Catchfence

No. 88 Menards / Fisher Nuts Chevrolet Silverado

GOING NUTS: Matt Crafton rolls into the Windy City in the No. 88 Menards/Fisher Nuts Chevrolet Silverado in the first of two appearances for Fisher Nuts in 2011. Fisher Nuts will also grace the hood of the No. 88 in the penultimate race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway.

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM: Crafton has two starts under his belt in the Windy City, and he’s hoping his third will run will end in victory lane. In his two visits to Chicagoland Speedway, Crafton has a best finish of seventh, which he earned in his last visit to the track in 2010. One of Crafton’s five career pole awards was won in Chi-Town in 2009. Crafton has led 23 laps at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval and has an average finish of 10.5.

GET ‘EM WHILE THEY’RE HOT: Can’t get to the new ThorSport Racing shop in Sandusky to pick up your Matt Crafton merchandise? The ThorSport Racing online store is now open for business. Head over to http://store.thorsport.com or click the Merchandise tab on ThorSport.com to find gear for all of the ThorSport Racing drivers.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 88 team will utilize chassis No. 37 this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. This chassis made its debut laps two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway where Crafton started and finished seventh.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Crafton scored his ninth top-10 finish of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago. With one of the fastest trucks under the lights, fuel strategy ultimately resulted in a seventh-place finish in the Good Sam Club 200.

Matt Crafton

What are your thoughts on Chicagoland Speedway?

“Chicagoland is a track I really enjoy, and our team has always performed really well on the 1.5-mile tracks. This year we haven’t brought home some of the finishes we deserved at the intermediate tracks due to a little bad luck, but we’ve always had a fast, competitive truck. These are the tracks where we really excel.”

How do you feel about finalizing your contract to continue driving for ThorSport Racing in 2012?

“I’m glad the paperwork is signed, but I was never looking to go anywhere else. This is where I’ve been committed to since the beginning. Duke and Rhonda Thorson have been so great to me, you couldn’t ask for better bosses. Anything I’ve ever needed from them or anything I’ve needed to talk to them about, whether it’s about racing or life in general, they’ve always been there for me. It means everything to be able to continue a relationship with a team this long, as well as with my sponsor Menards. If you’ve got a supportive sponsor and supportive, top-performing team, there’s nothing more you can ask for.”

Race Info:

September 16, 2011

Chicagoland Speedway

1.5-Mile D-Shaped Oval

Fast Five 225

150 Laps/225 Miles

Broadcast Info:

TV: SPEED will broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. EST

Radio: MRN will broadcast live at 7:45 p.m. EST

Team Facts:

Current Point Standings: 7th

Crew Chief: Bud Haefele

Chassis: 37

Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)

Matt Crafton NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results at Chicagoland Speedway:

Starts: 2

Wins: 0

Poles: 1

Top 5: 0

Top 10: 1

Laps Led: 23

Average Start: 9.5

Average Finish: 10.5

- ThorSport Racing Press Release