It has been two years since the two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton has landed in victory lane at Martinsville Speedway. Unfortunately, he came up one spot short Saturday in the Texas Roadhouse 200 on the final restart of the day.
Crafton qualified in the second starting position. He took the lead on Lap 40 and stayed there to win Stage 1, gaining 10 championship playoff points.
In the second stage, Crafton and Sauter battled back and forth for the top spot, but Crafton fell to second in Stage 2.
He then retook the lead on lap 122 and held it for 69 laps, until the final caution came out on lap 184. It was then on the final restart when Crafton lost the lead to eventual race winner Noah Gragson and settled for a second-place finish.
Crafton now sits +15 ahead of the cut line heading to Texas Motor Speedway, where he won twice in 2014 and 2015.
“We gave away the win on that restart there,” Crafton said. “The outside rolled on the start – the bottom rubbered up so much – and the top just had a good groove. But, once you got going, the bottom would be preferred. On a restart, you can make the outside roll, because there’s not as much rubber built up on the bottom. This is just like adding salt to the wound – we had such a good Menards Toyota Tundra today.”
