03-16-2006 | TruckSeries.com Report
Matt Crafton surged into the '06 season on the strength of back-to-back top-ten finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings. That momentum has been stifled following finishes of 26th at Daytona, where Crafton's No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado was involved in a late-race crash, and 20th in a disappointing return to his native California. Enter Atlanta Motor Speedway and Friday's John Deere 200, and what Crafton hopes will be a return to top-finish form. "Atlanta is my kind of racetrack," said Crafton. "It's wide-open, in the respect that you can practically run any line there. You can run the white line or the middle or up against the fence. I'm confident that we can run with the race leaders, and be there at the end of the race with a chance for a strong finish." Crafton posted a 14th place finish at Atlanta in the spring race last season. Though the results of the season's first couple of races fell short of Crafton's expectations, he sees no better time for a turnaround than Atlanta. "I've always tried to focus on winning the war instead of the battle," he said. "If you have a bad race, all you can do is stay focused and get ready for the next one. The guys in the shop have been working like crazy, just like they always do, and a strong finish would be a nice boost of momentum for all of us. We'll give it our best, and see what happens."