NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
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TRUCKS: Crafton Sees Desire, Swagger As Ingredients To Success
Matt Crafton has been a model of consistency over the last few seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series...
Jim Rising  |  Posted February 24, 2011   Charlotte, NC
Matt Crafton will attempt to qualify for the ARCA race at Toledo less than 24 hours after competing in the Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
When NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Matt Crafton straps into his No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet every week, his racing hero is close to his heart. Davey Allison befriended a young Crafton and that fateful summer in 1993 when Allison was killed in a helicopter crash, 17-year-old Crafton had been invited to "hang out" with the driver.

"He had driven my dad's late model a long time ago quite a few times and me and him actually became really close," Crafton said. "Dave was one of the nicest racers out there. He always treated me so good. So I wear the same T-shirt every week in the truck. A Davey Allison T-shirt."

Don't mistake Crafton's sentimentality for weakness as a competitor. Last week in what he called the "Demolition Derby" that was the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, he managed a top 10 finish. This, in spite of being hammered from behind by what he called a "Jackwagon."

"We just rode around in the back and waited towards the end," Crafton said. "Then there was one of the wrecks and we stood on the brakes. There was about six of us in line. The big wreck was way in front of us and we were all good and this Jackwagon (Donnie Neuenberger) didn't get the memo and was still wide open."

The accident took out several competitive trucks.

"He drove through Johanna Long, Johanna into me, me into my teammate Johnny Sauter. A blind man could have seen 'em wrecking, really," Crafton said.

Putting Daytona in the rearview mirror, Crafton is looking forward to the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday. Last year saw him finish fourth at the track he has raced on for years and calls one of his favorites.

"What I like about it is it's so different, one end from the other. At Phoenix you can set your truck up to be good at one end and at the other end it's going to be terrible," Crafton said. "You kinda gotta pick a happy medium and work with it."

While the temperatures for the Phoenix race promise to be moderate, Crafton says that learning to deal with the heat in the race truck is one of the things for which he trains. Aerobic workouts followed by long sessions in a sauna help keep him prepared for the challenge.

"You need to learn to breathe in the heat," Crafton said. "Being in the truck during a race in hot weather is like riding a bicycle in a steam room for two or three hours."

Although Crafton hasn't visited Victory Lane since his 2008 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he has been near the top of the NCWTS year-end rankings with a 2009 second-place finish and a fourth last year. Consistently high finishes week in and week out have been his trademark.
Matt Crafton and Menards have the longest active driver/sponsor relationship in the Truck Series. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

David Pepper, team manager for Crafton's Thorsport Racing, acknowledges his ability to see the big picture. "Matt's very consistent — you know exactly what you're gonna get every time he straps in the truck," Pepper said. "He makes really good decisions on the race track and he races for the championship."

Crafton sees a fierce desire to win every race and a bit of swagger as the major elements that make up a strong competitor.

"You gotta be hungry and you gotta want it," Crafton said. "Can't just expect it to be given to you. You gotta go out there and you gotta earn it."

The swagger is the confidence that makes the difference in Crafton's mind.

"As a race car driver you need that confidence, that little bit of extra," he said. "If you have it you can get half a tenth to a tenth better and go from a 10th-place finish to winning a race."

Crafton is proud that his No. 88 Chevrolet holds the record for longest-running sponsor in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Menards. The sponsor has been on his truck for all his visits to Phoenix, with Friday's race being number 11.

Qualifying for the Lucas Oil 150 at PIR will be broadcast live at 5 p.m. ET on SPEED, followed by NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 7:30 and the green flag at 8 p.m. ET.
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