Matt Crafton to retire from full-time NASCAR racing in 2026
SANDUSKY, Ohio — Matt Crafton will retire from full-time NASCAR racing in 2026, ThorSport Racing confirmed Monday about the three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.
Crafton will finish out the season in the No. 88 Menards truck he has made famous in the series. Then, Ty Majeski will take the reigns in 2026.
Crafton missed the playoffs for the second season in a row in 2025. His last win was in July 2020 at Kansas Speedway – and he has just one top-five finish in the last 41 races.
While Matt Crafton has struggled lately, his legacy in the NASCAR Truck Series remains. He has been in every Truck race since his debut in the 2000 season finale at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
At the end of 2025, Crafton will have 592 races under his belt — by far the most of any driver in series history.
Crafton, a 25-season veteran, has three championships – in 2013, 2014 and 2019 – and 15 wins. His first win was in May 2008 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com