Matt Crafton – 2016 Iowa Speedway Recap

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News
Matt Crafton Race Recap:
Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota Tundra, made his 10th start at Iowa Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Speediatrics 200 on Saturday night. Starting 10th, the 2011 race winner, ran consistently inside the top-10, battling handling issues throughout the 200-lap event, and finished eighth. The top-10 result was Crafton’s 10th top-10 finish in 10 races at the .875-mile oval.
 
Starting 10th, Crafton battled a Toyota Tundra that was tight through the first half of a run, and “pretty good” at the end of a run. Crew chief Carl “Junior” Joiner brought the No. 88 machine to pit road under the races first three cautions at laps 44, 104, and 148, respectively, for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to aid in the handling. Restarting eighth at lap 156, when multiple trucks opted to take two tires versus four, Crafton was able to work his way inside the top-five, running as high as fourth before the fourth caution, and eventual red flag halted the two-time champions progression. In the final 13 laps, which included a green-white-checker flag finish, Crafton’s Menards Toyota Tundra began “plowing,” forcing the ThorSport Racing driver to lose momentum, and settle for an eight-place finish behind race winner, William Byron. 
 
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“Our Menards Toyota Tundra was just really tight all night – we couldn’t pass. We were decent on the longer runs, but the race didn’t play out in our favor. We feel as though we are locked in to the chase, so we were able to try some stuff this weekend that could help us later in the year. I just have to thank all my guys, and everyone at ThorSport Racing, especially Duke and Rhoda Thorson. This week didn’t start out good for any of us, but everyone worked so hard to get here this weekend, and to have three trucks in the top-10, says a lot about this organization. We will rebuild from this, and be stronger for it.” 

Thorsport PR

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