Matt Crafton Bio
Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 88 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. A long-time veteran of the series, Crafton drove for ThorSport his entire career, with the exception of 2004, and is a three-time champion of the series, winning the championship in 2013, 2014, and 2019. He holds the record for most consecutive Truck Series starts.
Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, Crafton became one of the most consistent and respected drivers in NASCAR history. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in Truck Series history.
Early Life and Background
Matthew Justin Crafton was born on June 11, 1976, in Tulare, California. He grew up in a racing household and developed a passion for motorsports at a very young age. Crafton began his go-kart career at the age of seven after receiving a kart as a present for graduating from kindergarten. He won multiple national and regional championships before moving to midgets at the age of fifteen, where he won twenty main events.
Crafton is the son of Danny Crafton, a fellow racer who competed in the Featherlite Southwest Series. His father’s involvement in racing gave Matthew direct exposure to stock car competition from an early age, shaping the path that would eventually lead him to the national NASCAR stage.
Path to NASCAR
Crafton joined the Featherlite Southwest Series as a substitute for his injured father, Danny Crafton, in 1996, filling in as the driver of the No. 46 entry for the final three races of the season. He took over the No. 46 full-time in 1997 and steadily built his reputation as a rising talent. His career went national when he became involved in the 1998 Winter Heat Series shown on ESPN at Tucson Raceway Park, where he raced against other NASCAR drivers such as Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Ron Hornaday.
After four full-time seasons in the Featherlite Southwest Series, Crafton won the championship in 2000 on the strength of four wins that year. His success in the series led to an invitation to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut for ThorSport Racing that same season.
Matt Crafton Career
Early Career (1996-2000)
Crafton began his professional career in 1996, stepping in for his injured father in the Featherlite Southwest Series. After taking over the No. 46 entry full-time in 1997, he gained valuable seat time against established regional competitors. The 1998 Winter Heat Series proved to be a turning point, exposing him to higher-level competition and televised racing.
By 2000, Crafton had become a championship-caliber driver in the Featherlite Southwest Series, winning four races and capturing the series title. That championship opened the door to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he made his debut at the 2000 season finale at California Speedway. Driving the PickupTruck.com Chevy for ThorSport Racing, he qualified seventeenth and finished ninth, signaling a strong arrival on the national scene.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2001-2012)
Crafton piloted the No. 88 for ThorSport Racing full-time in 2001, earning eleven top-tens and finishing twelfth in the championship standings. He finished third behind Ricky Hendrick and Travis Kvapil for Rookie of the Year. Menards first joined as an associate sponsor in 2002, and over the next several seasons, Crafton established himself as a model of consistency, regularly posting top-ten finishes and steadily improving his points position each year.
In 2004, Crafton signed on to drive the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Silverado owned by Kevin Harvick Incorporated. Despite a strong campaign that included a best finish of third place and seventeen top-10s, he was released and returned to ThorSport for 2005. He won his first career pole that year at New Hampshire International Speedway. Crafton’s first NASCAR win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16, 2008, in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, in his 178th start, which was a record for most starts before a first win in the Truck Series.
In 2011, Crafton earned his second career win at Iowa Speedway. After the team moved from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2012, he finished sixth in points. The foundation of those seasons set the stage for the championship breakthrough that followed.
Championship Years (2013-2014)
2013 was the best season of Crafton’s career. He won his third career race at Kansas in April, took the points lead, and held it for the remainder of the season. He finished in the top ten in nineteen races overall and clinched his first Truck Series championship. That same year, he also made his Nationwide Series debut with Richard Childress Racing, running three races and finishing third at both Kentucky races and tenth at Chicagoland.
In 2014, Crafton scored wins at Martinsville and Texas Motor Speedway, becoming the first back-to-back champion in the Truck Series. His consistency and race craft during these two seasons cemented his legacy as one of the series’ all-time greats.
Continued Success and Third Title (2015-2019)
Crafton posted a career-best six-win season in 2015, with victories at Atlanta, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Martinsville, and Homestead-Miami. However, several late-season crashes dropped him to third in points. He added wins at Dover and Charlotte in 2016, becoming the first driver to record back-to-back victories in his career. In 2017, he scored his fourteenth career victory at Eldora.
