Heading into the season, NASCAR made an announcement – tandem drafting is not allowed. You will not be allowed to hook up in pairs and stay that way. Small bumps are okay but not working in tandem.
The reaction from the drivers has since been a mixed reaction. Some drivers like it as now you don’t have to rely on a partner, while others don’t like the change. One of those who is disappointed in the new rule is 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Matt Crafton.
“I think the tandem deal, you can get away from people,” he commented, adding that he predicts the racing in February will be crazy when they get 20 trucks running in a pack together.
Crafton also is worried about the art of bump drafting as it’s not as easy as it looks because you have to judge when you bump right, or else you can cause the person in front of you to get sideways.
“When you’re sitting behind somebody you’re going to hit him and you can’t really judge when you hit them because if you’re getting close to them you can’t judge when you’re getting ready to go in the corner, and if you do hit somebody it might just start turning the wheel left to go into the corner and you’re going to cause a big wreck,” Crafton continued. “I mean, there’s going to be goods and there’s going to be bads, like I said, but it will be good racing.”
In 13 starts at Daytona, Crafton has only finished in the top five once and says simply that’s because the race is a crap shoot.
” To win some of these races, you’ve got to be very, very lucky and be in the right position at the right time,” he said. “We were very close in Talladega and we’re fairly close here, but our teammates won both of them, so we should have pretty good trucks to race with. We don’t have any speed. It’s very consistent with what we’ve had in the past. We’re a little off in single runs on speed, but that don’t mean anything.”
Crafton will go into this season trying to defend his championship after a stellar year last year that saw him complete all 3391 laps of the season with 19 top 10s in the 22 races. Though there’s a new challenge as NASCAR has unveiled a new truck for the competitors to race – trying to bring the brand identification to the trucks as they have done with the other two series.
“I think it’s going to be who can get ahead of the game,” he explained. “It’s just that way every year, but now that we have the new trucks, it’s going to be‑‑ I mean, getting in the wind tunnel, going to test at places we’re going to race, and whoever can get that little step ahead, is going to be the team to beat without a doubt.”
NASCAR also announced that there will not be any single-truck qualifying this year.
“It’s going to be interesting. I mean, I think it’s actually going to‑‑ it’s going to be like bump qualifying if you want to put it. I think it’s going to be very, very cool,” Crafton commented. “I said to some of the guys on the team, they’re like, I want to see whose truck by itself is the fastest truck for two laps. I think it’s going to be very, very interesting for the fans.”
In reflecting back to growing up in California, even having the chance to come to Daytona, Crafton said he dreamed of it – but never thought it’d be a reality.
“It’s just always a hope or a prayer that you could possibly get here and be able to race here, and now that I’m doing it, it’s just a blessing to be able to do what I do and get paid to do what you love to do,” he said. “I’ve got the best job in the world.”
