Matt Crafton (Ronda Greer Photo)

Matt Crafton overcame late race trouble not of his making and charged to a 5th place finish in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Casino Arizona 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Crafton, who qualified 5th , has garnered 4 top-5 finishes this season. He has 10 top-10 finishes heading into Friday's season finale in the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Crafton qualified 5th at Phoenix, and ran inside the top-five for the majority of the evening, racing as high as 2nd place at one point. Crafton was caught in a mishap in the pits late in the race, as he deftly avoided a wrecked truck but lost valuable track position in the process.

"We had a truck that was definitely capable of a top-three finish," Crafton said. "But a wrecked truck pulled out in front of us in the pits, and we had to stop to keep from hitting him and lost about four spots. But the guys gave me a really good truck. It was brand-new. We had the new truck blues when we got here, but they worked their tails off for me. All in all, our No. 88 Menards Silverado was pretty good tonight."

Crafton sits in 13th place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings heading into Homestead. In five previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Homestead, Crafton has a top-five and three top-10 finishes, including a 10th place finish last season.

"I'm looking forward to Homestead," Crafton said. "I'm proud of how hard our guys have worked this season, and it would be nice for all of us to finish the season on a strong note. We've had some ups and downs this season, and we've had some days where it looked like we might break thru for our first win, but one thing's for sure: these guys have never lost focus, and they've built me some incredible trucks. They've given it their all. Hopefully, we can come out with at least another top-five finish at Homestead."