ThorSport Racing

“We’d like to thank everyone at Chevrolet for all the support over the last 16 years,” said Matt LaNeve, vice president of motorsports partnerships for ThorSport Racing. “ThorSport Racing, along with dedicated owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson, have a long-standing history and commitment to conservative, steady growth within NASCAR. Toyota’s business and competitive philosophies are in line with our 2012 goals for both Frank Kimmel, as he pursues his 10th ARCA Racing Series Championship; and our NCWTS teams of the 13, 88 and 98, as we further look to increase competition. We are aggressively chasing not only wins in our two respective series, but championship trophies for our drivers and sponsors.”

ThorSport Racing currently operates three NCWTS teams – the No. 13 of Johnny Sauter; the No. 88 of Matt Crafton; and the No. 98 of Dakoda Armstrong. The organization will also field the No. 44 Ansell / Menards Toyota Camry during the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season. The No. 13 Safe Auto / Curb Records entry finished second in driver championship points in 2011, matching the organization’s highest previous finish by the No. 88 Menards entry and Matt Crafton in 2009 – narrowly missing the championship by six points but capping the year off with a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18th; adding to driver Sauter’s win list, shared with a trophy clock at Martinsville earlier in the year. The No. 88 Menards entry, piloted by Matt Crafton, finished 8th in overall driver championship points, earned two poles and wheeled into Victory Lane at Iowa Speedway during the 2011 season.

“ThorSport Racing is a first-class organization and a championship-caliber race team, as well as one of the most respected teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” said Lee White, president and general manager of TRD, U.S.A.(Toyota Racing Development). “We look forward to working together with the entire ThorSport race team and are confident that it will raise the level of our entire Toyota Tundra racing program.”

“We’re always on the forefront of competition in whatever series we are competing in,” said David Pepper, Director of Competition and Team Manager for ThorSport Racing. “We’re looking forward to forging ahead with Toyota in the competition arena in 2012. We’re actively hiring top talent to our existing crew members on our championship-caliber teams. We’re encouraged, during a down economy in both the country and in racing, to be hiring and adding jobs back into our industry.”

ABOUT THORSPORT RACING

ThorSport Racing, based in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest tenured active NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport Racing’s first race came at the Milwaukee Mile on July 6, 1996. NASCAR’s only Ohio-based team, which has run full season schedules annually beginning in 1998, will run in 2012 the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by Matt Crafton; the No. 13 Safe Auto / Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny Sauter; the No. 98 Ferrell Gas / Agrisure Toyota Tundra driven by Dakoda Armstrong; and the No. 44 Ansell / Menards Toyota Camry driven by Frank Kimmel in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

ThorSport Racing has wheeled into Victory Lane with Terry Cook, Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter since its inception and has finished a dominating eight times within the top 10 in points with both trucks. Sauter wheeled into Victory Lane twice in 2011 – Martinsville and Homestead-Miami; Crafton in Iowa. Both earned two poles, respectively. In 2011, ThorSport Racing matched its highest previous driver points finish by Matt Crafton and the No. 88 in 2009 – with the No. 13 of Johnny Sauter. In 2009 and 2010, both Crafton and Sauter finished in the top five in driver points. ThorSport Racing operates in a state-of-the-art, world-class 100,000 square foot racing facility in Sandusky. For more information, visit us on Facebook: Facebook/ThorSportRacing or Twitter: Twitter.com/ThorSportRacing

ABOUT TOYOTA:

TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development)

Powering all of Toyota’s American racing programs is TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Salisbury, N.C. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyota’s factory racing engines.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.76 million vehicles in 2010. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Johnny Sauter basks in the Victory Lane celebration at Homestead-Miami Speedway after winning a rain-shortened season finale in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson, Getty Images for NASCAR

Talk about the win tonight. Did you leave anything on the table?

JOHNNY SAUTER: “Yeah, what an eventful day. This place here during the daytime typically doesn’t — your truck doesn’t handle very well, and last year same deal, and I knew the racetrack was going to come to us, or at least I thought it was, and sure enough, it did. Joe made a great change on that first pit stop and that thing came to life. Phenomenal year. I’ve always wanted to have two wins in the NASCAR series in the same year, and to some people that probably doesn’t mean much. I’ve been fortunate to win some Nationwide races and some Truck races but never two in a year, so that was a huge accomplishment.”

“To come out of here six points back is kind of a bummer with some of the problems we had or whatever throughout the course of the year, but I couldn’t be more proud of Joe and everybody at ThorSport, Duke and Rhonda Thorson. This is essentially the race that I consider you thank everybody, and Safe Auto Insurance, Curb Records. Mike Curb has been a huge supporter, Mud Jugs, UCoat It, Carrier Heating and Cooling, Chevrolet, ECR Engines, Goodyear Tires, everybody that helps get this deal to the racetrack. It’s a pleasure to drive this truck.”

