By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
It was a day of chasing the cushion of Eldora Speedway for Matt Crafton and the No. 88 team from ThorSport Racing.
During the two practice sessions on Tuesday evening, Crafton and the team had a cushion on the top side of Eldora. However, when it came time to race, the cushion from Tuesday vanished.
“The track was so different last night. It had such a cushion to lean on and we were set up for that cushion and to have some grip up top to build momentum,” Crafton said after the race.
With the cushion being present during practice, the No. 88 set up their car for the cushion. However, when it came time for the feature, Crafton was dropping back from his starting position of fourth.
When the time came for the opening round of pit stops, the No. 88 crew made numerous adjustments during the three-minute window.
“We just kept working on it. When we came to pit road, we made quite a few changes to it. It was just night and day difference,” the veteran driver said.
At the start of the second stage, Crafton was involved in an incident with Tyler Dippel. Despite the spin, Crafton was able to rebound to a seventh-place finish at the conclusion of the stage.
Overall, Crafton collected 40 points at Eldora to sit sixth in the points standings. Crafton sits eighth in the playoff standings; 99 points ahead of Myatt Snider.