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Homestead 2009

11-16-09 Crafton Looks to Cap Season with Win at Homestead Matt Craf ...

Updated: Nov 18, 2009 6:52pm EST

PIR 2009 : Matt starts 14th at PIR 2nd Fastest in Final Practice..

PIR 2009

Matt starts 14th at PIR 2nd Fastest in Final Practice..

Updated: Nov 19, 2009 6:00pm EST

Texas 2009 #2 : Crafton Captures Pole Award At Texas Matt Crafton posted a lap of 179.354 miles per hour to capture the pole position at Thursday’s 7-Eleven Qualifying Day for the WinStar World Casino 350k NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The pole was Crafton’s second of the year and third of his career, with his previous ones coming at New Hampshire in 2005 and earlier this season at Chicagoland. Crafton’s previous-best qualifying effort at Texas Motor Speedway was third in June’s WinStar World Casino 400. Todd Bodine, a record five-time truck series winner at Texas Motor Speedway, qualified on the outside pole with a lap of 178.235 mph. Rounding out the top five were Chad McCumbee at 178.212 mph, points leader and defending race champion Ron Hornaday Jr. at 178.183 mph and David Gilliland at 178.083, respectively. Rookie James Buescher, of Plano, qualified 10th with a lap of 177.288 mph to pace the trio of Texans competing in the WinStar World Casino 350k. David Starr, a Houston native who lives in Fort Worth, qualified 16th at 176.327 mph and Colin Braun, of Ovalo, was 19th at 176.131 mph. SOURCE: Texas Motor Speedway Matt Get's the Pole At Texas!!!!!!!!!Let's Start Racing Matt!!! Final Practice 1ST Quickest!!!!!!! Way to Go Matt & Team 88

Texas 2009 #2

Crafton Captures Pole Award At Texas Matt Crafton posted a lap of 17 ...

Updated: Nov 09, 2009 8:24am EST

Talladega 2009 : Matt 10th in Final Practice... CRAFTON: Hoping For Triumphant Talladega Visit When it comes to Talladega Superspeedway, wild is the operative word, a description that applies equally to action on and off the track. Unlike anywhere else in NASCAR, Talladega conjures images in the minds of drivers and race fans of a beast beyond control, and none would have it any other way. Matt Crafton hopes, however, that when the smoke from Saturday’s Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega clears, his No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado will be sitting in Victory Lane. “Talladega is awesome,” Crafton said. “It’s door-to-door drafting at 190mph, and it can be mentally-draining. During practice, you get an idea of which of the other trucks your truck seems to suck-up best with in the draft, and you go from there. During the race, you have to find the groove that best suits your truck. There’s so much about this race that is impossible to predict. You just have to be smart, and hope that you don’t get caught up in someone else’s trouble. Hopefully, we can take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane on Saturday.” While he would prefer a win, of course, Crafton will gladly accept anything that aids his effort to quickly gain chunks of points in his battle for a first NCWTS championship. He is in second place in the NCWTS standings and faces a sizeable point-disadvantage with four races remaining this season. Crafton has finished outside the top-10 in each of his three previous NCWTS starts at Talladega. “Our goal each time out is to win races, period,” said Crafton. “That’s our focus, and it never changes. We know we need some help in the points-deal, but we’ve seen that anything can happen week-to-week in this series. We can only focus on trying to control what’s happening with our team, and whatever else happens, happens. For the most part, we’ve been good at putting ourselves in position to win races, and, hopefully, we can do it again on Saturday. As always, the race will be a heck of a show for drivers and fans." Crafton would relish adding his name to the list of winners at Talladega. “There’s just so much history at Talladega, so many great drivers who have found a way to get to Victory Lane there,” he said. “It would be special to be able to add my name to that list. We’ll try to be in position with a few laps to go on Saturday, and, from that point, it’s a roll of the dice.”

Talladega 2009

Matt 10th in Final Practice... CRAFTON: Hoping For Triumphant Tallad ...