Crew chief Joe Shear, Jr., talk about the effort out there tonight by the No. 13 truck.

JOE SHEAR, JR.: “Just like Johnny said, we came here knowing we had to do what we did tonight. We had to dominate. We had to lead the most laps. And I can’t thank my guys — my guys worked hard all year, and it showed tonight. We had awesome pit stops. You know, we chased the track and everything and we made some adjustments, and we worked very hard to get where we were. It’s just awesome to be here. Really, I’m kind of lost for words. Working as hard as we do, and we’re working on it, and I think we’re pretty strong, and I can’t wait until next year.”

For both you guys, with what Duke and Rhonda’s organization has done this year, looking ahead and moving ahead, would you guys consider yourselves the championship favorite for next year, and why would that be?

JOHNNY SAUTER: “Well, first of all, I don’t think it’s any secret Duke and Rhonda’s commitment to not only NASCAR but to the Camping World Truck Series, 16 seasons full-time. There’s not a lot of people that can say that, whether they were sponsored or unsponsored. I know Duke and Rhonda spend a lot of their own money to make sure I get to the racetrack every weekend. I couldn’t appreciate that more first and foremost. Built a brand new 100,000 square foot shop, we moved into it in August up in Sandusky, Ohio, which is an anomaly in this business, being outside the Charlotte hub, so to speak. I think it’s a huge accomplishment, but I also know what I have for a team, and those guys work hard, and I guarantee you they work harder than anybody in the garage, and I guarantee you that we are a championship team. Even though we’re not champions right now, we are a championship team, and I do believe we’re the favorites for next year.”

At what point did you know the rain was going to be an issue?

JOHNNY SAUTER: “I had no clue until there was rain on the windshield. That’s the only time I knew. We went down into turn 3 there, the lap before, and it started to sprinkle pretty hard, and I came on the radio and I probably was yelling so loud that they probably didn’t even understand what I was saying, and I said, “it’s raining, it’s raining,” and we went down into turn 3 and it was pouring by the time I got to the back stretch, and I knew this was no good.”

“So I just knew that Denny was running the high line, so I knew that I needed to run the high line, but I got really loose getting down in there and just washed up the racetrack. It’s a good thing he’s as good of a driver as he is, or that could have been ugly. He’s amazingly talented and drove a hard race. I’ve gotta thank him for that.”

Race Recap:

Date: November 19, 2011

Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway

Race: 25 of 25

Started: 5th

Finished: 1st

Championship Point Standings: 2nd (-6)

Up Next on the Truck Series Schedule:

Date: November 22, 2011

Loew’s South Beach Hotel & Resort

Event Name: NCWTS Awards Banquet

Broadcast: SPEED at 8pmET

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

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

No. 13 Safe Auto / Curb Records / Carrier.com Chevrolet Silverado

TOP DRIVER, TOP TRACK: The driver leads in consistency stats at Chicagoland for the NCWTS. Only Kyle Busch tops his streak of better finishes at the intermediate track with Truck Series starts. He looks to have a consistent top five finish- or the visit to Victory Lane.

RUNNING WITH EXTRA “FUEL”: Sauter heads to Chicagoland with a little extra “fuel” in his pocket – from little Bryson Smith, a courageous young man battling leukemia in Mooresville, NC. Sauter and wife Cortney support Brysonsfuel.org,
Bryson’s organization dedicated to help shed light on the battle against childhood cancer. The family is hosting a balloon release at the Mooresville Chik-Fil-A on September 24th. More information is available at Brysonsfuel.org.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 13 team will utilize chassis No. 042 this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Built for the 2011 season, this chassis is the latest to come off the ThorSport Racing production line. It will test at Sandusky Speedway this week before making its debut in Chicago with the 13.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sauter drove the No. 13 home to a disappointing 29th place after a wild ride at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, September 9th. He qualified 12th on the grid; then ran much of the race in the top fifteen. After contact with a competitor, Sauter encountered tire woes that relegated him to pit road for four unscheduled stops throughout the night. His finish pushed him to second in overall driver championship points, a mere 12 behind leader James Buescher.

Johnny Sauter

ThorSport Racing announced your 2012 contract. Thoughts?

“I couldn’t be happier knowing we’ve got a place to hang our hat again next year. It just puts everybody at ease when you’re going after a championship. I’m thrilled that we can go after it again next year with ThorSport Racing, and it puts us at ease to do our jobs the rest of this season. It’s been such a good home for me with great resources, great people and a great chance to win.”

How do you feel coming out of Atlanta?

