Matt Crafton (High Sierra Photo)

Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado) rolled to his fourth top 10 finish in the last five races with a sixth place finish in the caution-filled City of Mansfield 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway on Saturday. Crafton persevered despite a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series record 18 cautions on the half-mile bullring. The cautions totalled 85 laps, chewing up more than a third of the race. Crafton started the race in tenth place after qualifying was canceled, and remained in the top ten for the duration of the sun-drenched afternoon. Crafton has finished in the top ten in both short-track races thus far this season, as he claimed a season-best third-place finish at Martinsville in April. He was second only to race winner Ron Hornaday among Chevrolets on Saturday.

"The guys gave me another good truck to drive today," Crafton said. "I believe we'd have been as strong as anyone out there on long runs, but we didn't get a chance to show it with all the cautions. The longest green flag stretch we had was ten laps. It was tough to pass out there. The race was all about track position, and it was kind of a 'follow the leader' type of deal. On one of the last restarts, things kind of accordioned-up going into turn one, so I just drove it to the outside and buried it and it stuck for me. We didn't want to ride around and follow people. We were here to win." Crafton narrowly missed his second top-five finish of the season, as he and rookie Joey Miller battled fiercely for the final fifteen laps of the race. "We could have had a top-five, but he knew I was there and he ran his line and ran a real good race and I wasn't gonna move him for fifth. All things considered, it was a real good day for us."

Crafton's recent string of strong finishes has catapulted him from the middle of the pack to 8th place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings after seven races. He is separated from fifth place by less than 40 points. "The guys always work their tails off for me," said Crafton of his crew. "They're always looking for every possible way that we can make the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado better. We're in a real good rhythm right now, and we feel good about what's ahead."

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series action continues with the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover International Speedway at 4:45pm EST on Friday. Speed Channel will air the race via tape-delay at 8pm. MRN Radio will carry the event live.

In five previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Dover, Crafton owns a pair of top ten finishes, including a ninth-place finish last season.