Matt Crafton to Return to NASCAR Truck Racing at Homestead-Miami

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Matt Crafton will return to racing in the series this Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Crafton will race a fifth entry for ThorSport Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race. He will race the familiar neon yellow colors with Menards as his sponsor but with a No. 66, instead of a No. 88. 

Ty Majeski took over the No. 88 in 2026 after Crafton drove it in at least one start in 25 of the last 26 seasons before that. That dated back to the 2000 season finale, spanning 15 wins, 135 top-five finishes, 333 top-10 finishes and 16 poles in 592 starts for Crafton.

Crafton won the championship in 2013, 2014 and 2019. He cemented a solid legacy for himself as one of the most consistent mainstays in series history with one of the most iconic vehicles in the series. When he stepped away from full-time racing at the end of 2025, he was set to race part-time in 2026 but never did all season.

Now, in the season finale race at Homestead-Miami, Crafton will get that chance.

Crafton has a win, four top-five finishes, 14 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 10.2 in 24 starts. He has led a total of 155 of the 3,257 laps he completed. 

The most laps Crafton has ever led at the track was in 2015 when he led 93 of 134 laps and won from the pole.

Crafton finished fifth after leading 23 laps. He also finished second in 2009 and 2019. In 2019, the second-place finish allowed him to clinch the championship that year.

In Crafton's most recent start, in the season finale a year ago at Phoenix Raceway, he finished 13th on the lead lap. It came after two races his most recent top-10 finish – a seventh-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. =

Crafton's last top-five finish, to date, was a fourth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in spring of 2024.

This season, in the No. 88 Menards truck, Majeski has yet to get the iconic truck back to victory lane. However, he has scored eight top-five finishes, 12 top-10 finishes and three poles, putting him fourth in the standings but out of championship contention heading into the finale. His best finish was second on the Streets of St. Pete in February AND at Dover Motor Speedway in May.