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Matt Crafton
Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving a Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. For 25 years, he competed full-time in the Truck Series, driving ThorSport's No. 88 truck for all but one year from 2001 to 2025.
A long-time veteran of the series, Crafton is a three-time champion, winning the championship in 2013, 2014, and 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in Truck Series history. With the exception of 2004, Crafton has spent his entire truck series career driving for ThorSport Racing along with longtime sponsor Menards. He holds the record for most consecutive truck series starts with 592. Following the conclusion of the 2025, he stepped down from full-time competition, choosing to instead run a few select races a season going forward.
Crafton was born in Tulare, California. Before turning to NASCAR racing in 2000, he raced go-karts, midgets, and mini sprints. Crafton began his go-kart career at the age of seven after receiving a kart as a present for graduating from kindergarten. He won multiple national and regional championships before moving to midgets at the age of fifteen, winning twenty main events.
He joined the Featherlite Southwest Series as a substitute for his injured father, Danny Crafton, in 1996, filling in as the driver of the No. 46 entry for the final three races of the season. Crafton took over the No. 46 full-time in 1997. His career went national when he became involved in the 1998 Winter Heat Series shown on ESPN at Tucson Raceway Park, during which he raced against other NASCAR drivers Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Ron Hornaday. After four full-time seasons in the Featherlite Southwest Series, Crafton won the championship in 2000 on the strength of four wins that year. His success in the Featherlite Southwest Series that season led to the invitation to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut for SealMaster Racing.
Crafton made his Truck Series debut in 2000 at the season finale, held at California Speedway. Driving the PickupTruck.com Chevy for ThorSport Racing, he qualified seventeenth and finished ninth. In 2001, he piloted the No. 88 for ThorSport full-time with sponsorship from Fast Track Delivery Sealer and XE Sighting System. He had eleven top-tens and finished twelfth in the championship standings, third behind Ricky Hendrick and Travis Kvapil for Rookie of the Year. Menards first joined as an associate sponsor in 2002, and that season, he earned six top-tens and finished fifteenth in points. Crafton earned 11 top 10s before finishing 11th in points in 2003.
In 2004, Crafton signed on to drive the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Silverado owned by Kevin Harvick Incorporated. He posted a best finish of third place in two races, and with six top fives and 17 top 10s, he ended the season fifth in the final standings.
Despite strong statistics in 2004, he was released[citation needed] from KHI and returned to ThorSport for the 2005 season, where he won his first career pole at New Hampshire International Speedway, earning two top-fives and ten top-tens and finishing ninth in the standings. In 2006, he had four top-five finishes, ten top-ten finishes, and finished fourteenth in points. In 2007, he improved to eighth in points and posted ten top-ten finishes for the third consecutive season.
Crafton's first NASCAR win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16, 2008, in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. It was his 178th start, the record for most starts a driver has had before getting his first win in the Truck Series. The win moved him into the top five in points for 2008. Later that season, Crafton filled in for Robby Gordon in practice and qualified for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Homestead because Gordon was competing in the final off-road race of the season.
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Matt Crafton
Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving a Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. For 25 years, he competed full-time in the Truck Series, driving ThorSport's No. 88 truck for all but one year from 2001 to 2025.
A long-time veteran of the series, Crafton is a three-time champion, winning the championship in 2013, 2014, and 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in Truck Series history. With the exception of 2004, Crafton has spent his entire truck series career driving for ThorSport Racing along with longtime sponsor Menards. He holds the record for most consecutive truck series starts with 592. Following the conclusion of the 2025, he stepped down from full-time competition, choosing to instead run a few select races a season going forward.
Crafton was born in Tulare, California. Before turning to NASCAR racing in 2000, he raced go-karts, midgets, and mini sprints. Crafton began his go-kart career at the age of seven after receiving a kart as a present for graduating from kindergarten. He won multiple national and regional championships before moving to midgets at the age of fifteen, winning twenty main events.
He joined the Featherlite Southwest Series as a substitute for his injured father, Danny Crafton, in 1996, filling in as the driver of the No. 46 entry for the final three races of the season. Crafton took over the No. 46 full-time in 1997. His career went national when he became involved in the 1998 Winter Heat Series shown on ESPN at Tucson Raceway Park, during which he raced against other NASCAR drivers Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Ron Hornaday. After four full-time seasons in the Featherlite Southwest Series, Crafton won the championship in 2000 on the strength of four wins that year. His success in the Featherlite Southwest Series that season led to the invitation to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut for SealMaster Racing.
Crafton made his Truck Series debut in 2000 at the season finale, held at California Speedway. Driving the PickupTruck.com Chevy for ThorSport Racing, he qualified seventeenth and finished ninth. In 2001, he piloted the No. 88 for ThorSport full-time with sponsorship from Fast Track Delivery Sealer and XE Sighting System. He had eleven top-tens and finished twelfth in the championship standings, third behind Ricky Hendrick and Travis Kvapil for Rookie of the Year. Menards first joined as an associate sponsor in 2002, and that season, he earned six top-tens and finished fifteenth in points. Crafton earned 11 top 10s before finishing 11th in points in 2003.
In 2004, Crafton signed on to drive the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Silverado owned by Kevin Harvick Incorporated. He posted a best finish of third place in two races, and with six top fives and 17 top 10s, he ended the season fifth in the final standings.
Despite strong statistics in 2004, he was released[citation needed] from KHI and returned to ThorSport for the 2005 season, where he won his first career pole at New Hampshire International Speedway, earning two top-fives and ten top-tens and finishing ninth in the standings. In 2006, he had four top-five finishes, ten top-ten finishes, and finished fourteenth in points. In 2007, he improved to eighth in points and posted ten top-ten finishes for the third consecutive season.
Crafton's first NASCAR win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16, 2008, in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. It was his 178th start, the record for most starts a driver has had before getting his first win in the Truck Series. The win moved him into the top five in points for 2008. Later that season, Crafton filled in for Robby Gordon in practice and qualified for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Homestead because Gordon was competing in the final off-road race of the season.