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Camping World Trucks - Crafton Pocono Preview


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

SECOND TIME'S A CHARM: This Saturday, Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door team head to Pocono Raceway, where Crafton came up just shy of the win in 2010. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at the 2.5-mile triangle, Crafton was in a heated three-way battle for the win in a green/white/checkered finish, ultimately bringing the No. 88 home third following an aggressive move for the lead on the final restart.

ANY QUESTIONS?: Stop by the Chevy stage at Pocono Raceway on Friday, August 5th where Crafton and teammate Johnny Sauter will be doing a Q&A session at 2:30 p.m. ET. The ThorSport Racing drivers will discuss Pocono Raceway and the 2011 season as we cross the halfway point.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 88 team will utilize chassis No. 41 this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The No. 41 chassis made its debut last month at Kentucky Speedway where the truck was fast in the opening laps but retired early due to engine failure.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Crafton and the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door team earned a sixth-place finish and closed the gap in the points lead under the lights at Lucas Oil Raceway. After early wrecks and a brief rain delay, Crafton battled hard with his competitors, bringing home his seventh top-10 finish of 2011 and inching himself within 38 points of the championship lead.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Matt Crafton

After the series made its debut in 2010, what are your feelings on Pocono Raceway?

"Until last year's race, I had only seen Pocono Raceway on TV, but TV just doesn't do the place justice. The race was an absolute blast, one of the most fun races of the season. We had to start from the drawing board when we unloaded last year, and our team made so much progress between the first practice and the race. Now we're going back there with notes and experience, and I think we're completely capable of picking up where we left off and getting even better. There's no doubt we can get to victory lane this year."