It’s not a secret that Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Damp-Rid/Menards Toyota Tundra, has seen success in his 14-year NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) career. The ThorSport Racing driver became the first driver in series history to win back-to-back championships in 2014, has five career wins, seven poles, and has led 918 laps en route to 76 top-five and 192 top-10 finishes. However, when it comes to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the site of Friday night’s NCWTS NextEra Energy Resources 250, Crafton is hungry for a trip to victory lane. In 14 previous starts since 2001, the Menards driver has one top-five and five top-10 finishes. As the driver with the most experience at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Crafton hopes his high level of consistency will land him in victory lane on Friday night.
Sounding Off – Matt Crafton:
Are you a victim of circumstance at a place like Daytona?
“Superspeedway racing makes for great racing to watch as a fan, but as a driver it’s very frustrating. You just never know what’s going to happen at any minute – everything is just out of your control. You can’t say to yourself, I’m going to drive it in the corner a little deeper to make up the difference here; you can’t make up the difference. As a driver, you just hope to pick the right lane, do the right thing, and be there at the end. It’s not about your skills as a driver; you are at the mercy of what everyone is doing around you. Daytona was one of those races that got away last year, and I hope we can turn it around this year.”
Thorsport PR
