Matt Crafton, No. 88 Slim Jim/Menards Toyota Tundra
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Daytona International Speedway – NextEra Energy Resources 250
Race No. 1 of 2
Team Information:
Started: 6th
Finished: 10th
Laps: 100/100
Status: Running
Driver Points: 9th
Owner Points: 10th
Quote:
“All-in-all we had a very fast truck. I had to bail out of the draft at one point because we started overheating, and I was afraid to hurt the motor at that point. I got back up there, made some moves, and I felt like we had an honest shot at winning the race, just the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Notes:
- Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 marked Crafton’s 16th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway (DIS)
- The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) had two practice sessions on Thursday afternoon in preparation for Friday night’s 100-lap event, and Crafton was 24th and fifth-quick, respectively, in both sessions
- Crafton posted the sixth-fastest time in the two round, single-truck qualifying session on Friday afternoon at DIS
- Starting from the sixth position, Crafton led the field once for five laps (laps 25-29) during the 100-lap event
- Running inside the top-five, Crafton had to pull-out from the pack at lap 53 when his Menards Toyota Tundra began to overheat
- Crew chief Carl “Junior” Joiner brought the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra to pit road under caution for scheduled stops at lap 13 for fuel, lap 42 for four tires and fuel, and lap 67 for fuel
- Restarting inside the top-20, with 20 laps remaining, Crafton made his way back inside the top-10 before becoming a victim of an 18-truck pile-up in Turn 3, which ultimately brought out the red flag
- When the red flag was lifted, and the caution flag was displayed, Crafton brought his Menards Toyota Tundra to the attention of his crew three times to repair the damage to the left-front nose and toe on the No. 88 machine
- Restarting 15th, with two laps remaining in the 100-lap event, Crafton was able to gain five positions on track and cross the stripe in the 10th position behind race winner, Johnny Sauter
- The top-10 result was Crafton’s seventh top-10 finish in 16 starts at DIS
- In 362 career starts, Crafton has 11 wins, 89 top-five, and 211 top-10 finishes
- Crafton’s ThorSport Racing teammates finished seventh (Rhodes), 25th (Hayley), and 29th (Abreu)
- Up next: The Great Clips 200 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 27
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 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 Racing, which has competed in the NCWTS since 1996, will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by two-time NCWTS drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra driven by Cameron Hayley, the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Toyota Tundra driven by Ben Rhodes, and the No. 98 Safelite/CURB Records Toyota Tundra driven by Rico Abreu in 2016.
