Tempers flared high during last weekend’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Taylor Gray and Christian Eckes even came face-to-face in a heated confrontation post-race. Well, most of us expected that the tension would certainly simmer down when it comes to the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. However, if we are to go by updates from the practice run, it feels like the final race could turn into a chaotic affair as well.

3-times Truck Series champion and driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing truck, Matt Crafton confessed about trying to wreck his rival. Now, the details about what happened during the practice session that led to Crafton losing his cool are clear, but his intentions are clear. According to an update by Bryan Nolen from FrontStretch, the veteran driver said this on the team radio: “Tried to wreck him in three and four, but I missed.”

Now all the drama and chaos from Martinsville last weekend was about Taylor Gray and Christian Eckes. There might be a possibility that Matt Crafton was also among the ones who felt he was dumped unnecessarily by a driver. Moreover, with only one race left in the season, the race in Phoenix is the last opportunity for the drivers to settle any unfinished business, as they start from scratch for the next year.

It is indeed odd for an experienced driver like Matt Crafton to lose his cool to the extent that he deliberately tried to wreck another driver. This is why the race fans weren’t thrilled to hear about his antics during the practice run and demanded that he quit racing before things spiraled out of control.

Fans want Matt Crafton to hang up his boots from racing

It’s no secret that NASCAR fans have a sort of love-hate relationship with the official broadcasters. Often they are criticized for untimely commercial breaks and missing out on major events on the racetrack. And so was the case this time around, which was highlighted by this race fan, “This was practice. (Of course, Fox didn’t show it, so we don’t know who Matt Crafton was mad at.) Oh this race goin to be a s—show.”

There’s no doubt that Crafton has etched his name in the history books with his contribution towards the sport after racing full-time in the Truck Series since 2001. Apart from his three championships, he has 15 career wins, 16 pole awards, and has started in 561 races. However, in the last three years, he’s seen a slump in his performances on the racetrack, and this is why a few fans want him to consider taking a retirement. “Dude just needs to hang it up at this point.”

One user on Reddit also pointed out that he hasn’t won in this decade. Crafton’s last win in the Truck Series came back in the 2020 season at Kansas, and since then he hasn’t been able to park his truck in the victory lane. Fans picked up on this fact, shown by this fan’s suggestion, “Hey Matt, go win a race in this decade.”

It is hard to guess what the future holds for Crafton, but this one fan had a rather interesting idea for the veteran driver. He wanted him to team up with Martin Truex Jr., who has retired from full-time racing in the Cup Series after 2024. “Truex and Crafton need to run a truck together where they alternate who is the crew chief and who is the driver each week. It would be incredible TV.”

Winning races and championships is indeed a big deal for race car drivers. Matt Crafton has experienced this feeling firsthand, but to see him trying to wreck other drivers for the sake of it left this fan disappointed. “Trying to wreck someone in practice is certainly an odd flex….” It will be interesting to see how the main event pans out, as there could be more drivers trying to settle their score this weekend. Not to forget, this could also impact the drivers competing for the championship.