Fast Facts: 2013 Camping World Truck Series Champ Matt Crafton

credit: NASCAR via Getty Images/Chris Graythen

Camping World Truck Series veteran Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing, was recently crowned the 2013 Truck Series champion, his first title in 13 full-time seasons on the circuit. Revisit the career of this California-born driver in this special Truck Series champion edition of Fast Facts.

• Matthew Crafton was born June 11, 1976 in Tulare, California. He began racing go-karts at age 7, progressing to midgets by age 15 after winning regional and national championships. In 1996, he moved up to the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series for the season’s final three races, subbing for his father, Danny, who was injured; the younger Crafton won the series’ title in 2000.
• In 2000, Crafton also made his Truck Series debut in the season finale at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana with ThorSport, qualifying 17^th and finishing ninth. After three full-time seasons with ThorSport, he joined Kevin Harvick Incorporated in 2004, but was released at the end of the season in spite of a fifth-place finish in points and 17 top 10s. He rejoined ThorSport in 2005.
• Crafton earned his first Truck Series pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2005, followed by his first victory in 2008 at Charlotte. He earned his second career win in 2011 at Iowa Speedway, and his third at Kansas in 2013 on his way to the title.
• In 2013, Crafton scored one win and 19 top 10 finishes in 22 Truck Series races on his way to the championship. He also made his Nationwide Series debut, racing three times for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Camaro; he finished with three top 10 finishes, including two third-place finishes at the two races at Kentucky Speedway.
• Find out more about Crafton at his website, www.mattcrafton.com.