NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Category | Stock cars, pickup truck racing |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Inaugural season | 1995 |
Manufacturers | Chevrolet · Ford · Toyota |
Engine suppliers | Chevrolet · Ford · Toyota · Ilmor |
Tire suppliers | Goodyear |
Drivers' champion | Ben Rhodes |
Makes' champion | Chevrolet |
Teams' champion | ThorSport Racing |
Official website | NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series |
Current season |
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series is one of three national divisions of NASCAR, ranking as the third tier behind the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series and the top level NASCAR Cup Series.
The 2023 season was the first with
History
Craftsman Truck Series (1995–2008)
The idea for the Truck Series dates back to 1991.
Camping World and Gander Outdoors Truck Series (2009–2022)
At the end of the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule, Craftsman ended its sponsorship of the series.[6] Subsequently, Camping World signed a seven-year contract with NASCAR, rebranding the series as the Camping World Truck Series.[7]
With decreasing money and increasing costs,
Starting with the 2011 season, NASCAR implemented a new rule that allows drivers to compete for the drivers' championship in only one of the three national touring series (Cup, Xfinity, or Truck) in a given season.
Camping World signed a seven-year extension in 2014 to remain the title sponsor of the Truck Series until at least 2022.[17] On May 8, 2018, NASCAR and Camping World announced the Truck Series' title sponsorship would be switched to its subsidiary Gander Outdoors starting in 2019, renaming it the Gander Outdoors Truck Series. The series was slightly renamed to the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2020,[18][19] but returned to the Camping World Truck Series branding the following season.[20]
Craftsman Truck Series (2023–present)
On August 26, 2022, NASCAR announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Stanley Black & Decker—which had acquired the Craftsman brand from Sears in 2017[21]—under which the series would return to being known as the Craftsman Truck Series beginning in 2023. As part of the deal, Stanley Black & Decker also became the official tool brand of NASCAR.[22]
Drivers
Most of the first drivers in the series were veteran short track drivers who had not made it or struggled to thrive in the other NASCAR national series;
A 2001 Truck Series race incident resulted in a significant NASCAR rule change. In early November of that year, the Truck Series was running as a support race for
In later years, though, the Truck Series has also become a place for Cup veterans without a ride to make their living
Racing and strategy
Qualifying
A Truck Series field currently consists of 36 trucks in races with qualifying. Previously, 32 trucks comprised a field, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the field was increased to 36 in races with qualifying and 40 without to accommodate as many trucks as possible.
For most races, a single-truck qualifying format is used. For tracks 1.25 miles and shorter, each truck gets two laps with the fastest lap counting. At tracks longer than 1.25 miles each truck only gets one timed lap. Road course events use a 2 part knockout qualifying format similar to Formula 1, with the top 12 qualifiers from Q1 advancing to Q2. At the event at Eldora, qualifying sets the lineups for a series of heat races which then determines the lineup.
