excitement of the race.”

Crafton’s short track success extends beyond ORP. In 31 career short track starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Crafton has accumulated 19 top-ten finishes. Odds are, he’ll be in the thick of the battle and running up front again on Friday at ORP, where track position is critical.

Crafton is 12th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings, and within 40 points of his customary place in the top ten.

“I’m happy with the way we’ve continued to get better, and I can’t say enough about the job the crew has done for me,” Crafton said. “We’d like to get that first win, and I believe we’re closer to it than we’ve ever been. The key is to keep getting better and to stay consistent. If we do that, we’ll be where we want to be.”