Matt Crafton to Hit Record 500th Career Start Tonight in Las Vegas

Credit: AVONDALE, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 05: Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota, waves to fans during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on November 05, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Matt Crafton will make his 500th career start tonight at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200.

Crafton has competed in every NASCAR Truck Series race since the final race of the season at Auto Club Speedway in 2000 and currently holds the most starts of any driver in the history of the series. Ron Hornaday has the second most starts with 360 starts and Rick Crawford has 336 starts.

Even more impressive is that Crafton has raced the No. 88 truck for ThorSport Racing for all of his 499 career starts, one of the longest driver/team relationships in NASCAR history.

Crafton has two starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, filling in for Kyle Busch in the 2015 Daytona 500, and filling in for Matt Tifft at Front Row Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway in 2019.

Crafton has four starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Richard Childress Racing, most recently in 2014.