Updated: Nov 02, 2009 4:38pm EST

Martinsville 2009 #2 : Martinsville Start Finish Matt Crafton 22 9

Martinsville 2009 #2

Martinsville Start Finish Matt Crafton 22 9

Updated: Oct 25, 2009 2:23pm EST

Vegas 2009 : CRAFTON: Vegas Outstanding Facility TruclSeries.com Report Matt Crafton returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Saturday's Las Vegas 350 looking to build on his 3rd place finish at the track last season. The finish was his first in the top-5 at Vegas in eight career starts. He also owns a top-10 finish at LVMS. “We’ve always had good trucks here, but, until last year, just hadn’t had the results to show for it,” Crafton said. “I love racing at Las Vegas. The facility is outstanding, one of the best we visit. The track has continued to improve since it was reconfigured, and is really fast, but it’s still a little difficult to race side-by-side. You have to be on your game in terms of the handling piece of it, because the track will punish you thru turns one and two. Las Vegas is always a great show for the fans, and we’re ready to go.” Included among the faces in the crowd at Vegas on Saturday will be many familiar to Crafton, who is a native of Tulare, CA. “ I always enjoy coming back to the West Coast,” he said. “I’ll have a bunch of friends and family at the race, and that’s always special. You always want to win, of course, but it would be really cool if we could take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane for everybody on Saturday. Hopefully, we can again put ourselves in strong position to have a shot to win it." Coverage of the Las Vegas 350 begins at 9pm EST on SPEED.

Vegas 2009

CRAFTON: Vegas Outstanding Facility TruclSeries.com Report Matt ...

Updated: Oct 23, 2009 12:18pm EST

NEW HAMPSHIRE 2009 : CRAFTON: Fights To 4th Place At New Hampshire TruckSeries.com Report Matt Crafton showed the grit that exemplifies the NCWTS championship-challenger as he battled to a 4th place finish in the Heluva Good! 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday. Crafton suffered damage to the right-front fender of his No. 88 Sylvania/Menards Silverado early in the race, and fought a resultant tight truck for the duration. Crafton, who started 8th, scrapped his way into the top-5 by mid-race, however, and never relinquished position en route to his eighth top-5 finish of the season. “We’re disappointed, because we expected to battle for the win at New Hampshire,” Crafton said. “The guys on our No. 88 Sylvania/Menards Silverado team had a great truck for me, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to show what we had. I’m thankful to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys for continuing to fight their tails off for me, to make the adjustments they made to keep us running up front. Like always, they never gave up. All things considered, we were able to salvage a decent day out of it, and we’re looking forward to getting to Las Vegas next weekend.” Crafton finished 3rd at Vegas last season. Crafton is in 2nd place in the NCWTS points-standings with six races remaining this season. “We’re focused on trying to win races,” Crafton said. “Nothing else really matters to us right now. We’ve always had the approach that, as long as we’re taking care of the things we can control, and focusing on continuing to find ways to improve, we’ll be in position for good things to happen. That’s where we continue to put our energies.” CRAFTON: Eye On The Prize At New Hampshire TruckSeries.com Report Matt Crafton seeks to strengthen his position in the heated battle for a NCWTS championship in Saturday’s Heluva! Good 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Crafton won his first Pole Award at New Hampshire in ’05, and owns three top-10 finishes in eight career starts at the track. “New Hampshire is a really cool place to race,” Crafton said. “It’s always a great show for the fans, and they really come out to support this series up here. As we know, it’s difficult to pass at New Hampshire, so track-position takes on added-importance. We’ve run well here thru the years, but just haven’t had the results to show for it. I see New Hampshire as sort of a ‘bigger Martinsville’ type of track. Hopefully, we can qualify well and stay up front in our Menards/Sylvania Chevy, and put ourselves in position to win the race.” Despite the hubbub surrounding his pursuit of a championship, Crafton remains entrenched only in the moment. “Our focus as a team has always been on taking care of our own business, on making sure we’re as good as we can possibly be each week,” he said. “We expect to put ourselves in the best possible position to win races each time out, and, for the most part, we’ve done that. I’m really proud of our guys for the job they’ve done. We know there’s a lot of racing left this season, and anything can happen. As far as the points-race goes, our approach is the same as ever: do our jobs the best we can, keep finding ways to try to improve, and just see how it all plays out. If you’re looking ahead or behind you in this series, and you’re not focused on what’s happening right now, you’ll cost yourself opportunities for success. We’ll give it everything we have on Saturday, and, hopefully, we’ll win the race.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE 2009

CRAFTON: Fights To 4th Place At New Hampshire TruckSeries.com Report ...

