The No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Matt Crafton wiped away the frustration of previous visits to Daytona International Speedway as he roared to an 8th place finish in the season-opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chevy Silverado HD 250 on Friday.

The finish was Crafton's first in the top-10 in 7 career starts at Daytona, a result he felt was overdue.  "We've had good trucks at Daytona before, and we've run well here at times, but never had the finishes to show for it," Crafton said.  "It feels really good to finally have some solid results to back up our efforts."

Crafton's No. 88 Menards Chevy Silverado was among a large pack of trucks that screamed thru the tri-oval three-and-four-wide headed for the finish line at DIS.  He narrowly avoided a couple of accidents during the race, including one that forced him to drive the No. 88 Menards Chevy Silverado off the track and down pit road to escape, en route to his best finish in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season-opener.

"That was a wild finish," Crafton said.  "I finally got to finish a race here at Daytona with the tires headed in the same direction and all the cylinders firing.  Bud Haefele and the No. 88 crew did an awesome job to put this truck together, and they did a great job in the pits tonight, which allowed us to gain some spots.  They built this truck after we tested poorly down here, and I'm really thankful to them for their hard work.  It paid off tonight."

Crafton looks to build on the momentum established at Daytona when the Tulare, CA native returns to his 'backyard' for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series San Bernardino County 200 at California Speedway on Friday.  "It's exciting to be heading back home coming off our best finish at Daytona," Crafton said.  "It's nice to start the season strong, and hopefully we can finish well at California and keep things rolling."

SPEED Channel coverage of the San Bernardino County 200 begins at 8:30 p.m. EST on Friday.