Catchfence

MARTINSVILLE, VA – ThorSport Racing driver, Matt Crafton, wheeled the No. 88 Menards / Tarkett Chevy Silverado to an 11th place finish at the Kroger 250 on Saturday afternoon in Martinsville. Leading the driver points going into the weekend, Crafton made a strong showing in both practices – posting second fastest times. Starting seventh on the grid, the driver battled tire wear, track debris and incidents to drive it home in the 11th spot.

“It was a disappointing day for us on the No. 88 team,” said Crafton. “We typically have a top five truck coming into this race track, and we thought we had it in practice. We fought tire management all day here, as well as our setup and stops – it was just an off day. Am I going to worry about it from right now on? No. We’re a team, and we’re in this for a championship this year. The mark of a championship team is admitting it was an off day, then going to work at the shop the next day on the next race. We’re managing expectations and focused on the long haul. We’re moving on, it’s time to make Nashville our race.”

Crafton led five laps on the restart at lap 94, as well as led the speed board during the same time frame, but had to overcome debris on the tires over the course of the race’s six cautions. Avoiding the outside line as much as possible due to debris the whole day, the team pitted at lap 56 in sixth position. After the first pit, the team fought forward bite issues and two on-track incidents with truck damage.

After the second pit stop for the last set of tires and adjustments on lap 180, Crafton restarted in 17th place and maneuvered through slippery mid-track conditions and competitors to finish in the 11th position at the checkers.

“Again, off day – yes. We’re a team though, and if an off day is an 11th place finish in a tough, tough Series out right now, and still being second in overall driver points and sharing the top spot with a ThorSport Racing teammate – that speaks for something. ‘The streak’ of top 10s was great and consistent and it’s a shame it was broken – but we have higher overall expectations this year. They include top fives, wins, poles, championships. ThorSport Racing is a strong organization this year, and the No. 88 Menards Chevy team is going back to the drawing board. We’re going to use the next three weeks to put everything into that Nashville truck. Preparation is our statement, and we’ll be happy to show it on the racetrack in Tennessee. It just wasn’t our day, and it happens. This is a strong team with a lot of resources and effort – we’ll be back, and back 150% stronger.”

- ThorSport Racing Press Release