MADISON, Ill. (June 12, 2014) — Matt Crafton’s had some pretty serious success in 10 previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the unique 1.25-mile oval at Gateway Motorsports Park outside St. Louis.
But Saturday night Crafton’s hoping he and his No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Toyota Tundra team can convert the experience gained through seven top-10 finishes in 10 career starts there into a coveted victory in the Drivin’ For Linemen 200.
“At least we’ve been there and we have a pretty good notebook of setups for Gateway,” Crafton said, “We’ve been there quite a bit in the past, and we’re hoping that gives us a little bit of a leg up on the competition.”
That might not be hard, because only nine drivers in the field of 32 entered trucks has any experience at Gateway. Not surprisingly, four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday has the best resume, with a win and two second-place finishes. But the ThorSport Racing pair of Crafton and Johnny Sauter are the next-best, by far.
The Truck Series is nothing if it’s not populated with quick learners, but there’s no discounting Crafton’s record there, including a fifth-place run the last time the series visited, in July 2010. But Crafton feels like he might have another ace up his sleeve, as well.
“To me, Gateway races a lot like Phoenix — the old Phoenix — and everyone knows how I feel about that place,” Crafton said of the track where he grew up, literally, from a child into a championship-winning racer. “Turns 1 and 2 (at Gateway) are quite a bit tighter, kind of like Darlington, but 3 and 4 are really like Phoenix.
“Whatever the case, with our experience we feel like we’ll really have a good balance with our Menards Tundra and we’ve got plenty of practice to get re-acquainted with the place.”
Saturday night’s race is the 14th Truck Series race held at Gateway since 1998 but the first since 2010. As a result, teams will have extra practice, and that certainly doesn’t bother Crafton, who’ll carry an 11-point lead in the championship standings over ThorSport teammate Sauter, into the season’s seventh race.
“I just love racing at Gateway and I always have — it’s that Phoenix connection again, for sure,” Crafton said. “All I’m hoping is to be able to go back there and run as good as we always did, and with the Toyotas Junior (Joiner, crew chief) and the guys have been putting together this season, we have a lot of confidence in that.”
The Gateway weekend begins Friday morning with opening inspection followed by four hours of Truck Series practice, including two-hour sessions from 4-6 p.m. ET and 7-9 p.m. The second session will be shown live on FOX Sports 1.
Saturday’s schedule opens with a 90-minute final practice, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET, with no TV coverage scheduled. A one-hour public NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver autograph session is scheduled from 2:15-3:15 p.m.
Then, the Truck Series’ fourth elimination-style, three-session Keystone Light Pole Qualifying event of the season goes green at 5:10 p.m. ET to set the starting lineup of up to 36 trucks. Live coverage is scheduled on FOX Sports 2 beginning at 5.
Saturday night’s 160-lap, 200-mile main event will be telecast live on FOX Sports 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET, preceded by The Setup pre-race show at 8. The live broadcast on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio begins with pre-race coverage at 8:15. Live timing & scoring for the weekend’s events will be at www.nascar.com.
ABOUT MENARDS:
With 287 stores in 14 Midwestern states, Menards has the tools, materials and supplies for all your home improvement needs whether just needing a light bulb or can of paint to building a deck or new home. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s no wonder their famous slogan – “SAVE BIG MONEY” – is so widely known and easy to remember. Menards does things right – the company’s strength and success can be seen in the well-stocked and maintained stores, the lowest prices in town and the way guests are always treated like family in a hometown hardware store atmosphere.
About IDEAL DOOR:
Since 1963, Ideal Door has been an industry leader in sectional garage doors and the preferred choice of home owners, architects and builders for their current and future door needs. For more information, visit www.idealdoors.com.
ABOUT THORSPORT RACING:
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport, which has run in the Truck Series since 1996, in 2014 will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by 2013 drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 98 Nextant Aerospace/Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff/Carolina Nut Co./Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 Estes Toyota Tundra driven by Jeb Burton in the Truck Series.