“We had a hiccup in Atlanta, it’s been tough and racing in general is tough – you never know what’s going to happen. We struggled throughout the course of the weekend. I got on a plane right after the race and spent four days in Ohio, and we got our arms around where we think we went wrong. Anytime you’ve got trouble and incidental contact, it’s not good. We gambled on a few decisions, and we didn’t have the night we wanted. I know we’ve put that behind us and are ready to get to Chicago – a track I like a lot.”

Going into Chicago, what are your thoughts for a championship run?

“You can look at a million different things all year and wish you’d done things a lot differently in many cases. We’ve agreed as a team not to dwell on anything, just focus on this homestretch. We live and die by our decisions in the heat of the moment, and I trust everybody of my team. We know we’ve got to be smart going down the homestretch and be a top truck week in and week out. When we do the right things, we win races. When we win races, we get that much closer to championships. We’re hoping to be the ‘team to catch’ going into Homestead in a few months.”

Race Info:

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Chicagoland Speedway

1.5-Mile D-Shaped Tri-Oval

Fast Five 225

150 laps/225 Miles

Broadcast Info:

TV: SPEED will broadcast live at 8:00pm EST

Radio: MRN & Sirius XM NASCAR Radio will broadcast live at 7:30pm EST

Team Facts:

Current Point Standings: 2nd (-12)

Crew Chief: Joe Shear Jr.

Chassis: 042

Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)

Johnny Sauter

Starts: 2

Wins: 0

Poles: 0

Top 5: 2

Average Start: 8 (best p5)

Average Finish: 4.5 (best p4)

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

ThorSport Racing

ThorSport Racing has competed in the Truck Series since 1996 and has had at least one truck starting in more races than any NCWTS team – making them the longest tenured team in the Series. The team has six wins, eleven poles and has led the series in driver points 13 of 17 weeks in 2011 between both Crafton and Sauter.

Matt Crafton

“I’m really proud to be extending my relationship with ThorSport Racing,” said Crafton. “Team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson and all the guys on my team have really become like a second family to me. When I first came to ThorSport, Duke promised me that this team would keep getting better every single year, and every year we continue to break records and raise the bar on the way to being what I believe is the best organization in the series. I’m really happy to continue to have the opportunity to race for them again next season.”

Johnny Sauter

“It’s an honor to drive for a fourth year with Duke and Rhonda Thorson,” said Sauter, who is currently second in driver championship points with eight races to go in 2011. “They have progressively built championship-caliber teams over the course of 16 years. It’s rare to find the support I’ve found here on the 13 team. I’m proud to have a home at ThorSport Racing, and I hope to continue that championship spirit in 2012.”

“Clearly with all the exciting things weve had going on in the 2011 season, having all of our drivers back in 2012 just continues the good news here at TSR,” said David Pepper, Team Manager. “We feel as if we have two of the top competitors in the NCWTS in Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter; and an outstanding young talent in rookie Dakoda Armstrong. We’re excited about getting all of our drivers and teams together in 2012 so that we can compete for poles, race wins and top fives into the future.”

“We have three quality drivers in our stable at ThorSport Racing, and that’s great for the Series as well as our growing sponsorship and partnership programs,” said Matt LaNeve, Vice President of Motorsports Partnerships. “We’re looking forward to seeing Matt, Johnny and Dakoda continue a strong tradition of excellence in 2012.”

Program details regarding sponsorship of the No. 88 and No. 13 Chevrolet Silverados are forthcoming.

ABOUT THORSPORT RACING:

ThorSport Racing, based in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest tenured active NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport Racing’s first race came at the Milwaukee Mile on July 6, 1996. NASCAR’s only Ohio-based team, which has run full season schedules annually beginning in 1998, currently runs the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado driven by Matt Crafton; the No. 13 Safe Auto/Curb Records Chevrolet driven by Johnny Sauter; and the No. 98 Ferrell Gas / Agrisure Chevrolet driven by Dakoda Armstrong.

ThorSport Racing has wheeled into Victory Lane with Terry Cook, Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter; both Crafton and Sauter visiting Victory Lane already in 2011. Since its inception, ThorSport Racing has finished a dominating seven times within the top 10 in points with both trucks. In 2009 and 2010, both Crafton and Sauter finished in the top five in driver points. In 2011, ThorSport Racing moved into a state-of-the-art, world-class 100,000 square foot racing facility in Sandusky.

For more information, visit us:

Facebook: Facebook/ThorSportRacing

Twitter:Twitter.com/ThorSportRacing

YouTube: YouTube.com/ThorSport

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

No. 13 Safe Auto / Curb Records / Carrier.com Chevrolet Silverado

At lap 128, Sauter radioed the crew that he felt he had a flat right front tire – and continued to impressively wheel the No. 13 truck through lap traffic on severe tight conditions as the team waited for weather and debris cautions. Forced to pit at lap 134 for right side tires and fuel as the tire couldn’t take any more stress, he emerged in 24th position only to uncover a broken swaybar. An expert wheelman and veteran short track racer, Sauter hung on to bring it home in the 23rd position at the checkers when others may have taken it into the wall. He remains the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship points leader going into Pocono Raceway this week, thanks to laps led and dogged determination by the driver.

