ThorSport Racing
Encyclopedia
ThorSport Racing is a Sandusky, Ohio
based NASCAR
racing team that competes in the Camping World Truck Series. Owned by Duke Thorson and his wife Rhonda, the team currently fields the #13 Safe Auto Insurance Company
/Curb Records
Toyota Tundra
driven by Johnny Sauter
through an alliance with Mike Curb
, the #88 Menards
Toyota driven by Matt Crafton
, and the #98 Agrisure/Ferrellgas
/DriveForSavings Toyota driven by Dakoda Armstrong
. The team also fields a car the #44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry
for nine-time champion Frank Kimmel
in the ARCA Racing Series.
driving with sponsorship from Vassarette
and Microtel
. After five races, she left the team due to injuries she suffered at Atlanta
, and Lance Hooper
and Paul White
shared the ride for the next several races. After several lackluster results, Jimmy Spencer
drove at Loudon
, finishing eighteenth, before Jason Small
and Andy Houston
finished out the season in the truck. For 2005, Tracy Hines
drove the truck and had a fifth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway
with sponsorship from David Zoriki Motorsports. He was released with two races to go, and Chad Chaffin
and Johnny Sauter
filled out the schedule in his place.
Kerry Earnhardt drove for ThorSport Racing during the 2006 season, his best finish being 11th which he recorded twice, at Nashville and Las Vegas. He was not retained for 2007 and rookie Willie Allen
was signed to replace him. He had two top-tens and won Rookie of the Year, but was replaced at the end of the year by USAR Hooters Pro Cup driver Shelby Howard. Howard had two top-tens as well in the BobCat Company/FarmPaint.com Chevy, but finished seventeenth in points, and was released. Sauter returned to the team for the 2009 season
full time with sponsorship from Fun Sand. The team now runs through a partnership with Mike Curb
. Sauter took ThorSport's third win as a team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
, and giving ThorSport its first ever 1-2 finish, with Crafton in second. Sauter would finish 6th in points at the end of the year. In 2010, Sauter took home his second win at Kansas
after late contact with Ron Hornaday. Sauter would eventually finish 3rd in points to Todd Bodine. For 2011 the team gained sponsorship from Safe Auto Insurance Company
.
The #88 truck was the first out of the ThorSport stable. Debuting in the 1996 season at the Milwaukee Mile
, Terry Cook
finished 12th in the race for the team, which was then known as Sealmaster Racing. He ran two additional races in the truck that season, but did not finish better than 21st. Cook drove a limited schedule with the team in 1997 in the PBA Tour
Chevy. Despite not finishing in the top-ten, Cook won his first career pole at Flemington Speedway
, and finished 24th in the final standings. The team received enough funding to compete full-time in 1998, and Cook won his first career race at Flemington, but only improved to a twentieth-place points finish.
ThorSport began the 1999 without primary sponsorship before Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce
joined the operation late in the season, allowing Cook to finish 15th in points. In 2000, PickupTruck.com became the team's new sponsor, and Cook had a total of eight top-ten finishes, but was replaced in the final event of the season by Matt Crafton
, who finished ninth. Fast Master Driveway Sealer and XE Sighting System shared sponsorship duties for Crafton, who picked up eleven top-tens and finished 12th in points in his rookie season. Despite Menards becoming a full-time sponsor in 2002, Crafton only had six top-tens and dropped to fifteenth in the standings, but improved to eleventh the following year. For the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway
, Buddy Rice
was placed in the 88 truck 20th.
In 2004, rookie Tracy Hines became the team's new driver, and he posted three top-ten finishes and finished eighteenth in points. Crafton returned to the 88 for 2005, winning his first career pole at New Hampshire International Speedway
and finishing ninth in points, a team-best. He slipped to fourteenth in points in 2006 despite ten top-tens, and repeated his top-ten total in 2007, moving up to eighth in points. 2008 was the team's best year, with Crafton scoring his first win at Charlotte and finishing fifth in points. Despite not winning the next year, the #88 team finished runner-up in points to Ron Hornaday
.
with Agromin sponsoring. He finished 31st after suffering engine failure. The next race came a year later at the season-ending Ford 200
with Crafton driving, with sponsorship from Enzyme Magic as a sister truck to the 88 that he normally drove, finishing fifteenth. The 98 did not appear for six years until the 2009 Heluva Good! 200 at New Hampshire with Michael McDowell
driving. He finished fourteenth in the Perkins Police truck. It ran another race later in the season at Texas with David Gilliland
, but finished 35th after suffering rear end problems early into the race.