The race
Initially, the series used a number of rules that differed from both Winston Cup and Busch Grand National Series racing. Most of the first races were no longer than 125 miles in length, with many being 150-lap races on short tracks. To save teams money by not requiring teams to hire pit specialists and buy extra tires, and because some tracks –
In 1996, some races went to two intermissions for full tire and fuel stops, while longer races were stopped at three times—a limited break near the one-quarter and three-quarter marks for fuel stops, and at the halfway point for fuel and tire stops. If tire wear was a concern, NASCAR also permitted two-tire changes if necessary in the first and third period breaks. These rules were influential in driver development. Drivers had to learn to conserve tire wear for up to a half race, which allowed them to learn conserving the truck. Some drivers used the rules to learn tire conservation for other series. In 1997, NASCAR started phasing pit stops. During the 1997 season, trucks could only legally take fuel and make adjustments during pit stops during the race. Tire changes were still illegal except for emergency causes and at break times.[citation needed]
For a short time in 1995, NASCAR adopted traditional
A more popular rule that was effective until the middle of the 2004 season was the "overtime" rule. Unless interrupted by weather, Craftsman Truck Series races had to end under green flag conditions, and the rule mandated that all races must end with a minimum of two consecutive laps in green flag condition, often referred to as a
In 2014, NASCAR banned
In the 2016 season, the Truck Series experimented with a rule similar to those used in longer-distance Super Late Model events such as the Snowball Derby that limited how long a race can go before a competition caution for pit stops or adjustments in an effort to reduce green-flag pit stops, with which younger and more inexperienced drivers were unfamiliar. The limit was 20 minutes of green flag racing (in theory 75 laps at Bristol, or 60 laps at Martinsville), without beneficiaries being awarded. Upon each restart, the clock restarted from 20:00, and each caution for an incident reset the clock back to 20:00. As is the case in the short track rules, no competition caution would be used in the final 20 laps, except for tracks where lap times are 50 seconds or greater (Pocono or Mosport), where the limit was ten laps, or Eldora because of its format.[36] In 2017, this was replaced with the stage system adopted by all other NASCAR national series that season.[37]
Tracks
Initially, the Truck Series competed primarily on short tracks and tracks in the
Television and radio
The 1995 season's races were nationally televised on
On August 13, 2013, Speed was converted into
Motor Racing Network has exclusive radio broadcasting rights to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Specifications
- Chassis: Steel tube frame with safety roll cage, must be NASCAR standards
- Engine displacement: 5.86 Pushrod V8
- Transmission: 4-speed manual
- Weight: 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) minimum without driver and fuel; 3,400 lb (1,542 kg) minimum with driver and fuel
- Power output: 650–700 hp (480–520 kW) unrestricted,[48] ≈450 hp (340 kW) restricted
- Torque: 700 N⋅m (520 ft⋅lb)
- Fuel: Sunoco 93 MON, 104 RON, 98 AKI 85% unleaded gasoline + Sunoco Green Ethanol E15 15%
- Fuel capacity: 18 US gallons (68 litres)
- Fuel delivery: Carburetion (built) or Fuel injection (crate)
- Compression ratio: 12:1
- Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
- Carburetor size: 390 cubic feet per minute (184 litres per second) 4 barrel (built)
- Wheelbase: 112 in (2,845 mm)
- Steering: Power, recirculating ball
- Tires: rain tires (shorter flat ovals and all road courses only if in case of rainy conditions) provided by Goodyear Eagle
- Length: 206.5 in (5,245 mm)
- Height: 60 in (1,524 mm)
- Width: 80 in (2,032 mm)
- Safety equipment: HANS device, seat belt 6-point supplied by Willans
Manufacturer representation
The series was notable in seeing the return of
The Truck Series was the first major NASCAR series to feature
- FCA US (Chrysler)
- Dodge Ram: 1995–2011
- Ram: 2012–2016, (no factory support after 2013)
- Ford
- Ford F-150: 1995–present
- General Motors
- Chevrolet C/K: 1995–1997
- Chevrolet Silverado: 1998–present
- Toyota
- Toyota Tundra: 2004–present
Seasons
- Driver in Italics has won at least 1 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship
- Driver in Bold has won at least 1 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
All-time win table
All figures correct as of the XPEL 225 at Circuit of the Americas (March 23, 2024).
* | NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion |
---|---|
# | Driver is competing full-time in the 2024 season |
° | Driver is competing part-time in the 2024 season |
^ | Driver has been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame |
See also
- List of auto racing tracks in the United States
- List of the closest NASCAR Truck Series finishes
- List of NASCAR Truck Series champions
- List of NASCAR drivers
- List of NASCAR teams
- NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR Xfinity Series
- List of NASCAR series
- Triple Truck Challenge
References
- ^ a b c d e f Rockne, Dick (May 8, 1995). "Trucks Pick Up Fans, Sponsors". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Press Snoop: NASCAR Truck Series facts". Road & Track magazine. February 25, 2005. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
- ^ "NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES PRIMER". Daytona International Speedway. February 18, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ a b Pearce, Al (September 5, 1995). "Pro Focus: Nascar Supertruck Series". Daily Press. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Norman, Brad (March 12, 2015). "#TBT: FIRST-EVER TRUCK SERIES RACE". NASCAR. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Pedley, Jim (December 3, 2007). "Craftsman dropping sponsorship of NASCAR Truck series". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
- ^ "Camping World to be Title Sponsor for NASCAR Truck Series". Camping World. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ^ Coble, Don (February 22, 2013). "NASCAR: Race teams in trucks, Nationwide feeling financial pinch". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Margolis, Bob (May 16, 2015). "Truck Series Offers a Look into NASCAR's Future". Popular Speed. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ "Richard Childress: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results (wins)". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ Long, Dustin (December 2, 2014). "Keselowski Says Truck Team Lost $1 Million". Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ "NASCAR's Lower Divisions Struggling". Hartford Courant. December 19, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ Demmons, Doug (January 30, 2009). "NASCAR Truck Series issues new rules to save money". The Birmingham News. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- ^ "CHANGES FOR 2011 INCLUDE EMPHASIS ON WINNING, SIMPLER POINTS". NASCAR. January 27, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ "CHASE FORMAT EXTENDED TO XFINITY, CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES". NASCAR. January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ "Gander Trucks playoff field expands to 10 drivers in 2020". NASCAR. January 21, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- Sporting News. May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "NASCAR, Camping World expand partnership, provide Gander Outdoors entitlement". NASCAR. May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (November 19, 2019). "Truck Series gets minor name change for 2020". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ Andrejev, Alex (September 15, 2020). "NASCAR Truck Series will have a new (old) title sponsor next season". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Craftsman returns as title sponsor of NASCAR Truck Series starting in 2023". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- ^ "West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame to induct 10 in July". NASCAR. April 8, 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ "Rick Carelli". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "MIKE'S BIO & HISTORY". Mike Skinner. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Mike Skinner". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Remember When: Mike Skinner and the Truck Series Arrives". Popular Speed. July 30, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ "Rule could put Busch's truck career on hold". Las Vegas Sun. December 11, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "NASCAR announces 2013 Truck sked". Fox Sports. November 28, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ^ "NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings for 2007". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ Demmons, Doug (September 9, 2011). "Kevin Harvick plans to shut down his NASCAR Truck Series team". The Birmingham News. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- Yahoo Sports. Archived from the originalon June 9, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ^ Fox, John Jay (July 8, 1999). "Live Pit Stops Have Made Nascar's Craftman Series More Competitive. Truck Stop". The Morning Call. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ^ Bruce, Kenny (January 11, 2014). "NASCAR to Penalize Tandem Drafting". NASCAR. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ^ Albert, Zach (January 19, 2016). "NASCAR introduces Caution Clock in NCWTS". NASCAR.com. Charlotte, North Carolina. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ Kelly, Godwin (January 23, 2017). "NASCAR changes points and playoffs systems". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. GateHouse Media. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ Siano, Joseph (February 5, 1995). "AUTO RACING; The Latest From Nascar: A 20-Race SuperTruck Series". The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- Sporting News. September 1, 2013. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2013.)
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ignored (help - ^ Bruce, Kenny (July 23, 2013). "Richard Petty recalls NASCAR dirt race". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ "Tracks". NASCAR. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "NASCAR reveals 2015 schedules for national series". NASCAR. August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "NASCAR CRAFTSMAN SUPERTRUCK SERIES CRUISES ONTO 4 NETWORKS". Sports Business Daily. November 21, 1994. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "UNOH 200 AND BUSH'S BEANS 150 RACES MOVE TO THURS. AUG 16 DURING BASS PRO SHOPS NRA NIGHT RACE WEEK". Bristol Motor Speedway. Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "UPDATED 2020 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule". Jayski's. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
- ^ "CRC Brakleen 150 set for Saturday". WPGH-TV. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ "NASCAR Craftsman Trucks set for return to North Wilkesboro". NASCAR. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ "Delta Engine Spec Program On Schedule For NASCAR Camping World Trucks In May". Retrieved 10 May 2022.