Johnny Sauter

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series goes to the mountains on August 6th for the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 at Pocono Raceway.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

No. 13 SafeAuto Insurance / Curb Records / Carrier Chevrolet Silverado

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: Sauter will visit the Curb Records studio on Music Row in Nashville on Thursday, July 21st with NASCAR’s First Officially Licensed Artist, Sam Bass to experience his first “jam session” with Curb artists Rodney Atkins and Tim Duggar. Atkins will be on the decklid of the No. 13 truck in Nashville in honor of Curb Records; Duggar will be the featured artist playing at the ThorSport Race Shop Grand Opening Celebration on August 17th in Sandusky.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 13 team will utilize chassis No. 038 this weekend at Nashville Speedway. This is chassis is well-known on Nashville’s concrete surface and helped Sauter drive home in the seventh position earlier this year at the track.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Sauter drove the No. 13 home to a fourth place finish at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa on Saturday night. After battling back from a right rear flat tire (due to a slow leak) and out-of-cycle pit stop to fix, Sauter made the jump from 20th position to fourth in just eight laps. The finish was well-earned by the pit crew, crew chief and driver; it also gave ThorSport Racing owner Duke Thorson two trucks in the top four – as teammate Matt Crafton reached victory lane for the second time in his career.

Johnny Sauter

How do you feel going into the race in Nashville?

“Nashville is a great town, and it’s a great racetrack. I said it earlier this year – I have sentimental ties here, not just for the relationship with Curb Records, but also because I won at Nashville Fairgrounds back in the day in ASA Racing. I’ve already got one guitar. Two would be better – in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. That’s the trophy that everyone wants…it’s about going for that Gibson.”

What’s the biggest challenge going into Nashville?

“There is limited banking at Nashville, and that poses a problem for a lot of drivers – but to us short track racers, it’s just fine. It’s such a unique track and the concrete definitely sets it apart somewhat. The fastest groove, by far, is on the bottom here. It’s a one groove racetrack, but there are tons of different ways to get through the corners to get the truck where you want it. Take your choice of how you want to lift. The winning driver is going to be decided this week by the corners.”

How do you feel coming off a successful run at Iowa?

“Iowa was redemption for the No. 13 guys, for sure. We didn’t finish where we wanted to exactly, because we did have a winning truck and I’ve raced really well there in the past. But after having horrible luck in Kentucky and unfortunate circumstances in Texas, we just needed a solid top five. So we achieved our goals there. Now it’s time to take chassis 38 to Victory Lane here in Nashville, because I’m itching for that guitar. I say it all the time – the guitar and the Monster Mile trophies are the two that I really want.”

Are you looking forward to spending some time at the Curb Records Studio with the artists?

“Rodney has been on my decklid a lot over the last two years, so it’s kind of sentimental there too. He was on the decklid for the April race when Mike Curb got his 500th career start as a team owner, so it was really special. I feel like Rodney’s one of the team guys at this point. To have Sam Bass there is great too, so I can see the guitars. Now playing one, I don’t think you want to hear me doing that…I’ll leave it to the pros!”

Race Info:

July 22, 2011

Nashville Superspeedway

1.333-Mile D-ShapedOval

Lucas Deep Clean 200

150 Laps/200 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: 1st

Crew Chief: Joe Shear, Jr.

Chassis: 38

Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)

Johnny Sauter

Starts: 4

Wins: 0

Poles: 0

Top 10: 2

Top 5: 1

Laps Led: 0

Average Start: 8.3

Average Finish: 7.5

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

No. 13 Safe Auto / Curb Records / Carrier.com Chevrolet Silverado

LIKE A ROCK…OR A FORT: Sauter and his ThorSport Racing teammates Matt Crafton and Dakoda Armstrong are making a special stop during their trip to Kentucky. The three drivers are scheduled to visit Fort Knox for a hands-on day of training and meeting with military members at the U.S. Army post on behalf of Goodyear Tire.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 13 team will utilize chassis No. 038 this weekend at Kentucky Speedway. This is chassis has driven home to top 7 finishes at Nashville and Charlotte already in 2011.

Johnny Sauter

How do you feel going into the race in Kentucky?

