3-time Trucks champ Crafton won't drive ThorSport's 88 next year

Matt Crafton has just seven races left in ThorSport Racing's No. 88 entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. ThorSport announced Monday that Crafton won't drive the 88 next year. "ThorSport Racing announces a new chapter for its storied No. 88 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry," the team said in a statement. "Three-time series champion Matt Crafton will complete his full-time role after the 2025 season. "His 23-year partnership with Menards is the longest-running driver/primary sponsor relationship in NASCAR history. Teammate and 2024 series champion, Ty Majeski, will pilot the No. 88 full-time in 2026." Majeski, who turned 31 on Monday, thanked ThorSport team owners Duke, Rhonda and Allison Thorson in a post on X. "The 88 Menards truck has been a staple in the NASCAR Truck Series for many years with Matt Crafton," Majeski wrote. "… My goal is to continue the legendary legacy they have already built. "I am looking forward to partnering with Menards, a proud Wisconsin-based company with the same goals and vision that I have. To win." Crafton, 49, is a three-time Truck Series champion, winning titles with ThorSport in 2013, 2014 and 2019. He is the only back-to-back champion in series history. Crafton has driven the No. 88 for 24 of the last 25 years. He has 15 career wins and 135 top-5 finishes in 585 starts. Crafton's last win came in 2020 in Kansas and he is 16th in points this season, missing the playoffs for the second straight year. It's unclear whether Crafton will return to ThorSport as a part-time driver. "We're still working through 2026," ThorSport Racing general manager David Pepper said in a text. The announcement came three days after Crafton drifted into race leader Majeski with 50 laps to go in the race at Richmond. Both Ford trucks spun out. Oil on the track reportedly contributed to the wreck. Pepper would not comment on Friday's race. Majeski finished second and Crafton placed 26th. "I thought we did everything right," Majeski told Frontstretch after the race. "I wish we had more playoff points and more cushion, but if we just do our job with no mistakes we're gonna be just fine." Majeski, the 2024 Truck Series champion, is sixth in the points standings and was one of 10 drivers to qualify for the playoffs. No ThorSport driver has won a race this year. Corey Heim, whose win at Richmond was his seventh in 18 races this year, is the top seed in the playoffs. Majeski has five top 5s and 11 top 10s in ThorSport's No. 98. ThorSport's Jake Garcia, who is in his second year as a full-time driver for the Sandusky-based team, finished seventh at Richmond to clinch the 10th and final playoff spot. "I just did my best to run a smart race in the second half," Garcia told FS1 after the race. "In the first half there were some moments where we were four wide and that's not gonna work out at Richmond. There were some points when I had to bail out and lost a bunch of spots on some of those restarts, just being really conservative. But our truck was really fast; I think we could've finished top 5." Garcia finished edged teammate and two-time series champion Ben Rhodes for the final playoff spot. The Round of 10 starts August 30 at Darlington. The field will be cut to eight after races at Bristol (Sept. 11) and New Hampshire (Sept. 20). After three races in the Round of 8, the top four will race for the series championship at Phoenix on Oct. 31. ThorSport has won three of the last four series championships with Majeski and Rhodes (2021, 2023). Garcia qualified for the playoffs last year before finishing 21st in the first three postseason races. "I've been in points situations before, battling for championships in late models levels," Garcia said. "It's just about being consistent. We're gonna try to do that through the first round, especially through the second round with how chaotic some of those tracks can get. Once you get to Phoenix, it's game on."