In 2010, the 98 ran at Daytona with Landon Cassill
and EasytoInstall.com, but wrecked early in the race. The 98 returns in 2011 with Penske development driver Dakoda Armstrong
behind the wheel with sponsorship from Ferrellgas and AgriSure.
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
based NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing team that competes in the Camping World Truck Series. Owned by Duke Thorson and his wife Rhonda, the team currently fields the #13 Safe Auto Insurance Company
Safe Auto Insurance Company
Safe Auto Insurance Company is an auto insurance company based in Columbus, Ohio, though the company did consider moving to Phoenix, Arizona, in 2005. The company was founded in 1993 by Jon Diamond & Ari Deshe...
/Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck introduced by Toyota in the year 2000. It was widely considered to be the first full-size import-brand truck built with an American look and feel and a refined V8 engine. The Tundra was eventually nominated for the North American Truck of the Year...
driven by Johnny Sauter
Johnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
through an alliance with Mike Curb
Mike Curb
Michael Curb is an American musician, record company executive, NASCAR and IRL race car owner. A Republican, he served as the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California from 1979-1983 under Democratic Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr...
, the #88 Menards
Menards
Menards is a chain of home improvement stores in the Midwestern United States.The privately held company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin has 262 stores in 13 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, and...
Toyota driven by Matt Crafton
Matt Crafton
Matthew Crafton is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He currently drives the #88 Menards Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing.-Early career:...
, and the #98 Agrisure/Ferrellgas
Ferrellgas
Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. is an American supplier of propane. Ferrellgas has corporate operations in the Kansas City suburbs of Liberty, Missouri and Overland Park, Kansas.The company was founded in 1939 by A.C. Ferrell in Atchison, Kansas...
/DriveForSavings Toyota driven by Dakoda Armstrong
Dakoda Armstrong
Dakoda Armstrong is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He currently drives the #98 Agrisure/Ferrellgas/ Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing.-Early Career:...
. The team also fields a car the #44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for nine-time champion Frank Kimmel
Frank Kimmel
Franklin James Kimmel is an American stock car driver/owner. He drives the #44 Ansell Gloves/Menards Ford in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Kimmel has won the ARCA championship nine times, including eight consecutive...
in the ARCA Racing Series.
Truck #13 history
The #13 truck began racing in 2004, with Tina GordonTina Gordon
Tina Gordon is a NASCAR driver and spokesperson for the Sticks 'N' Stuff furniture chain. After being released from her ride at Jay Robinson Racing, Gordon has not raced and her future plans are unknown. As of Fall 2008, she is no longer active in racing.Gordon currently lives in of Cedar Bluff,...
driving with sponsorship from Vassarette
Vassarette
Vassarette is a brand of women's underwear owned by Vanity Fair Brands. Their lines include bras, stockings and lingerie, and they were previously a major manufacturer of girdles. Originally advertised discreetly in ladies' magazines, they have more recently advertised on prominent and sometimes...
and Microtel
Microtel
The Microtel Inns & Suites brand is a chain of franchise hotels with locations in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States. Hotels feature free local and long-distance phone calls within the continental United States, high-speed wired and wireless Internet access, expanded...
. After five races, she left the team due to injuries she suffered at Atlanta
EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
The E-Z-GO 200 was a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that took place at Atlanta Motor Speedway. AMS obtained a fall race when Darlington Raceway lost its truck race as a byproduct of the Ferko lawsuit, when NASCAR was forced to relinquish Darlington's Southern 500 tripleheader to Texas...