“I really like Kentucky, and a lot of guys don’t. It has less banking, more bumps you have to lift through, and it’s fast and flatter. It takes a lot of skill and driving, especially through the corners, so those are the kinds of tracks I like. If it’s not a short track, I want it to have the individuality of a Kentucky. This is when our entire package – aero, body, horsepower, setup in general – comes into play. We’re always saying these races are going to be won or lost on pit road, and I believe that during this one too. We’ll all be on our toes here, especially being a companion race with Cup and Nationwide, and those drivers coming back into the Series for a few races here.”

What’s the biggest challenge going into Kentucky?

“The bumps there are a huge challenge with the coil bound setup. You’re always looking for compliance with the shocks over the bumps but it’s more pronounced at a track like Kentucky that has the type of surface it does. Joe and I are always working on the splitter and decreasing the bounce on the track, something we fight all the time. Our setups are so strong on these intermediate tracks, and I’m pretty confident that I learned a lot last year here with Joe and the guys. We’re going to come back swinging.”

Did you do anything fun during our longest break of the season?

“I was able to get up to Sandusky, and I took Cortney and the kids with me. They got to play at Kalahari Resort while I met with the guys, talked setups for Kentucky and the next five big race clip we’ll be on, and also had a chance to catch the NHRA race with Duke Thorson. Cortney’s in Wisconsin now with our families, so I get to go racing while she gets to see family with the kids.”

Are you looking forward to spending some time at Fort Knox?

“We had the privilege of having an honorary pit crew from Dover AFB in our pits at Dover, and that was special. I’m glad that this close to July 4th holiday, we can celebrate these men and women at Fort Knox too. I know that we’ll be spending time with some of the children of fallen soldiers, and that means a lot to me.”

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

No. 13 Safe Auto / Curb Records / Carrier.com Chevrolet Silverado

“I couldn’t be more proud of our effort,” said Sauter, who took a 12-point overall points lead over Cole Whitt. “There’s a little added pressure coming in here as the defending race winner. Everybody wants to talk to you about that, but we’re racing everybody out there every race. Joe Shear, Jr and my guys are a big part of the success here, and that effort helped get us to that second place finish.”

Last year’s win at Kansas gave Sauter the momentum to catapult into a winning stretch. He vaulted into the top 10 in points, posted 12 top-fives in the next 20 races, including five second-place and four third-place finishes; and ended the year third in overall driver points at banquet time. Sauter isn’t concerned about championship points just yet.

Johnny Sauter

Sauter led 11 laps in the race and stayed within the top five positions under most green flag conditions. A debris caution on lap 98 was a godsend for both Sauter and leader Bowyer, who hadn’t been to the pit for fuel and tires since laps 50 and 59 respectively. Crew chief Shear executed smart pit strategy throughout, giving Sauter the advantage at the end of the race.

Sauter has one win under his belt this season, at Martinsville, making him the only non-Sprint Cup driver to win in the Truck Series. While he’s content with the overall finish, he looks forward to racing winner Bowyer again. “Halfway through the race, I figured out he was just playing with us,” he said. “Toward the end, I started to reel him in, and I was like, ‘maybe this can happen.’ This is a humbling sport. You have to keep working on your program, take what you can get and go to the next one. I’m proud of my guys and what we put out there. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, this speaks volumes about the program that Duke and Rhonda Thorson run at ThorSport Racing.”

Next Race

15th Annual Winstar Casino World Casino 400k

Texas Motor Speedway – Friday, June 10th – 9pmET

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Matt Crafton

Crafton, who drives the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado for ThorSport Racing in the NCWTS, will attempt to qualify for the race less than 24 hours after competing in the Truck Series race at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway.

Two years ago, Crafton made the journey from Charlotte to Toledo after racing the Truck Series in order to practice and qualify an ARCA car for Paul Menard. Last year, he had the chance to race – flying in just after the May 22 Charlotte Motor Speedway Truck Series race to qualify seventh and finish fifth at the checkers.

No stranger to Ohio, the Tulare, Ca. native visits Northern Ohio and the ThorSport Racing Sandusky-based shop regularly. “I come check in on my guys and my No. 88 fleet of trucks, meet with Bud (Haefele), crew chief, and get setups done with the team. My owners, Duke and Rhonda Thorson, believe in Ohio for racing and know it’s a place where we can focus on the sport without a lot of chatter or noise from other teams. It’s good chi overall, keeps the guys motivated.”

Crafton will drive the No. 88 Messina Wildlife Management / Menards Ford Fusion, out of the Kimmel Racing stable of ARCA cars. The opportunity to run in the ARCA Racing Series is a result of the overall Menards Racing program in ARCA, and the business relationship between Messina Wildlife Management and Menards.

The quick turnaround is nothing new to the racing veteran, who is used to being on flights all over the country. “Between Menards appearances, which I really enjoy doing so that I can meet fans – and racing in the NCWTS, along with running my businesses with dirt cars and being a driver coach to Travis Pastrana in the NASCAR K&N Series, life is busy. I’m looking forward to getting back to Toledo – it’s a great racetrack with great fans. The track is awesome and I really like racing it. Pit strategy is huge at this track, since the tires fall off early and the rookies will be looking to their crew chiefs to really learn. We’ve learned a lot about tires this year in the Truck Series on repaved surfaces and different tires, so I’m interested in seeing what these Hoosier tires do next week.”

Currently third in overall driver points in the NCWTS, Crafton isn’t phased by the pressure. “It’s great to race in the ARCA Racing Series, because this is just plain fun. I’m going to race to win, I’d be ridiculous not to say that and there is some great competition in ARCA. Trucks this year is pretty cut-throat – every team and every driver has to be on their game 150% of the time to get a win and even get in the top ten. I’m proud of the momentum we’ve had so far, and it’s a great time for Ohio-based racing. Toledo Speedway shines a spotlight on Midwest racing at its finest, and I think it’s going to spotlight some really great talent there.”

Before moving to the NCWTS full-time in 2001, Crafton won the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series Championship in 2000. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2008 and has scored top-10 finishes in seven of the last eight years. Crafton still claims the title on most consistent top 10s in the NCWTS, with seventy seven consecutive appearances in the group. He recently celebrated with the SPEED Channel on-air at Nashville on their 200th broadcast – of which Crafton has appeared in all 200 – with a celebratory “smash” to host Krista Voda. “They had a cake, and she was egging me on with no forks or plates…I had a feeling I knew what I needed to do. So we joke that I was practicing for my upcoming wedding with fiancee Ashley – but I don’t think Ashley was a big fan of my techique! Krista was a great sport.”

The annual ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards spring event at Toledo Speedway will kick off on Friday, May 13 with the opening of ARCA Fan Fest 2011, and on-track action featuring the Buckeye 305 Touring Sprint Car Series. The ARCA cars hit the track on Saturday, May 14, with practice at 12:30 p.m. and Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell scheduled for 3:30 p.m. An ARCA Truck Series race will conclude the on-track action at 5 p.m., with a Welcome Race Fans Party to follow.

Spectator gates and ticket sales for the Menards 200 will open at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 15 and an autograph session featuring the entire starting ARCA Racing Series field is scheduled to take place from 12 – 1 p.m. The green flag will drop on the 200-lap, 100-mile Menards 200 at 2 p.m.

Advance discount tickets for the Menards 200 are available at Toledo-area Menards stores, including locations in Sandusky, Findlay, and Defiance. Race fans can save on ticket prices through May 10.

Toledo Speedway is located at 5639 Benore Road in northeast Toledo, just off I-75 and Alexis Road. More information is available by calling (419) 727-1100, or by visiting ARCARacing.com.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

No. 88 Menards / ThorSport Racing Chevrolet Silverado

“Yep, I’m fired up. There is no other way to say it. Me and my guys were seeing red, blood red, after Martinsville,” said Crafton. “We knew we were a better team than that performance, especially this year. It takes perfection at the race track week in, week out to beat the field in this environment in the Truck Series. We know we can do it. So I told my guys this week when I flew to Sandusky – ‘we are going to finish where we left off in Martinsville.’ We are, and we will, prove that we can win races and hopefully win championships with consistent performances.”

ThorSport Racing Sets Standard in 2011

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series recently reported that “ThorSport Racing is, arguably, the team to beat in 2011.” Crafton is five points away from the leader spot where his teammate, Johnny Sauter sits. Crafton has been atop the standings for the first four races of the season.

Nashville Superspeedway’s Bully Hill Vineyards 200 marks ThorSport Racing’s 327th consecutive race, matching that of Circle Bar Racing for second all-time. Crafton has been a part of the organization since 2001, one of the longest-standing driver/team owner relationships in the Series. That determination and loyalty sits well with the driver and his confidence on the race track.

Matt Crafton

He went on to say that it’s time to really tackle this track. “It’s no secret that I really love asphalt tracks, and I’m pretty outspoken about it. Concrete is a challenge. But again, we really are not just competitive this year, but ready to win races at any track. We’re bringing the No. 35 chassis for the 88 team – used most recently at Darlington. It was strong there, and Bud and I have worked on it since. Time to race and show how we can make it happen in Nashville. I want a Gibson guitar.”

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Johnny Sauter Poses With The Martinsville (Va.) Speedway Trophy

Busch took the lead on Lap 218 and held it through two restarts, but caution came out on Lap 241 due to a spin and Sauter was able to run Busch down becoming the first Truck Series regular to win a race this season.

