Excerpts from an article in The Bemidji Pioneer — Duke Thorson has always owned a competitive spirit. That approach led to success as a Bemidji Lumberjack tennis player, success in the business world as the owner of SealMaster and success on the NASCAR Truck Series through ThorSport Racing, which formed in 1996 and is the elder statesman in the NASCAR Truck Series. In the mid-1990s Thorson was talked into watching Richard Petty race in Atlanta and watching Petty and the other competitors planted a seed which eventually sprouted into ThorSport. “I thought it was neat,” Thorson said, “so I went to a few more races. “I was also looking for some things (to promote) the industry and to (display) at trade shows. Many things came together and we decided to get a truck for the NASCAR Series.” In 1996 ThorSport Racing entered its first race and behind the wheel was Terry Cook. The team started the race in 24th and advanced to 12th at the finish. On Aug. 9, 1997 ThorSport earned its first pole and on June 5, 1998 it collected its first top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Thorson’s NASCAR truck fleet includes about 20 vehicles but the team races only two at a time. Crafton drives one and Johnny Sauter is behind the wheel of the other. Both racers are enjoying very successful 2011 campaigns as Sauter is first overall after four races with 150 points and Crafton is second with 145. “I get to most of the races now,” Thorson said. “We’ve expanded our program the past few years and now we are 1-2 with Johnny and Matt in the points standings. Our ultimate goal is to some day join the Cup Series. “But we want to master the NASCAR Truck Series first.”[To read the complete article, go to the The Bemidji Pioneer website.](4-20-2011)