, and Lance Hooper
Lance Hooper
Lance Allen Hooper is a race car driver in NASCAR as well as several touring divisions. Hooper attended his first race when he was just two weeks old, and also came from a long line of racing champions, including his uncle, father, and brother...
and Paul White
Paul White
Paul White may refer to:*Paul Dudley White , cardiologist*Paul Frederick White, anaesthesiologist*Paul White , news director of CBS during WWII*Paul White , "Jungle Doctor"...
shared the ride for the next several races. After several lackluster results, Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer is a current television commentator, and a former NASCAR driver. He formerly hosted the NASCAR inspired talk show, “What’s the Deal?”, on SPEED. He is the former co-host, with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace, of the SPEED's pre-race and post-race NASCAR shows NASCAR RaceDay and...
drove at Loudon
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, finishing eighteenth, before Jason Small
Jason Small
-Nextel Cup Series:Small made one career Nextel Cup Series start and it came in 2002 at the Michigan, for Price Motorsports. He started 41st and ended up finishing there, after his brakes failed early.-Craftsman Truck Series:...
and Andy Houston
Andy Houston
Andy Houston is a veteran of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scoring three wins. Houston is the son of legendary Busch Driver Tommy Houston and the youngest of three brothers, one of them being part-time NASCAR driver Marty Houston and the other being the oldest of the three, Scott Houston...
finished out the season in the truck. For 2005, Tracy Hines
Tracy Hines
Tracy Lee Hines is an American auto racing driver. He was the 2000 USAC Silver Crown Champion and 2002 USAC National Sprint Car Champion...
drove the truck and had a fifth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
with sponsorship from David Zoriki Motorsports. He was released with two races to go, and Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin is a NASCAR driver. He has raced in all three of NASCAR's major series and is currently a free agent. Chaffin was a two-time track champion at the historic Nashville Speedway USA, where he met his friend the late Andy Kirby.-Sprint Cup:Chad made his Sprint Cup debut in 2004 at...
and Johnny Sauter
Johnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
filled out the schedule in his place.
Kerry Earnhardt drove for ThorSport Racing during the 2006 season, his best finish being 11th which he recorded twice, at Nashville and Las Vegas. He was not retained for 2007 and rookie Willie Allen
Willie Allen (NASCAR)
Willie Allen , is a stock car racing driver, currently driving the #05 Owens Corning Roofing/31-W Insulation Chevrolet Impala for Day Enterprise Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series....
was signed to replace him. He had two top-tens and won Rookie of the Year, but was replaced at the end of the year by USAR Hooters Pro Cup driver Shelby Howard. Howard had two top-tens as well in the BobCat Company/FarmPaint.com Chevy, but finished seventeenth in points, and was released. Sauter returned to the team for the 2009 season
2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
The 15th season of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series began on February 13, 2009 at Daytona International Speedway with the Daytona 250. The season concluded on November 20 of that year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 200. The season was the first under the Camping World...
full time with sponsorship from Fun Sand. The team now runs through a partnership with Mike Curb
Mike Curb
Michael Curb is an American musician, record company executive, NASCAR and IRL race car owner. A Republican, he served as the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California from 1979-1983 under Democratic Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr...
. Sauter took ThorSport's third win as a team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
, and giving ThorSport its first ever 1-2 finish, with Crafton in second. Sauter would finish 6th in points at the end of the year. In 2010, Sauter took home his second win at Kansas
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
after late contact with Ron Hornaday. Sauter would eventually finish 3rd in points to Todd Bodine. For 2011 the team gained sponsorship from Safe Auto Insurance Company
Safe Auto Insurance Company
Safe Auto Insurance Company is an auto insurance company based in Columbus, Ohio, though the company did consider moving to Phoenix, Arizona, in 2005. The company was founded in 1993 by Jon Diamond & Ari Deshe...
.
Truck #88 history
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
, Terry Cook
Terry Cook
Terry Cook is an American former stock car driver. He is married to former Craftsman Truck pit reporter Amy East, and brother-in-law to driver Bobby East...
finished 12th in the race for the team, which was then known as Sealmaster Racing. He ran two additional races in the truck that season, but did not finish better than 21st. Cook drove a limited schedule with the team in 1997 in the PBA Tour
PBA Tour
The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA Tour consists of "exempt" bowlers who are a part of the almost 4,300 members worldwide...
