The No. 88 Menards Chevy Silverado at Daytona. (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Matt Crafton returns home to The Golden State for Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series San Bernardino County 200 at California Speedway looking to build on the momentum established from his first top-10 finish at Daytona last week.

"We left Daytona with a nice finish for the first time, and it feels good to start the season strong," said Crafton, who finished 8th at DIS. "But we've got to keep it going at California."

In 7 previous starts at California, the Tulare native has garnered 3 top-10 finishes, including a 6th place finish in '05. Last season, Crafton fought handling issues on the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado for much of the race and finished 20th. Crafton believes the 2-mile fast track at California suits his driving style.

"I love to race here, because the track is somewhat flat, and that brings the driver's skill into the equation," Crafton said. "The track is fast, and you need the horsepower, but it's also more about driver skill. Our guys have been working real hard on the No. 88 Menards Silverado, and I'm excited to see what we can do."

Crafton always looks forward to returning to his "backyard track", where a strong contingent of family and friends can watch him race and he is able to enjoy a little home cooking. "It's always special to me to come back to California," he said. "I ran my first Craftsman Truck Series race for ThorSport Racing here. I'm fortunate to have lots of family and friends that will come out to support me. It's just a special place to me."

Crafton is confident that the No. 88 team can add another fine finish to last week's stellar results. "I'm really proud of our guys, and appreciate all of the work they've put in to try to take our program to the next level," he said. "We continue to put the pieces of the championship puzzle together, and I feel like we can add another important piece at California on Friday. There'd be no better place to do it than in front of my family and friends."

SPEED TV's coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series San Bernardino County 200 begins at 8:30 p.m. EST on Friday.