Crafton breezes to a second place finish in the Windy City

Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Splash-FVP/Menards Toyota Tundra, had a lot to gain from a solid run in Saturday’s rain-delayed Lucas Oil 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. Entering the 15th race on the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule, the ThorSport Racing driver was second in the 2014 driver point standings, a mere seven points behind first-place. Following a second-place finish on Saturday at Chicago, Crafton’s track-best finish in six starts at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval, the reigning series champion moved into the lead in the championship point standings by five points over teammate Johnny Sauter.

Starting ninth, his fourth top-10 start in six races at Chicago, Crafton made his way into the top-three by lap two and remained inside the top-five for the remainder of the 150-lap event. Crew chief Carl Joiner brought the No. 88 machine to pit road under caution at laps 63 and 113, respectively, for four tires and fuel, including chassis adjustments to aid in a “loose on entry, tight exit” condition. Crafton took over the lead for the first time at lap 41 and led the field three times for a total of 14 laps. The ThorSport Racing driver started third on the final restart at lap 118, making a move into second by lap 120, and crossed the stripe in the runner-up position behind race winner Kyle Busch.

 

Thorsport PR