CRAFTON: Relishes Return to Bristol
08-17-2009 10:16 am

Matt Crafton heads for the high-banked, short-track madness of Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday hoping to emerge unscathed and in continued hot-pursuit of the NCWTS title.

Crafton is in 2nd place in the NCWTS standings entering Bristol, where he owns a lone top-5 finish in 6 career starts.

"Bristol has always been my favorite place to run," Crafton said. "I think most drivers feel that way, because of the track's history and tradition and the way the fans there are just so passionate about racing. Bristol is a place where you'd just love to have a 'W' on your resume. The best in our sport have won here. We'll try to put ourselves in position to be there at the end of the race with a chance to win. That's all you can do."

Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Chevy crew are focused on winning races and fighting for a first NCWTS championship, of course. Nonetheless, Crafton's next top-10 finish will be the 100th of his career, testament to his long-running consistency.

"We just look for ways to get better each week, and we never get too high or too low," said Crafton. "Any consistency I've had is a credit to Bud (crew chief Haefele) and our guys, who keep building great trucks for me and doing a fantastic job in the pits. We're all focused on being as good as we can be, and we've come a long way. We prepare hard and we're confident each time out, but we also know that things don't always go your way in this deal. It's how you respond on those occasions, how you make the most of the days when things aren't happening the way you'd like, that ultimately determines your situation. Bristol in particular is a place where things happen quickly, and you hope not to get caught up in somebody else's mess. You have to constantly be aware of what's happening around you. It's a fast track, and there isn't much room for error. You have to walk that fine-line of aggressiveness and patience, because if you get impatient, you can ruin a good night in a hurry. Hopefully, we'll give ourselves a chance to be there at the end with a shot to win."