Although Crafton went winless in 2018 and 2019, he made the Championship 4 in 2019 and finished second at Homestead to Austin Hill, claiming his third Truck Series championship. He joined an elite group of three-time champions and reinforced his status as a Truck Series legend.
ThorSport Racing Era (2020-2025)
Crafton broke a 67-race winless streak with a victory at Kansas Speedway on July 25, 2020, marking his third career win at the track. He went winless in 2021 but made the Championship 4 and finished fourth in points. In 2022, he was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, finishing ninth. In 2023, he again made the playoffs but was eliminated at Kansas, and following a garage-area altercation with Nick Sanchez at Talladega, NASCAR fined Crafton $25,000 and Sanchez $5,000.
Crafton failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2024 for the first time since the playoff format was introduced. On August 18, 2025, it was announced that Crafton would retire from full-time competition following the 2025 season, with ThorSport teammate Ty Majeski replacing him in the No. 88 truck for 2026. In December 2025, Crafton confirmed that he would return to the Truck Series part-time for five to ten races in 2026, driving a different ThorSport truck.
Driving Style and Strengths
Crafton is widely recognized for his unmatched consistency, with 333 career top-ten finishes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the all-time record. He excels at intermediate tracks and has shown a particular fondness for Kansas Speedway, where he has won three times. His fuel-mileage racing savvy was a hallmark of his championship seasons, especially in 2013 and 2014, and his long-running partnership with Menards provided continuity for ThorSport Racing across nearly two decades.
Notable Races and Milestones
Crafton’s first win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008 ended a 178-race wait, a Truck Series record. His 2013 championship run included completing every lap of the season, a first in series history. He holds the record for most consecutive Truck Series starts and is the all-time top-tens leader in the series, reinforcing his reputation as one of the most durable and productive drivers in NASCAR history.
Matt Crafton Career Wins
Matt Crafton has built one of the most decorated résumés in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history. Across more than two decades of competition, he accumulated 15 career Truck Series victories and three series championships in 2013, 2014, and 2019. He also claimed the 2000 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour championship with four wins that year.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Highlights
Crafton’s 15 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins span from his debut victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008 to his most recent win at Kansas Speedway in 2020. His championship seasons in 2013, 2014, and 2019 stand as the defining achievements of his career, with the 2014 title making him the first back-to-back champion in Truck Series history. He added a career-high six wins in 2015, and his playoff appearances continued well into the 2020s.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond the Truck Series, Crafton captured the 2000 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour championship with four victories. He made three starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Nationwide Series) with Richard Childress Racing in 2013 and 2014, recording two third-place finishes at Kentucky and a tenth at Chicagoland. He also made spot starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 2015 Daytona 500, finishing eighteenth after starting 43rd.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 15 | 333 | 16 |
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Matt Crafton Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Crafton is the son of Danny Crafton, a stock car racer who competed in the Featherlite Southwest Series. Matthew’s entry into motorsports came in part through his father’s racing career, and he eventually replaced his injured father in the No. 46 entry during the 1996 Featherlite Southwest Series season. That family connection helped launch a path that led to one of the longest-running careers in NASCAR Truck Series history.
Personal Life
Matt Crafton is married to Lauren Crafton. The couple has a daughter, Elladee, and a son, Matthew. Crafton has long been associated with the Menards sponsor and has spent the bulk of his professional life based with ThorSport Racing, where he built his Hall of Fame career.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season marked the end of Matt Crafton’s full-time career. Driving the No. 88 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing with longtime sponsor Menards, he competed in his twenty-fifth full-time campaign and finished the year ranked 15th in the series standings. Although the season did not include a victory, it carried significant historical weight as his final run as a full-time competitor.
Midway through the year, on August 18, 2025, ThorSport Racing announced that Crafton would retire from full-time competition at season’s end, with teammate Ty Majeski taking over the No. 88 entry in 2026. Crafton continued to run his typical consistent schedule, drawing on the durability and top-ten pace that defined his Hall of Fame career.
Looking ahead, Crafton confirmed in December 2025 that he would return to the Truck Series in 2026 on a part-time basis, planning to run between five and ten races in a different ThorSport truck. His post-career plans mark a transition from full-time championship contender to respected veteran mentor, while keeping him connected to the series and team that defined his career.
