NASCAR
By
John Moriello John Moriello Sports Editor John Moriello started covering sports in 1982, began digital publishing in 1995, and joined Sportscasting in 2020. A graduate of St. John Fisher University, he finds inspiration in the underdogs and the fascinating stories sports can tell (both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat). John expertly covers all aspects of NASCAR.Beginning with his 2014 coverage at Fox Sports of the aftermath of the dirt-race tragedy in which Kevin Ward Jr. died after being struck by a car driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, John has excelled as a journalist who specializes in the motorsports world. He previously spent more than three decades covering high school sports and worked as a beat writer covering Big East football and basketball, but NASCAR is now where the true expertise falls.John is a member of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame (2013), the President of the New York State Sportswriters Association, and a two-time Best of Gannett winner for print and online collaborations whose work has appeared on FoxSports.com and MaxPreps.com. All posts by John Moriello 
Updated30 Dec 2022
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The upcoming season represents a new start for Hailie Deegan, who has changed teams. However, it’s merely more of the same for one of the most reliable figures in racing. Matt Crafton, 46, is the Cal Ripken Jr. of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Given the differences in their ages and resumes, it barely computes that Deegan, 21, and Crafton will be teammates in 2023.
Hailie Deegan was three months old when Matt Crafton made his debut
Three races into the 2013 season, Matt Crafton made his 297th consecutive start in the Craftsman Truck Series to set the series record. He hasn’t slowed down in the least, and Crafton’s appearance at Daytona on Feb. 17 will represent his 522nd start in a row.
Of course, it’s not just about showing up for Crafton. He’s won three season championships, most recently in 2019. Ninth place in the 2022 standings was the lowest finish since 2006 for the perennial playoff qualifier.
Crafton has been more steady than spectacular, posting just 15 victories but landing in the top 10 in races 312 times, representing 59.9% of all his starts. Still, the tidbit that people will be talking about a lot leading up to Daytona is that he made his NASCAR debut on Oct. 28, 2000, which was 102 days after new ThorSport Racing teammate Hailie Deegan was born.
Hailie Deegan is joining a powerful lineup
— Ford Mustang (@FordMustang) December 22, 2022@HailieDeegan stopped by our Mustang holiday dinner and reminded us all why we get out of bed in the morning 😉🐎
Check out the full video for a wake-up call: https://t.co/WzfSRJfaMS pic.twitter.com/ZA5Aklkc5x
Hailie Deegan’s chief NASCAR accomplishment thus far has been being selected the most popular driver in the Craftsman Truck Series twice in a row while competing for David Gilliland’s team. When Gilliland switched manufacturers this offseason, Ford aligned with ThorSport Racing and brought Deegan along.
She is joining a trio that possesses impressive credentials.
Matt Crafton, the first driver to capture consecutive championships in the series and has finished in the top five 132 times, more than triple the number of races (36) Deegan has completed.
Ty Majeski, 28, is coming off his first full season racing trucks, during which he scored two wins and finished in the top 10 in 15 of 23 starts. He already has had a taste of the Xfinity Series, racing 12 times in 2018 before Roush Fenway Racing left the series. Majeski won at Homestead-Miami this fall to ensure his place in the Championship 4, but he finished 20th in the title race.
Ben Rhodes is only 25 years old but has already logged 164 starts in trucks and has the 2021 championship under his belt. He placed second to Zane Smith in the most recent season’s Championship 4 and has six wins and 89 top-10 results.
Matt Crafton and ThorSport Racing have been together a long time
Our drivers recap a few of their most memorable @FordPerformance moments.https://t.co/d8Zj8MDbUC#MondayMemories // #NASCAR // #FordPerformance pic.twitter.com/XJsiNdccBE
— ThorSport Racing (@ThorSportRacing) December 20, 2022
It’s rare for a driver and team to hang in together as long as the collaboration between ThorSport Racing and the driver of the No. 88 truck has lasted.
The team started competing in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1996, and Matt Crafton joined forces with the owners in 2001. Crafton moved over to Kevin Harvick’s team in 2004 but returned a year later and has stayed since.
The driver finally hit paydirt in May 2008 when Crafton won at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was his 178th start, setting the series record for most races before scoring his first victory.
Despite registering just a combined three wins, he earned his back-to-back championships in 2013-14.
Got a question or observation about racing? Sportscasting’s John Moriello does a mailbag column each Friday. Write to him at [emailprotected].
