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NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
DUNLAP: Crafton Crafting Own Fate
Despite who was at fault, I found Matt Crafton’s on-track aggressive actions at Gateway a little surprising...
Ray Dunlap  |  Posted September 15, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Ray Dunlap, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Reporter. (Photo: SPEED)
Matt Crafton may have sealed his own destiny in his 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship bid last weekend at Gateway International Raceway by wrecking the first and second-place trucks on separate restarts.
Ray Dunlap, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Reporter. (Photo: SPEED)

Crafton, second in the point standings, managed to take out the points and race leader, Ron Hornaday Jr., with 10 laps remaining in the event, as well as Todd Bodine, second at the time, in back-to-back restarts, unleashing a firestorm of criticism and promise of retribution against him.

Both Hornaday and Bodine said in their post-race interviews that they planned to return the favor and while I don’t doubt they will make good on their promises, I don’t expect it this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That’s too obvious. Smart and calculating drivers tuck the misdeed away in the back of their minds and strategically plot future punishment. Rest assured NASCAR will be watching both men closely this weekend at Loudon and won’t allow outright on-track revenge. But Crafton and his No. 88 team certainly can expect the tables to turn on them at some point this season.

And unfortunately for Crafton, that payback could cost him a potential championship if he is able to cut into Hornaday’s hefty lead in the coming weeks. If we’re down to the last couple of races and Crafton is within striking distance of the title, consider that the prime opportunity for one of these drivers to express their “appreciation” for him wadding up their trucks the other night. In addition to Bodine and Hornaday, other drivers approached me after the Gateway race and stated their disbelief at Crafton’s erratic driving.

Many drivers were paying attention and several could have a role in how this all plays out, electing to race Crafton differently than before because they don’t think he gave these two former series champions their due respect. Mike Skinner was very vocal in his Victory Lane interview concerning his displeasure with Crafton’s performance. He said NASCAR can’t allow drivers to wreck others and, in turn, knock them out of contention for the win, and that the black-flag penalty for the No. 88 Chevrolet wasn’t sufficient.

It’s hard for us non-drivers to “armchair quarterback” what happened and decipher who was at fault because sitting behind the wheel provides a different perspective. When Bodine got crashed, he didn’t have a great restart, putting him in a compromising position. But both Bodine and Hornaday clearly thought Crafton was in the wrong.

Despite who was at fault, I found Crafton’s on-track aggressive actions a little surprising. During our post-race interview on SPEED, he watched the replay and reiterated he was blameless.

Right or wrong, the most unfortunate outcome was that Hornaday’s No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. team lost the best truck in its stable, one they had intended to take to Loudon this weekend. Plus, another potential Hornaday win is history. The points he lost aren’t necessarily an issue, although they could become one if this tiff carries on and recurs. Then we could be talking about the loss of 100 points for one or the other of these drivers.

Things like this happen in racing, but just like “Jimmy Spencer never forgets,” none of these drivers will forget, either. They view their Gateway demise as the product of deliberate aggressiveness on Crafton’s part. While I don’t think Crafton intentionally wrecked them, you can go to the bank with the prediction that either Bodine or Hornaday purposefully will repay him before the season is over.

So, keep your eyes peeled at places like Martinsville and Phoenix for a punted and spinning No. 88 Menards Chevrolet. Then look no further than Bodine’s No. 30 Toyota or Hornaday’s No. 33 Chevrolet for the suspicious front-end damage.
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