Updated: Sep 21, 2009 3:20pm EST

Gateway 2009 : 09-14-09 Strange Events Force Crafton to 6th Place Finish at Gateway Matt Crafton settled for a 6th place finish instead of apparent victory in a bizarre ending to the Copart 200 at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday. Crafton overcame some strange late-race happenings, including a black flag with a few laps to go, en route to the finish. Crafton, who is 2nd in the NCWTS standings, started the race in 6th place and quickly moved into the top-5, where, save for a brief period spent outside the top-10 following truck adjustments to cure a splitter problem, he stayed for the duration of the race. Crafton was in 3rd place during a restart with nine laps remaining when the driver of the No. 30 truck, who admittedly struggled on restarts throughout the race, tried to block an apparently already-there Crafton on the inside and spun, yielding a caution. Crafton was in 2nd place when green-flag racing resumed with four laps to go. Crafton, who was strong on restarts all afternoon, had a run on the race-leading No. 33 truck and darted to inside position. The driver of the No. 33 truck attempted to pinch Crafton, who held his ground, and the No. 33 truck spun, bringing out a caution. To the likely surprise of many race fans, Crafton was black-flagged. He salvaged a 6th place finish, far from the victory he would likely have claimed. “Without a doubt, our No. 88 Menards Chevy was awesome today, and we were positioned for the win,” Crafton said. “I’m really thankful to the guys on this team for their efforts today. We did everything we had to do, and were right there. Sometimes, things happen out there, or decisions are made, that are out of your control, and that’s what we faced today. We’re not happy about it, and anyone who saw what happened can easily make up their own minds. It’s definitely a strange deal, to say the least. But, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I’m proud of our guys, and they deserved that win. As always, we’ll be focused and ready for New Hampshire, and hopefully, we can come out of there with a victory.” Matt 4th Quickest in Final Practice Way To Go Matt & Team 88 09-10-09 Crafton Hopes to Turn Up Championship Heat at Gateway Matt Crafton hopes to turn up the heat in the NCWTS championship battle in the Copart 200 at Gateway on Saturday. Crafton remains in 2nd place in the points-race, with eight races left this season. “Our guys have done a great job all season of focusing on what’s in front of us, on the race at hand and the things we can control, rather than getting caught-up in speculation or what other people are saying,” Crafton said of his No. 88 Menards Chevrolet team. “Our goals are the same each week: to try to win races and be as good as we can be. There’s only so much we can control, and that’s where our energies are.” Crafton owns five top-10 finishes in eight starts at Gateway, with a best finish of 6th. “I love going to Gateway,” he said. “We’ve always had good trucks there. It’s one of those tracks where we’ve always seemed to run well for the most part, but just had something bite us at one time or another, especially in the last few years. Gateway reminds me of Phoenix a little, with respect to how different turns one and two are from turns three and four at both tracks. As a driver, it’s tough to be perfect at both ends, and that’s what makes it a challenge. Gateway means great racing, and we’re always confident there. Hopefully, we’ll be right there in position for a win on Saturday.”

Gateway 2009

09-14-09 Strange Events Force Crafton to 6th Place Finish at Gateway ...

