Daytona Beach ,Fla. – After the first day of test runs during Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway, Matt Crafton lead the field atop the speed charts after the afternoon drafting sessions in the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards Chevrolet. Crafton turned a quick lap of 48.721 seconds/184.725 miles per hour to lead the field through the first afternoon’s drafting period.

“Drafting speeds don’t mean much because you’re at the mercy of everyone in the same pack as you,” Crafton said. “If you’re with a quick group you’ll run as quick as they are. If not, you’ll run as slow as the pack you’re in. We were in a quick group and we had an awesome run on that lap. The good thing about it is we know we have a truck that drafts good, and we know we can run up through the pack. And it is great to see the 88 at the top of the charts, it really does make the guys feel good and puts a smile on everyone’s face.”

Friday also marked the on-track debut for Crafton’s new ThorSport Racing teammate Kerry Earnhardt. Earnhardt and his team spent much of the day working on qualifying setups, and their hard work paid off as he was seventh overall after the conclusion of the single-truck runs early in the afternoon. Mark Martin and David Ragan, sharing the duties in the No. 6 truck, were quickest overall in single truck runs with a lap of 49.831 seconds/180.631 mph, while Earnhardt was clocked at 51.523 seconds/174.679 mph. Several of the drivers ahead of Earnhardt were suspected of catching a draft on their quick laps, which would explain why they were more than a second and a half quicker than the bulk of the field.

“This truck handles better than the truck I had here that sat on the pole last year,” said Earnhardt, referring to the 2005 Daytona race in which he started from the top spot. “I told them to cover it up and let’s not even bother touching it for the rest of the day it’s that good.”

Preseason Thunder continues at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday and Sunday. For continuing coverage of the test runs, log on to www.truckseries.com . Speed Channel will provide a half-hour highlight program on Sunday evening at 7 P.M. Eastern.