Matt Crafton
2006

4/19
Sullivan Worldwide Announces Relationship Between National Pork Board and ThorSport Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (04/17/2006) - Sullivan Worldwide Marketing Group (Sullivan Worldwide) announced today that ThorSport Racing has secured the National Pork Board as an associate sponsor for the #13 Chevrolet driven by Kerry Earnhardt and the #88 Chevrolet driven by Matt Crafton in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

"Affiliating with one of the most popular drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Kerry Earnhardt and a championship contender in Matt Crafton presents a tremendous opportunity for the National Pork Board," said Sullivan Worldwide President Greg Sullivan.

"The National Pork Board is excited about the exposure that this partnership gives us.   Working with Kerry Earnhardt, Matt Crafton and the ThorSport Racing team will provide us with a solid foundation in the Craftsman Truck Series," according to Mike Walser, Eastern Division Retail Manager for the National Pork Board.   "We're planning some great promotions for these targeted events."

Starting with the May 19 race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, the National Pork Board will adorn Earnhardt's #13 and Crafton's #88 for the remainder of the 2006 season.

ThorSport Racing fields two Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Matt Crafton earned ThorSport its first top-ten finish in the series point standings in 2005.

Sullivan Worldwide is the leading producer of motorsports sponsorship in the United States. Best known for securing Nextel as the entitlement sponsor for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series on behalf of its client NASCAR, Sullivan Worldwide recently helped secure The Fastenal Company as the primary sponsor of Bobby Hamilton's #18 Fastenal Dodge, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
For more information, contact Sullivan Worldwide at (386) 248-0999 or at sullivanworldwide.com.

4/1
ThorSport's Crafton Roars to 3rd Place Finish at Martinsville

It was a long afternoon on the short track of Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, as a record sixteen cautions wreaked havoc with patience and track position during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 250.

By the time it was over, Matt Crafton had surged thru traffic, sidestepped trouble and secured a 3 rd place finish (and second consecutive top-10) for ThorSport Racing and the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado.

Crafton started the race in 21 st place, and wasted little time moving toward the front.  He steadily picked up positions, and by lap 116 had charged inside the top ten.  He continued his climb up the leader board as the laps dwindled, racing to third place with less than 90 laps to go.  Crafton maintained his third-place spot despite a barrage of mangled truck bodies and the muck of lapped traffic.  He also held off a late-race charge from Mark Martin, who finished 4 th . “Mark is one of the best racers out here, and I knew he wasn’t gonna take me out,” said Crafton.  “He might’ve put his bumper to me in the middle of the corner and got me up off the bottom, but I knew if I kept mine on the bottom and kept getting a real good drive up off, he couldn’t get to me.”  According to Crafton, the track opened up to him once he was able to separate himself from the pack.  “If you get out front a bit where we were, you can run where you want to run and arc the thing in and get a really good drive off the corner.  The guys in the back are using up their equipment, and beating up th eir  truck sand tires.”  

Crafton believes his fine finish at Martinsville will provide a huge momentum boost for the No. 88 team.  “I felt like we had a top ten truck at Daytona and California, but we didn’t have the results to show for it,” he said.  “At Atlanta, we had a top-three truck, but track position killed us.  We were determined that we weren’t gonna get beat by track position today.  We just stayed out and rolled the dice.  I’m real thankful to the No. 88 crew, and so proud of what we did together today.  They built me an awesome truck, and I drove it as hard and as smart as I could.”

With the finish, Crafton moved up three spots to 13th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.