Crafton puts Chevy truck on Texas pole

Matt Crafton won his second pole of the season and third of his career in qualifying for Friday night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway. His qualifying lap of 179.354 mph was good enough for his first pole at TMS.

"Our truck is very very good. It is obviously the best thing I have ever driven here," Crafton said. "I don't say that very often. I can honestly say that. I have had good trucks in the past but this is the best truck I have ever driven, especially on a mile and a half track. Hopefully, it will be as good tomorrow night. Hopefully the demons won't come out that we always joke about."

"We just need to keep that yellow Menards Chevy up front all day," Crafton said. "Just try to lead as many laps as we can and win the race and get the most post points we can and don’t worry about what(Hornaday) is doing. If you do, you start looking over your shoulder and start making mistakes. We just have to go out there and capitalize, like I said lead as many laps as we can."

Todd Bodine turned in the second best lap during qualifying and will join him on the front row.

"It was pretty stellar for a Toyota. You know, being under-horsepowered and with a smaller plate – having more drag than the other guys — it's pretty good," Bodine said of his qualifying run. "I'm pretty happy with it. The truck is driving great. This starts us toward the front, a good place to be.

"Up front you're with faster trucks and you can get a better idea of what you got compared to the people you have to race with at the end. All in all, it's definitely better to start up front."

Chad McCumbee and David Gilliland round out the top five, in third and fifth, respectively.

Lineup

+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie