Matt Crafton is riding a major wave of momentum as he prepares for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 at ORP on Friday

Crafton hasn't finished outside the top-3 in a race since Michigan in mid-June.  He finished 2nd at Milwaukee, and collected back-to-back 3rd place finishes at Memphis and Kentucky.  Crafton is a point from the NCTS lead, and his track record at ORP is impressive.  In 7 NCTS races at the venerable short-track, Crafton has five top-10 finishes.  He was 4th in '05.

"I love racing at ORP," he said.  "There's just so much history here…the track has been on our schedule for a long time.  This place is a favorite of (ThorSport Racing owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson, so it's always extra special to me to run well here.  We've been fortunate to have some strong runs here thru the years, and hopefully we can continue that this weekend for Duke and Rhonda."

Crafton has finished in the top-5 in more than half the races this season.  He is quick to credit his teammates for his success thus far. 

"I'm just so thankful to these guys for the awesome trucks they're building for me, and for their stellar work in the pits each and every week," he said.  "This group has been together for a long time, and we're all on the same page as far as knowing what we need to do to be successful.  We're not surprised at where we are, because we're doing the things that are necessary to put ourselves in that position.  There have been races like last week at Kentucky where we had the best truck on the track and came up just a little bit short due to track position, and other weeks where we had maybe the fifth or sixth-best truck out there.  The key is to make the absolute most out of each situation, especially when we have such a fierce points battle going on.  Every spot, every point makes a difference."

Crafton isn't caught up in the buzz about his chances for a possible NCTS championship.

"If you start paying attention to that stuff, it takes your focus away from preparation, and that'll get you in trouble," he said.  "You have to stay focused on every little detail, on anything that can make this team and our trucks better.  As I've always said, you can't win races or finish in the top-five or compete for a championship without first putting yourself in position for those things to happen, and that means taking care of all the little things each week.  We have a long way to go.  We'll keep doing what we do, and trying to get better.  That's what's important right now."