NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Matt Crafton. David Yeazell-Imagn Images

Three-time NASCAR champion to retire after 2025 season

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 12:35 PM ET

A storied NASCAR career will come to an end after 2025.

Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and 15-time race winner Matt Crafton will retire following the Truck Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, concluding a NASCAR career that has spanned 25 years.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE pic.twitter.com/hsw2m2XoRF
— ThorSport Racing (@ThorSportRacing) August 18, 2025

Crafton, 49, has spent the entirety of his NASCAR Truck Series career — save for 2004 — with ThorSport Racing. His partnership with Menards has made his No. 88 truck iconic.

Following Friday's eero 250 at Richmond Raceway, Crafton has made a total of 585 Truck Series starts and 592 across the top-three series of NASCAR competition. His last Truck Series victory came at Kansas in July 2020.

Crafton failed to qualify for the 2025 Truck Series playoffs and will not compete for a fourth title in his final season. 2025 marks the second consecutive year that Crafton has missed the postseason and the second time he's missed it since NASCAR instituted the playoffs in the Truck Series in 2016.

Through 18 races in 2025, Crafton is 16th in the Truck Series standings with three top-10 finishes.

Defending Truck Series champion and ThorSport driver Ty Majeski will take over the No. 88 in 2026.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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