Updated: Sep 14, 2009 1:11pm EST

Iowa 2009 : Matt Starts 3rd In Iowa.... CRAFTON: Iowa Short Track Racing Matt Crafton makes his first start at Iowa Speedway in the Lucas Oil 200 on Saturday. While the 7/8 mi. track would appear to be a throwback to the short-track racing Crafton enjoys most, he says it likely will instead yield intermediate track-style performance. “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like Iowa races more like some of the mile-and-a-half tracks than anything else,” Crafton said. “It should lend itself to some great side-by-side racing. The fast line should be on the bottom, but if someone is running strong up top, you run the risk of being pinned down there. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.” Crafton says back-to-back visits to new venues on the NCWTS circuit are a breath of fresh air. “It’s great for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to be making our first start at Iowa, after our first visit to Chicagoland last week,” he said. “It’s cool to see new tracks on our schedule, just adds to the great racing in this series. I’m excited about racing at Iowa. We’re looking forward to it, and I think the fans are in for a great show. Our goal each week is to win, of course, but it would be special to take our Menards Silverado to Victory Lane in the first Truck Series race at Iowa. We’re bringing a new truck this week, and I’m confident it will be a good night for us.” Crafton remains in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings, and within striking-distance of his first championship. “There’s a lot of racing left, and anybody who knows how this deal works knows things can change in a hurry,” said Crafton. “Our guys have always been good at focusing on the task at hand, and not looking ahead or behind, and we’ll keep doing that. We’ll focus on controlling the things we can, and take it from there.”

Iowa 2009

Matt Starts 3rd In Iowa.... CRAFTON: Iowa Short Track Racing Matt Cr ...

Updated: Sep 08, 2009 7:59pm EST

Chicagoland 2009 : Matt Get's The Pole!!!!!! Matt Crafton set the pace in qualifying today to get the pole position for tonight's EnjoyIllinois.com race at Chicagoland speedway CRAFTON: Chicagoland Is An Unknown Matt Crafton looks to keep the heat on in his quest for a NCWTS championship in the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday. Crafton enters his first start at Chicagoland on the strength of a 2nd place finish at Bristol last week, his 7th top-5 finish this season. He remains in 2nd place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings. “We had a heck of a truck at Bristol, and I’m thankful to our guys for all the work they did to get the truck where it needed to be,” Crafton said. “It was a perfect example of how these guys keep battling and adjusting. It was a good night for us.” Crafton hopes to ride the momentum from Bristol thru his first start at Chicagoland. “We’ve tested at Chicago, but really, it’s still largely an unknown until we get into the heat of racing battle on Friday,” he said. “It’s exciting to be taking the Camping World Truck Series to Chicago. The fans there just love racing, and they really support it. I expect it to be a great race for them to watch. It’s definitely a track where you need the whole package. It’s similar in many ways to Kansas and Kentucky, so, setup-wise, we can draw from that. There are multiple grooves, which should lend itself to some great side-by-side racing. Hopefully, we can take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane in our first race at Chicagoland.”

Chicagoland 2009

Matt Get's The Pole!!!!!! Matt Crafton set the pace in qualifying toda ...

Updated: Aug 31, 2009 8:23am EST

Bristol 2009 : CRAFTON: Relishes Return to Bristol Matt Crafton heads for the high-banked, short-track madness of Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday hoping to emerge unscathed and in continued hot-pursuit of the NCWTS title. Crafton is in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings entering Bristol, where he owns a lone top-5 finish in 6 career starts. "Bristol has always been my favorite place to run," Crafton said. "I think most drivers feel that way, because of the track's history and tradition and the way the fans there are just so passionate about racing. Bristol is a place where you'd just love to have a 'W' on your resume. The best in our sport have won here. We'll try to put ourselves in position to be there at the end of the race with a chance to win. That's all you can do." Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevy crew are focused on winning races and fighting for a first NCWTS championship, of course. Nonetheless, Crafton's next top-10 finish will be the 100th of his career, testament to his long-running consistency. "We just look for ways to get better each week, and we never get too high or too low," said Crafton. "Any consistency I've had is a credit to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and our guys, who keep building great trucks for me and doing a fantastic job in the pits. We're all focused on being as good as we can be, and we've come a long way. We prepare hard and we're confident each time out, but we also know that things don't always go your way in this deal. It's how you respond on those occasions, how you make the most of the days when things aren't happening the way you'd like, that ultimately determines your situation. Bristol in particular is a place where things happen quickly, and you hope not to get caught up in somebody else's mess. You have to constantly be aware of what's happening around you. It's a fast track, and there isn't much room for error. You have to walk that fine-line of aggressiveness and patience, because if you get impatient, you can ruin a good night in a hurry. Hopefully, we'll give ourselves a chance to be there at the end with a shot to win."

Bristol 2009

CRAFTON: Relishes Return to Bristol Matt Crafton heads for the high- ...

Updated: Aug 22, 2009 9:48am EST

Nashville 2009 : 07-29-09 Crafton Looks to Regain Ground at Nashville Matt Crafton looks to get back on track in his pursuit of the NCWTS championship in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday. Crafton finished 16th at ORP last week, yielding precious points in the series standings. He hopes to regain some of the lost ground at Nashville. “Whether you have a great finish or a night where things maybe don’t go the way you planned, you still have to approach the next race the same way,” Crafton said. “Last week wasn’t what we wanted, obviously, but we didn’t dwell on it. You can’t afford to let it distract you and take away your focus from the next race. We were quick to put it behind us, and we’re focused on Nashville. We expect our Menards Chevy to be strong there.” In eight career starts at Nashville, Crafton has finished in the top-10 three times. He seeks his first top-5 finish at the track on Saturday. “I always look forward to racing at Nashville,” Crafton said. “The fans are great, the winner’s trophy is really cool, and there’s just lots of excitement. The track is fast, and with the concrete surface, handling is important. You have to be able to turn well thru the corners there. For some reason, we haven’t had the strong runs here that we’ve had at other tracks, but, hopefully, we can turn that around a little bit on Saturday.”

Nashville 2009

07-29-09 Crafton Looks to Regain Ground at Nashville Matt Crafto ...

Updated: Aug 03, 2009 12:42pm EST

ORP 2009 : CRAFTON: Aiming For Victory Lane Visit Matt Crafton seeks his first win at ORP in Friday's AAA Insurance 200 presented by JD Byrider. Crafton has been in the thick of victory-contention multiple times at the track, including a 4th place finish last season. In 8 career starts at ORP, Crafton has collected 6 top-10 finishes. He has finished in the top-5 twice. "I love racing at ORP," he said. "There's a lot of history here, and we've been coming here a long time. ORP has always been a special track to ThorSport Racing, and we've run pretty well here for the most part. We'd love to bring home a win on Friday." Crafton enters the race on the strength of a 3rd place finish at Kentucky last week, his 5th top-5 finish of the season. Crafton dodged a number of proverbial bullets in the race, from being forced to yield the top spot with the field apparently frozen during a caution to numerous adjustments on his No. 88 Menards Chevy, which left him on the outside looking in for much of the race. "We battled all night, never quite had the truck where we wanted it, but Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys kept working their tails off for me," said Crafton. "There were some things that happened out there that left us scratching our heads a bit, but that's the way it goes sometimes. You just accept it and move on. I'm proud of the way we kept fighting, and we minimized the damage on what could've been a bad night. We're looking forward to short-track racing and everything that comes with it at ORP." Crafton is in 2nd place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings as the series enters a 'short-track stretch'. Three of the next five NCWTS races, including ORP, will be short-track battles. "There's just something special about the short-tracks," Crafton said. "You grow up racing on these types of tracks, and it's a feeling that stays with you. You have to be aggressive, but you can't get impatient, and it's a fine line. Getting impatient will get you into trouble quickly at ORP. The driver is a bigger part of the equation in short-track racing. ORP means old-school beatin' and bangin', and you can't get away from it. Your truck has to turn well thru the center here, so you can drive strong off the corner. You hope to stay out of someone else's mess, and to keep the fenders on the truck, and to put yourself in position for a shot to win."

ORP 2009

CRAFTON: Aiming For Victory Lane Visit Matt Crafton seeks his first w ...

