Matt Crafton breaks Richard Petty’s longstanding NASCAR record

Three times Cup series champion Matt Crafton has broken NASCAR legend Richard Petty’s record that has been unrivaled for decades. Crafton is one of the most decorated drivers in the sport’s history though he never made it at the Cup or Xfinity series.

The No: 88 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 driver has extended his partnership with primary sponsor Menards. The Truck season opener at Daytona on Friday, February 17, will mark the 20^th anniversary of the partners. The  Midwest home-improvement store chain has been a long-term partner of ThorSport and has won 4 championships with the company logo on the hood. Three of them are Crafton’s Truck championships, and the 4^th one is an ARCA championship won by Frank Kimmel in 2013.

Richard petty held the record for the longest NASCAR partnership. He was sponsored by STP for 19 years. Their collaboration started in 1972 when Petty approached the firm for the first time and ended in 1992 when he retired. The deal signed by Petty and STP marked the first national-level sponsorship deal in NASCAR. It cost STP $250,000 to feature in the No:43 car’s hood.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would still get to be doing what I love so many years after my career started. I especially could not have imagined being lucky enough to have a sponsor stand by my side through all of it. Between ThorSport and Menards, I have truly found a family that I am so grateful to have been a part of. Looking forward to a strong season together,” Matt Crafton said on the sponsorship.

“We’ve had an outstanding partnership with ThorSport through the years. The success we’ve had both off and on the track with Matt Crafton and ThorSport has proven to be legendary. To be able to have NASCAR’s longest-running partnership with a driver and team says it all!”

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Richard Petty and STP partnership pioneered nationwide sponsor’s NASCAR entry

Richard Petty, the first NASCAR racing superstar, has been a pioneer of many things in NASCAR that the later generation benefited from. Establishing nationwide sponsors was one of them, as Petty’s partnership with STP influenced other premier brands to do the same in the Cup series.

“STP was the first nationwide sponsor in Cup racing, You’d always have mom and pop’s grocery store or somebody’s garage or somebody’s dealership, but that was done mostly on a local basis. Nobody had a nationwide deal,” Richard Petty said.

“ That was the first-time bringing Cup racing into the nation. Once STP did it, then I think Purolator came along, and then many others followed,” said Petty on how he and STP pioneered a national-level sponsorship,” Richard Petty added.

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