Team Info/Stats:
Crew Chief: Carl “Junior” Joiner, Jr.
Driver Point Standings: 7th
Owner Point Standings: 9th
Spotter: Stevie Reeves
News and Notes:
- This Week’s No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Ford F-150… The No. 88 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 48 for Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) JEGS 200 at Dover International Speedway. This chassis was last seen at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season. Matt Crafton started second, led seven laps and finished fifth. The two-time champion’s only top-five finish this season.
- The Down Low on Dover… Matt Crafton will make his 18th career NCWTS start at the one-mile concrete oval Friday. In 17 previous starts, the Menards driver has led 197 laps en route to one win (2016), five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Additionally, the ThorSport Racing driver has the most starts (17), has completed the most laps (2974), has the most lead lap finishes (11), the most top-five (5), the most top-10 finishes (10), of any active driver entered in Friday’s 200 lap event.
- Driver Swap?… Elladee Crafton, who celebrated her fifth birthday Thursday, April 26, traded in her birthday crown for a driver’s helmet Saturday, April 28. She participated in a rookie practice session at North Carolina Quarter Midget Association track in Salisbury, North Carolina. She piloted her No. 88 quarter midget, with the help of her dad of course.
- Four-Wide Nats… Crafton and teammate, Myatt Snider, attended the Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, on Sunday, April 29, on behalf of SealMaster and Team Kalitta. The duo participated in the SealMaster Track Walk and supported their friends Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd, Richie Crampton and Shawn Langdon.
- Take me back – Martinsville… Starting second, Crafton finished second in Stage 1, and fourth in Stage 2, leading four laps. Unfortunately, the Menards driver was relegated to a 15th-place finish following an incident on-track with a stalled vehicle, with 25 laps to go.
- 2018 Stats… In four starts this season, Crafton has led 11 laps en route to one top-five finish (Atlanta). The Menards driver has a season-best start of second (Atlanta), and a season-best finish of fifth (Atlanta).
- Veteran-Size Stats… Crafton holds the record for consecutive starts (411) in the NCWTS. Among his success in the past 17 seasons, the two-time champion has earned 13 poles, and led 2467 laps en route to 14 wins, 103 top-five and 243 top-10 finishes.
- Catch Crafton at Dover… Crafton will join his ThorSport Racing teammates for the NCWTS autograph session Friday, May 4, from 11:00-11:45 a.m. ET at the Delaware Office of Highway Safety Display in the Midway, and the Ford Performance Stage in the Midway from 11:45-12 p.m. ET.
Chatting with Matt Crafton…
“I look forward to going to Dover every year. It’s definitely one of my favorite race tracks – it’s just a lot of fun. You have a lot of tire fall off, and multiple grooves. As a race car driver you always want that ability to move around. I know the fans always like it because it makes for a great race. I’m not going to lie – I’ve got some cool trophies in my collection, but a ‘Miles the Monster’ trophy has to be one of the coolest.”