“I told the guys yesterday that we had a fast truck, and this thing could blow people down all day,” Sauter said. “What a race. I said to Joe (Shear Jr, crew chief) that we were going to race the race track today. Preparation. He said back to me that it was tires, tires, tires. We just had smart pit strategy and some great cautions that helped throughout the race. I’m so proud of the No. 13 guys – fast pits, great execution, we were absolutely dialed in all week here. We just gelled the whole time. Teamwork wins these things.”

Following Sauter, Busch finished second, closely followed by Ron Hornaday, Kevin Harvick and Timothy Peters.

The win is Sauter’s third in the Truck Series and first at Martinsville. With the win, Sauter becomes the new Truck Series points leader, leading teammate Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Menards / Tarkett Chevy Silverado at ThorSport Racing, by five points.

“Now I get to go home and be a dad,” Sauter continued. “I have the easy job, I get to go drive fast and hopefully, like today, win races. Cortney’s got the tough job, having our daughter! It’s just a special weekend for everybody. I’m really proud to bring a win home for the Safe Auto staff and everyone at Curb Records. And above all, Duke and Rhonda Thorson. No one realizes what they go through every week to give us great equipment and invest in this Series and these teams. That Granddaddy is ours, guys!”

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Matt Crafton – Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

All they need is to see the first green flag of the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.

After finishing second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings in 2009, Crafton was pegged as a favorite for the 2010 series championship. Looking at his performance in the No. 88 Menards / SealBest Chevrolet Silverado over the final 16 races of the season, it’s hard to believe he wasn’t fighting for the title. Crafton closed the season with 16 consecutive top-ten finishes and moved from eighth in the series standings back up to fourth. But uncharacteristic troubles over the first nine races of the season – in which Crafton was involved in a couple of fender-benders and had his first engine failure in more than two years – left him in a deep points deficit that he wasn’t able to overcome.

So what are Crafton’s goals heading into 2011?

“Our main goal is really simple, we want to win,” Crafton said. “That’s the only thing we’ve been missing over the past two years. We’ve had poles. We’ve had a ton of top-fives and top-tens. We’ve been right up there in the points for the last three years. But we’ve only had that one win (Charlotte, 2008). We’ve been so close so many times it hurts to think about it. Our goal is to get back to victory lane. We have a lot of momentum on our side after finishing the season as strong as we did last year. We’re ready to head down to Daytona and pick up right where we left off.”

Crafton, crew chief Bud Haefele and the rest of the ThorSport Racing crew aren’t going to change much in their approach to the new season, but they’re hoping to catch a couple more good breaks and fewer bad breaks in 2011.

“We hadn’t had a DNF (did not finish) in more than two years,” Crafton said. “But we got caught up in a wreck at Atlanta and another one in Kansas. We had some motor trouble in Michigan. Those things hadn’t happened to us in a long, long time. It’s just bad luck, and you can’t really do anything about it other than to wait it out and hope eventually it changes. If we can keep those things from happening this season, and get the Menards Chevy into the winners circle a couple of times, I think we’ll be a lot closer to the championship than we were last year and even in 2009.”

Crafton and his ThorSport Racing team will celebrate a unique milestone in 2011: their sponsorship with Menards will enter its tenth full season, making it the longest team and primary sponsor relationship in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history.

“Breaking that record is something we’re all proud of,” Crafton said. “It says a lot about our team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson, who have been committed to this series for 16 years and it says a lot about Menards. I’m proud to have been a part of it for nine of the ten years. One of the really cool parts about working with Menards is going to the stores and seeing the race fans. We’ll go out to somewhere in Minnesota or North Dakota in the middle of winter, and it
feels like it’s 50 below zero, and there are people there lined up to see the Team Menards racecars. It’s been great to be a part of it and hopefully we can end our record-breaking season with a championship celebration in Miami.”

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

- Johnny Sauter finished third in the series standings, his best career result in the NCWTS in two full-time seasons; he finished sixth last season en route to the series’ Raybestos Rookie of the Year award.

- Matt Crafton finished fourth in the series standings, his third consecutive top-five result and his fourth overall.
Sauter scored one win in 2010, at Kansas Speedway, his second career series victory; his first came last season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

- Sauter’s win at Kansas Speedway was the fourth series victory for ThorSport Racing; Terry Cook scored the team’s first win at Flemington Speedway in 1998, Crafton earned the team’s second victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008, and Sauter picked up the team’s third win last season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

- Sauter scored 14 top-five finishes in 2010 and Crafton earned 10, giving the organization 24 top-fives; that equates to a top-five finish in 47 percent of its 51 starts throughout the season (25 starts for both Sauter and Crafton, one start at Daytona for Landon Cassill).