Chevy. Despite not finishing in the top-ten, Cook won his first career pole at Flemington Speedway
Flemington Speedway
Flemington Speedway was a motor racing circuit in Flemington, New Jersey which operated from 1915 to 2002. The track is most known for hosting four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races and its pioneering use of foam blocks used to lessen the impact of crashes, which led to the adoption of the SAFER...
, and finished 24th in the final standings. The team received enough funding to compete full-time in 1998, and Cook won his first career race at Flemington, but only improved to a twentieth-place points finish.
ThorSport began the 1999 without primary sponsorship before Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce
Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce
Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce is a company that produces barbecue sauce. Based in Yukon, Oklahoma.-History:The sauce came from the result of two friends merging their famous recipes together...
joined the operation late in the season, allowing Cook to finish 15th in points. In 2000, PickupTruck.com became the team's new sponsor, and Cook had a total of eight top-ten finishes, but was replaced in the final event of the season by Matt Crafton
Matt Crafton
Matthew Crafton is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He currently drives the #88 Menards Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing.-Early career:...
, who finished ninth. Fast Master Driveway Sealer and XE Sighting System shared sponsorship duties for Crafton, who picked up eleven top-tens and finished 12th in points in his rookie season. Despite Menards becoming a full-time sponsor in 2002, Crafton only had six top-tens and dropped to fifteenth in the standings, but improved to eleventh the following year. For the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
, Buddy Rice
Buddy Rice
Buddy Rice is an American racecar driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.-Early career:...
was placed in the 88 truck 20th.
In 2004, rookie Tracy Hines became the team's new driver, and he posted three top-ten finishes and finished eighteenth in points. Crafton returned to the 88 for 2005, winning his first career pole at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
and finishing ninth in points, a team-best. He slipped to fourteenth in points in 2006 despite ten top-tens, and repeated his top-ten total in 2007, moving up to eighth in points. 2008 was the team's best year, with Crafton scoring his first win at Charlotte and finishing fifth in points. Despite not winning the next year, the #88 team finished runner-up in points to Ron Hornaday
Ron Hornaday
Ronald Hornaday, Jr. is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday, and son of the late Ron Hornaday, Sr., a two-time Winston West Champion. Adding on to the family legacy, Ron is a four-time champion in the Truck Series, his most recent...
.
Truck #98 history
ThorSport first fielded the 98 truck at the 2002 Chevy Silverado 150 for Cory KrusemanCory Kruseman
Cory Kruseman , is a sprint car driver who has raced in USAC and SCRA events since 1994. In 2002, he competed once each in both the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.-1994:...
with Agromin sponsoring. He finished 31st after suffering engine failure. The next race came a year later at the season-ending Ford 200
Ford 200
The Ford 200 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that takes place at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The races of 1996-2001 were scheduled 250 miles.It has served as the final event of the season for the Truck Series since 2002.-Past winners:...
with Crafton driving, with sponsorship from Enzyme Magic as a sister truck to the 88 that he normally drove, finishing fifteenth. The 98 did not appear for six years until the 2009 Heluva Good! 200 at New Hampshire with Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell (NASCAR)
Michael Christopher McDowell is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #66 Toyota Camry for HP Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the #18 Pizza Ranch Toyota Camry part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
driving. He finished fourteenth in the Perkins Police truck. It ran another race later in the season at Texas with David Gilliland
David Gilliland
David Gilliland is a NASCAR driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He was born in Riverside, California....
, but finished 35th after suffering rear end problems early into the race.
In 2010, the 98 ran at Daytona with Landon Cassill
Landon Cassill
Landon Douglas Cassill is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. He is a test driver for Hendrick Motorsports. He currently drives the #51 Chevrolet Impala for Phoenix Racing in the Sprint Cup Series....
and EasytoInstall.com, but wrecked early in the race. The 98 returns in 2011 with Penske development driver Dakoda Armstrong
Dakoda Armstrong
Dakoda Armstrong is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He currently drives the #98 Agrisure/Ferrellgas/ Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing.-Early Career:...
behind the wheel with sponsorship from Ferrellgas and AgriSure.