Matt Crafton Captures the Pole for the UNOH 225 at Kentucky

        After finishing second at Texas two weeks ago, Matt Crafton grabbed his 7th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole. He went out 32nd of the 39 trucks that attempted a qualifying run. The hardest thing about qualifying for the drivers was the hot temperature at the track. With the track temperature hovering in the 130s, drivers had to battle slick conditions and tough track conditions. If you think it was easy to run a fast time, just ask Justin Lofton.

  The first truck to go out on the track was Norm Benning, who was a go-or-go homer. He had a very difficult time with the track and was only able to grab a 34 and a half second lap. The first change in the qualifying order was with Chris Lafferty. He had engine troubles and the team decided not to run a lap and that meant, also, that he would not race because he was a go-or-go homer. The second change in qualifying order was with C.E. Falk. He wrecked in practice, which meant that they had to get a back-up car ready. He could not qualify in his scheduled spot, so he was the last car out. Justin Lofton probably had the most memorable run of the session. Coming into turn 2 on his second lap, Lofton got loose and spun in the corner, but he was able to make a great save and avoid the wall.

  Matt Crafton went out with only 8 trucks left to qualify. He ran a pretty respectable first lap, but his second lap was the most memorable. He was able to gain almost 2 tenths of a second and run a time of 31.16 seconds (173.288 mph). That lap was a tenth of a second faster than the lap that Nelson Piquet Jr. ran to start second. With his first pole of the season, Matt Crafton will also look to grab his first win of the season.
(More Stats Down Below!)

Go-or-Go Homers (With Times and Positions):
17th: Brad Keselowski    31.86 (169.507 mph)
20th: Jake Crum    32.15 (167.989 mph)
21st:Clay Greenfield    32.26 (167.390 mph)
25th: Kyle Larson    32.41 (166.626 mph)
27th: Dennis Setzer    32.51 (166.093 mph)
30th: Jeff Agnew    32.63 (165.492 mph)
31st: Brennan Newberry    32.71 (165.097 mph)
32nd: Scott Riggs    32.72 (165.062 mph)
33rd: Caleb Holman    32.79 (164.674 mph)
34th: Tyler Young    33.00 (163.661 mph)
36th: Chris Fontaine    33.01 (163.587 mph)
37th: Jennifer Jo Cobb    33.19 (162.705 mph)
38th: Johnny Chapman    33.52 (161.122 mph)
39th: Norm Benning    34.55 (156.300 mph)
40th: Chris Lafferty    No Time*

(*: Chris Lafferty did not attempt a qualifying run.)

Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Matt Crafton    31.16 (173.288 mph)
2nd: Nelson Piquet Jr.    31.29 (172.574 mph)
3rd: James Buescher    31.34 (172.326 mph)
4th: Ty Dillon    31.43 (171.816 mph)
5th: Miguel Paludo    31.45 (171.723 mph)
Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Johnny Sauter    31.47 (171.570 mph)
7th: Timothy Peters    31.48 (171.527 mph)
8th: Parker Kligerman    31.50 (171.439 mph)
10th: Justin Lofton    31.57 (171.048 mph)
11th: Ron Hornaday Jr.    31.69 (170.401 mph)

DNQs: Jennifer Jo Cobb, Johnny Chapman, Norm Benning, and Chris Lafferty

Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.jayski.com/cts/next/2012/lineup/cts08kentucky-lineup.pdf
http://racing-reference.info/driver/Matt_Crafton
http://www.jayski.com/cts/next/2012/qualifying/cts08kentucky-order.pdf
-Photo:
http://www.ovalzone.com/tag/mexico-fest-200/#.T-3_k7We5IE