Updated: Aug 09, 2009 6:46pm EST

Kentucky 2009 : CRAFTON: Focused On Improvement Matt Crafton looks to resume his charge to the front of the championship-contender pack in the Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday. Crafton enters the night race in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings. He owns a pair of top-5 finishes, including last year’s 3rd place run, and five top-10 finishes in eight career starts at Kentucky. He has finished outside the top-10 at Kentucky only once in his last six starts. “I really enjoy racing at Kentucky,” he said. “There’s plenty of room to run, but it’s not just another mile-and-a-half track, where you’re glued to the bottom most of the time. Kentucky is unique. It’s a rough track, anything but glass-smooth, so you have to lift, you have to work hard. That keeps everybody on their toes, from the drivers and crew to the shock guys. Kentucky always offers great side-by-side racing, and running under the lights adds extra excitement.” As the season's midpoint approaches, Crafton’s consistency remains in the spotlight. He owns four top-5 and nine top-10 finishes in eleven races thus far. Crafton knows, however, that there is much unfinished business. “From a team standpoint, we’re just focused on finding ways to get better, to be as competitive as we can each week,” he said. “That’s where our energy is. We can’t spend time worrying about the point standings, or who’s doing what, because that would take focus away from the things we can control. We know that if we do what we’re capable of each week, we’ll put ourselves in position for good things to happen. All you can do is to put yourself in position to win, whether it's races or a championship, and from there, whatever happens, happens. We’re focused on being the best we can be at Kentucky, and we feel like we have a great shot to win the race. Hopefully, we can take our Menards Chevy to Victory Lane.”

Kentucky 2009

CRAFTON: Focused On Improvement Matt Crafton looks to resume his ch ...

Updated: Jul 20, 2009 7:19pm EST

Memphis 2009 :

Memphis 2009

Updated: Jun 29, 2009 9:42pm EST

Milwaukee : Matt Crafton Turning Into ‘Mr. Consistency’ In 2009 TruckSeries.com Report In NASCAR two things bring success in a career as a driver: winning and consistency. Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) is proving that the latter can take you to the top of the series standings. Crafton has posted a series-leading eight top-10 finishes in nine starts this season. Crafton took the lead in the standings after Texas two weeks ago, and now leads standings by 39 points over veteran Ron Hornaday Jr. (second). Crafton finished second to Johnny Benson last season at Milwaukee. He has made eight starts at Milwaukee, posting one top five and five top 10s. NASCAR Season-To-Date Loop Data shows why Crafton is having such early success in 2009. He is ranked first in Laps In Top 15 with 88.6% of his laps completed in the top 15. He is ranked fourth in Driver Rating with (103.2).Crafton takes the Truck Series lead to Milwaukee Nine-year vet hasn't finished worse than 11th this season By Sporting News Wire Service June 19, 2009 10:13 AM EDT Despite his inexperience as the front runner in the Camping World Truck Series, Matt Crafton is not allowing his No. 1 status to enter his thoughts going into the Copart 200 on Friday night at the Milwaukee Mile. "I'm racing [Milwaukee] just like it was my first race this year," Crafton said. "I'm out there to run up front, to win races and collect the most points at the end of the day. Everybody made a lot more out of me leading the points than I have. "I've won championships in other things that I've raced, and if you sit there and put it in your head and worry about it, you're going to beat yourself. You just have to go out there and do what you're paid to do and drive and win races." Milwaukee Mile Crafton, in his ninth full season in the series, took the lead two races ago at Texas and extended it to 39 points in front of Ron Hornaday by finishing fourth at Michigan. Crafton has been sixth or better in the past four races and leads the series with eight top-10s in nine races. Crafton's worst finish in 2009 is 11th. Crafton should be strong at Milwaukee, too. He finished second last season, his first top-five in eight races at the legendary Mile.CRAFTON: Continues Charge At Milwaukee TruckSeries.com Report Matt Crafton has been a model of consistency throughout his career, and this season has been no exception. He has collected 3 top-5 finishes in his last 4 races, and has finished outside the top-10 only once thus far in '09. In 8 career starts at Milwaukee, Crafton has finished in the top-10 five times. He finished 2nd there last season. Crafton seeks wins each time out, and, while he isn’t a big believer in moral victories, can nonetheless see the bigger championship picture. “We’re racing our rear-ends off each week, expecting to take our No. 88 Menards Silverado to Victory Lane,” he said. “We’ve had awesome trucks all season, and I’m thankful to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and the guys for the great work they do. We feel like we should’ve been in Victory Lane multiple times this season so far, but we haven’t closed the deal. But as I’ve always said, you have to first put yourself in position to have a shot, and we’ve done a good job of that. We’ve continued to learn and find ways to get better, and that’s what you have to do.” Championship talk has swirled around Crafton for some time, and has intensified in recent weeks. He and the No. 88 team remain focused on each week’s task. “We’re focused on the things we can control,” he said. “There’s so much that can happen week to week out here, because this series is so competitive. If you start looking behind or ahead, you’re in trouble. We know what we’re capable of, and we’re a long way from where we want to be. The only way to get there is to keep working hard. Our guys have always done that, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.” Crafton looks forward to the change of racing pace that Milwaukee’s flat mile provides. “I always enjoy racing at Milwaukee,” he said. “The racing is always good. It’s a place where driver skill figures into the equation a bit more, and I always like that.” Crafton and ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter have forged a formidable partnership in a short period of time, based on a steady flow of information give-and-take. Crafton is inspired by Sauter’s track record of success at Milwaukee, and believes it bodes well for both teams. “Johnny is a Wisconsin guy, and has won a race and had some great runs here,” Crafton said. “That just adds more fun to the race. Hopefully, he can continue what he’s done here, and we can be strong again, and one of us will end up in Victory Lane."

Milwaukee

Matt Crafton Turning Into ‘Mr. Consistency’ In 2009 TruckSeries.c ...

Updated: Jun 22, 2009 2:10pm EST

Michigan :

Michigan

Updated: Jun 15, 2009 4:31pm EST

Texas 2009 : Matt and Team 88 Take The Points Lead

Texas 2009

Matt and Team 88 Take The Points Lead

Updated: Jun 08, 2009 7:22pm EST

Dover 2009 : Australian Gold

Dover 2009

Australian Gold

Updated: Jun 01, 2009 11:07pm EST

Charlotte 2009 :

Charlotte 2009

Updated: May 18, 2009 1:55pm EST

Kansas City 2009 :

Kansas City 2009

Updated: Apr 30, 2009 10:13am EST

Martinsville 2009 : Matt was 3rd Quickest in Practice and Qualified 8th Go Team 88

Martinsville 2009

Matt was 3rd Quickest in Practice and Qualified 8th Go Team 88

Updated: Apr 03, 2009 9:09am EST

Atlanta 2009 Rhonda Greer :

Atlanta 2009 Rhonda Greer

Updated: Mar 09, 2009 3:13pm EST

Fontana 2009 Matt Has a 7th Place Finish with a very Fast Race Truck : Matt Crafton Qualifies 8th at California!

Fontana 2009 Matt Has a 7th Place Finish with a very Fast Race Truck

Matt Crafton Qualifies 8th at California!

Updated: Feb 23, 2009 7:50am EST

Charlotte 2009 :

Charlotte 2009

Updated: May 18, 2009 2:01pm EST

Daytona 2009 Rhonda Greer :

Daytona 2009 Rhonda Greer

Updated: Feb 17, 2009 8:13pm EST

Daytona 2009 Deb Segalla : Matt Crafton Qualifies 2nd at Daytona!

Daytona 2009 Deb Segalla

Matt Crafton Qualifies 2nd at Daytona!

Updated: Feb 16, 2009 9:16pm EST

Matt Crafton 2008 Win : Racing Photos From Matt Crafton's 2008 Season

Matt Crafton 2008 Win

Racing Photos From Matt Crafton's 2008 Season

Updated: Feb 14, 2009 4:29pm EST

Team 88 Sponsor List :

Team 88 Sponsor List

Updated: Feb 18, 2009 5:57am EST