- Sauter finished among the top three ten times with one win, five second-place finishes and four third-place finishes.
Crafton scored top-ten finishes in 20 of the series’ 25 races in 2010, tying him with Todd Bodine for the series’ best; 16 of Crafton’s top-tens were consecutive starting at Iowa Speedway in July through the final event of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the longest streak by any series driver this season.

- Sauter led 220 laps in six races; he led 101 on his way to victory at Kansas Speedway, four laps en route to second-place at Iowa Speedway, 21 laps in a second-place performance at Kentucky Speedway, 49 laps at Martinsville Speedway, 31 laps en route to another second-place run at Texas Motor Speedway, and 12 laps on his way to a third-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

- Sauter’s 220 laps led is the most in a single season by a ThorSport Racing driver.

- Crafton came within one top-ten run of matching his career best of 21, set last season.

- Both Sauter and Crafton finished among the top-five six times in 2010: Gateway International Raceway, O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Texas Motor Speedway (November), and Phoenix International Raceway.

- ThorSport Racing is the first team to place two drivers among the top five in the series’ final championship standings since 2008 when Bill Davis Racing placed both Johnny Benson and Mike Skinner in the top five; ThorSport Racing is the first non-Sprint Cup affiliated team to do so since 2002 when Ultra Motorsports placed both Ted Musgrave and Jason Leffler in the top five.

- Crafton earned ThorSport Racing’s only pole of the season in the November race at Texas Motor Speedway; it was his second consecutive pole in the fall race at TMS and his fourth career pole (New Hampshire Motor Speedway, 2005; Chicagoland Speedway, 2009; Texas Motor Speedway, 2009; Texas Motor Speedway, 2010).

- Crafton led 15 laps in three races in 2010; he led 10 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway, one lap at Michigan International Speedway, and four laps en route to a fourth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway.

- Sauter started among the top ten in 23 of the series’ 25 races; his only starts outside the top ten were 12th at Pocono Raceway and 21st at Martinsville Speedway in October.

- Despite not completing a single lap of the 100 possible in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway due to an accident caused by another driver, Sauter completed 3,783 of a possible 3,874 competition laps in 2010. The only time Sauter did not complete every possible lap on the racetrack following the Daytona race was when he was put a lap down by winner Kyle Busch in the late stages of the April event at Nashville Superspeedway.

- Sauter’s average start in 2010 was 6.5; his average finish was 8.1.

- Crafton’s average start in 2010 was 8.0; his average finish was 8.9.

- ThorSport Racing earned points in the manufacturers’ championship by fielding the highest finishing Chevrolet seven times: Crafton at Daytona International Speedway and Sauter at Kansas Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway (June), Gateway International Raceway, Kentucky Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Texas Motor Speedway (November).

- In 2010, ThorSport Racing completed its ninth consecutive full season with sponsorship from Menards, tying Ultra Motorsports and Team ASE for the longest team-sponsor relationship in series history. ThorSport Racing and Menards will break that record when the 2011 season kicks off at Daytona.

- ThorSport Racing is owned by Duke and Rhonda Thorson; the team’s shop is located in Sandusky, Ohio, just ten minutes from the front gates of the world renowned amusement park Cedar Point.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

ThorSport Racing

“I am as excited about the final five races of this season as I have ever been,” Sauter continued. “We have our best trucks ready to go and we have some of our best tracks coming up. I think we have a real shot to win every one of them. But as excited as I am for those races, I am even more excited about next year. We didn’t really get off to the best start this year at Daytona so I am already fired up and ready to start 2011 off on the right foot.”

Since joining ThorSport Racing for the 2009 season, Sauter has won two Camping World Truck Series races (Las Vegas, September 2009 and Kansas, April 2010), collected 19 top-five finishes, 26 top-ten finishes, and won two poles. He finished sixth in the 2009 championship standings while winning the series’ Raybestos Rookie of the Year award, and currently sits third in the 2010 championship standings, just 38 points out of second.

“Johnny and Joe Shear have helped turn our No. 13 team into a legitimate contender to win every week and to challenge for the championship so we’re happy to know they are both on board for 2011,” said ThorSport Racing team owner Duke Thorson. “We’ve tried for several years to find the right driver-crew chief combination for that team and once we brought Joe on board we knew we found it.”

“We’re still working on the sponsorship situation for the No. 13 team,” said Matthew LaNeve, Vice President of Motorsports Partnerships for ThorSport Racing. “We’ve had some good conversations with several companies who’ve expressed interest in both Johnny and ThorSport Racing. We are evaluating those potential partners and we are open to out-of-the-box thinking to include a performance-based sponsorship plan. We are looking for a company that will not only benefit from the exposure generated from the truck racing on track, but one that can take advantage of the ThorSport Racing marketing platform. Through our existing business-to-business relationships ThorSport Racing can provide an immediate and real return on investment to a potential partner.”

- ThorSport Racing Press Release