No. 88 ThorSport Racing driver chasing third straight NCWTS championship
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It took Matt Crafton a while to get his career going, but now he’s turned success into a habit.
Crafton holds the dubious distinction of taking longer to get his first victory than any other driver who has ever visited Victory Lane at a NASCAR venue.
He’s now on top of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but Crafton’s journey required a lot of perseverance.
Crafton’s first Trucks race was in 2000, and he didn’t get his first win until 2008 — the 178 starts before his initial victory remains a record for futility in the Truck Series.
In 2013, Crafton’s career turned the corner. His third career win at Kansas was a charm. He took over the points lead after that win and never gave it up.
The No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driver proved his 2013 series championship was no fluke when he repeated in 2014.
Now three races into the 2015 season, Crafton is on top again.
The two-time Truck champ couldn’t hold off Joey Logano at the end of the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway, but his second-place finish was enough to push him to the top of the standings.
Crafton has 128 points after three races — he won at Atlanta and placed eighth in the opener at Daytona — giving him a two-point advantage over rookie Tyler Reddick.
Reddick placed fifth at Martinsville, giving him a top-five finish in all three races this season.
Erik Jones is also in the hunt, six points behind the leader, while Johnny Sauter (-16) and James Buescher (-28) round out the top five.
Jones has a pair of top-fives this season, including a third-place finish at Martinsville.
Crafton, Reddick, Sauter and Buescher are the only drivers in the NCWTS to finish in the top 10 in all three races this season.
Crafton has now run 341 Truck races during his 16-year career, with six wins among his 195 top-10 finishes.
The Camping World Truck Series is in the midst of a 40-day layoff. The next race is at Kansas Speedway on May 8 (8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
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