Matt Crafton, the only three-time champion currently competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, is stepping away from full-time competition after 2025.
His replacement in the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford next season will be present-day teammate Ty Majeski, the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.
ThorSport Racing, the organization for which Crafton has competed for nearly his entire 25-year career, announced both moves on Monday via team press release and its social media channels. The organization did not name a replacement for Majeski in its No. 98 truck.
The news concerning Crafton, although far from shocking, is blockbuster in its significance. Crafton, 49, is tied with Jack Sprague for second-most Truck Series championships all-time. Only NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr., with four championships, has more in what NASCAR considers to be its No. 3 stock car division.
How Major Is Matt Crafton’s Decision To Hang It Up From Full-Time Driving?
Along with his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships, which he captured in 2013, 2014, and 2019, Matt Crafton is a legend for his longevity. And for the length of his run with the same primary sponsor and team.
Crafton joined the Truck Series full time in 2001 with ThorSport and has remained with the Sandusky, Ohio-based team for all but one season since. That exception was 2004, when Crafton competed for Kevin Harvick Inc., an organization that later ceased its NASCAR operations at the end of 2011. Crafton returned to ThorSport in 2005, reuniting not just with the team but with his former ThorSport primary sponsor, Menards. He has been with both ever since.
Known throughout his career for his consistency, Crafton has scored 15 truck victories, 135 top-fives and 331 top-10s in 585 career truck starts. The Tulare, California native and West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame inductee has also collected 16 poles and led over 2,700 laps.
Crafton holds the record for most consecutive Truck Series starts. In fact, he has not missed a Truck Series event since going full-time truck racing, according to NASCAR-run Racing-reference.info.
Crafton has logged a total of seven starts over the years between the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. He made by far his most notable Cup Series appearance at the 2015 Daytona 500, filling in on short notice for injured Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Why Is Matt Crafton Finally Moving On From Truck Series?
While ThorSport Racing offered no official reason for Matt Crafton stepping down from a full-time driving role in 2026, the reason seems fairly obvious.
To put it bluntly, the last few years have been a struggle for Crafton, who is the only back-to-back champion in Truck Series history.
Along with being shut out of Victory Lane since July 2020, Crafton has seen his performance steadily decline over the last several seasons. He is currently 16th in the standings and has just three top-10s in 2025. At this rate, he’s on pace to finish the year with career worsts in both categories.
Even so, Crafton will almost certainly gain entry into the NASCAR Hall of Fame someday for his championships, consistency and tireless longevity in the sport.
