NASCAR champ set for final full-time start at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. — West Coast represent one last time – Matt Crafton is ready to make his final start as a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver in the season finale.

The Truck Series veteran ascended from his hometown of Tulare, California, to national fame through ESPN’s Winter Heat Series at Tucson Raceway Park, to ending his career as a foundational champion and winner — just down Interstate 10 at Phoenix Raceway.

His legacy as a three-time Truck champion and one of the winningest drivers in series history — 15 wins — began close to home but soon allowed him to reach the mountaintop of the sport.

Early Career

Oct. 13, 2000. That was the last Truck race without Matt Crafton.

A little over two weeks later on Oct. 28, 2000, Crafton climbed in ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Menards truck for the first time at California Speedway. He started 17th and finished ninth in his series debut and was rewarded with a full-time Truck deal for 2001.

Crafton’s Truck career started slowly. In 2001, he scored 11 top-10 finishes, a best finish of sixth at Pikes Peak and finished third to Travis Kvapil in the rookie standings. The next two seasons saw him post some quiet and consistent runs — but no top-five finishes. 

Until he joined forces with future NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick in 2004.

Racing Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s No. 6 truck in 2004, Crafton had his best season yet. He earned his first top-five finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway – and earned five more that season.

While that was great for Crafton, KHI released him at season’s end. Team owner Kevin Harvick commended the young driver for his consistency in the top-10 but sought higher expectations – wins and more top-five finishes.

Combined with ThorSport looking to rebound from a disappointing 18th-place points finish after Crafton’s departure and 2005 was the right time for a reunion.

Back at ThorSport

Menards stepped up to sponsor Crafton’s full-time ride, kickstarting the longest driver-sponsor relationship in NASCAR to date.

Back at home with ThorSport’s No. 88 Menards truck in 2005, Crafton’s career took off. He earned his first career pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and improved the No. 88 team to ninth in points.

The next two seasons saw growing consistency – before a big breakthrough in May of 2008. Crafton broke a record 178-race winless streak with his first career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That same season, he had his best average finish and points finish to date – 11.0 and fifth.

In 2009, he improved upon 2008, averaging a finish of 6.7 and finishing second in points, to show more wins and championships were to follow.

Crafton’s Prime Years

In 2011, Crafton earned his second career win on a hot summer night at Iowa Speedway. Although 2012 saw him go winless in the first season with Toyota, they led more laps and leveled up from 2011 – gaining momentum for a big year.

Crafton broke through in the fourth race of the 22-race season. He earned his third career win and the points lead at Kansas Speedway and never looked back. 19 top-10 finishes in 21 races gave him a large enough points lead to become the champion just by starting the finale.

In 2014, Crafton earned two more wins and another championship, making him a back-to-back Truck champion – a first in series history.

Crafton also had a chance to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In 2013, he scored a pair of third-place finishes at Kentucky Speedway and a 10th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 33 Chevrolet.

Crafton was on top of the NASCAR world by 2015, even getting the call to fill in for the injured Kyle Busch in the Daytona 500. He built upon the momentum with a career-high six wins that Truck season, including four in the first 10 races.

Unfortunately, DNFs at pivotal points of the season – Pocono when he lost the points lead, and the penultimate race at Phoenix – relegated him to third in points.

Becoming a Mainstay in Trucks

With the playoffs introduced in the Trucks, Crafton stayed on form. From 2016-2017, he captured three wins and made the Championship 4 each year.

In 2018, a switch back to Ford saw Crafton winless for the first time in six years and out of the Championship 4 for the first time.

Then, 2019 was a big year that revealed itself in the end. Although he went winless again, he finished no worse than 14th in the first 18 races and then survived two finishes of 23rd or worse in the next four to make the Championship 4 again.

In the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he finished second in the race and won his third championship. He became only the second winless champion in NASCAR history, after Austin Dillon in the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

In 2020, Crafton captured his 15th career win at Kansas Speedway. To date, it’s his final win and was a track record third Truck win for him.

The Eventual Fade

In 2021, the now-45-year-old went back to Toyota but the results faded. Crafton had his worst average finish and fewest laps led in about a decade. Although he made it back to the Championship 4, he finished fourth.

The next two seasons, Crafton slid from two top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and a 13.2 average finish in 2022 – to two top-fives, nine top-10s and a 13.9 average finish in 2023. He made the playoffs – finishing ninth in points each year – but missed the playoffs in 2024.

In 2024 and 2025 (to-date) combined, Crafton only scored one top-five, 12 top-10s, 13 laps led combined and saw his average finish go from 16.1 to 18.6.

The End

Matt Crafton still has one more race before he hands the keys to Majeski — this Friday in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship race at Phoenix:

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