The Slipping Health of the Truck Series

Hidden beneath the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and even under the Nationwide Series, sits NASCAR's third-most prestigious national racing series -- the Craftsman Truck Series.

Though next season it's currently in position to take on simply the name of "NASCAR Truck Series" as the Craftsman, the corporate sponsor sits the series began in 1995, will depart. No new sponsor has been found.

Combine that with other factors influencing NASCAR's Double-A league, and the outlook is less than rosy.

Just last Saturday in Richmond, word spread through the garage area that Dodge would be dropping its factory support money of the entire series -- though it only affects one team, Bobby Hamilton Racing. As a result, the team suspended operations of its No. 4 truck and will focus solely on the No. 18 for the rest of 2008.

Dodge's support has been dwindling in recent years, but pulling out entirely truly signifies that the manufacturer feels it can't compete and that it is simply losing money on the attempt to sell more pick-up trucks via NASCAR truck racing.

Dodge, though, isn't the only manufacturer in the series (others are Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota) that have experienced problems selling the gas-guzzling pick-up truck class since fuel prices skyrocketed. And because of that, you can imagine that the rest of the manufacturers are going to look very hard at their spending in the series and if it even is worth it in terms of selling more trucks to the American economy.

Simply, the lack of series of sponsorship is probably very well tied in to the fact that the manufacturers are uneasy and wavering about the series, thanks mainly to lack of demand for brand-new pick-up trucks.

It doesn't look pretty, but here's to hoping that the Truck Series can maintain relevance to the manufactuers that support it because from a fan perspective, the quality of the product is often very high.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-10-2008 @ 8:45AM

99fan said...

the main reason for this...... look no further than the empty stands

9-10-2008 @ 9:31AM

Maveness said...

Of course it has empty stands - it runs on at NASCAR Cup/Nationwide venues that hold tons more people than a local track and at the same time runs on a channel that's a premium channel for most cable subscribers. No matter that SPEED does an excellent job covering it, the racing is fantastic, and the competition is the best of all the series - it's still the "third tier" of the NASCAR bundle, which is a major problem as far as branding. Quite honestly, based on actual competition, it should be the second tier. Nationwide is nothing but competition between Cup guys in cars bought by Cup teams. The Truck Series is truly separate and truly different while still being viable as a feeder to Cup. Then again, NASCAR wanted more Cup guys in Nationwide to fill the stands. They made their bed. Unfortunately, the result is that only one of the three series is competitive and worth viewing.

9-10-2008 @ 9:32AM

Kim said...

This is sad indeed. I am not a fan of Dodge as a manufacturer but in my opinion, the one thing they do do right is build trucks. The Dodge Ram is still one of the most popular trucks in America.

I think part of the problem for the truck series, too might be the locations they race in. For one thing, they tend to run the truck series at racetracks at off times when the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup isn't racing at those tracks the same weekend. I know someone who used to go to a track (can't remember which one) every year, twice a year because he could watch all three series race the same weekend. He felt he was getting his monies worth. Now, he doesn't go at all because ticket prices have gotten too expensive for him and for many, so he just watches it on TV

Many have said it before and I will repeat it once again myself, NASCAR really needs to watch it and remember who their fan base is that they cater to. I don't know too many "rich" people who are fans of any other sport other than golf. Grassroots folks like many of us are doing well just to get by in life right now and keep roofs over our heads, gas in our cars to get to and from work, and food on the table. When tickets to movies, shows, and sporting events are priced in the multiple hundreds of dollars range and some even in the thousands, your average Joe just can't afford them! So it's no mystery to me why the stands are empty. It isn't for lack of desire for fans to attend, it's for lack of ability.

Kim

9-10-2008 @ 10:54AM

Don Emerson said...

One other thing contributed to the impending demise of the truck series, and that is the way Toyota has come to dominate the races. Unless you're a Toyota fan, it gets a little boring after a while. The two upper divisions are headed the same way unless Nascar stays on its toes. Another thing is the choice of tracks . The trucks are better suited for the smaller tracks, yet Nascar insists on forcing them to run on super speedway tracks. That usually makes for a very boring race, and takes its toll on equipment, which most of the teams can ill afford. But the most important reason is that the Truck series has never really quite caught on with the public. Competitive racing , and all, they are still pickup trucks in the publics mind and only appeal to a select group of fans . And finally, the truck series turned out not to be a training ground for up and coming talent, but a dumping ground for drivers who couldn't cut it in the two top series. Thanks for the memories guys, but your days are numbered. Works for me.........

9-10-2008 @ 11:14AM

I don't know, Don. I agree with some of your comments but I don't believe that the truck series is a "dumping ground" for those who couldn't make it into the other series. There are some truck series drivers like Bodine and Skinner who consistently just run the trucks. Do they or have they ever run in stock cars? I don't believe they have, but I believe both are talented enough to if they wanted. And then you have someone like Kyle Busch running in the truck series who clearly isn't a cast off from the stock car series. He's just a guy that loves to race and will race in anything given to him.

I also don't agree with you that people don't want to watch the truck series because they are just "pick-ups" afterall. I for one had a chance to go to the truck race in Marion, OH. It's a short track and makes for lots of excitement. I was unable to go because as luck would have it, my boys had a championship baseball game that day at the same time. I had to give my ticket away to another friend (had been looking forward to that race for six months:-( but being a Mom always comes first).My friends went without me and had a great time! They love the stock car racing, too but say there is nothing better than watching those trucks beat each other up on short tracks, especially dirt ones.

So, I do agree with you that the truck series should reconsider running on more shorter tracks, even dirt tracks to get its original fanbase back and set the series apart from other NASCAR series again.

Kim

9-10-2008 @ 12:51PM

several years ago, darlington held the thursday night CTS race, the friday night NNWS, and the saturday night NSCS race. i know NASCAR can not do this every week at the tracks, but thats the only way fans will come out . If the NWS and the cup race is at bristol on the same weekend,how many people are going to show up at ,say, gateway on the thursday before?

9-10-2008 @ 1:55PM

Kim -

Skinner and Bodine have both run Cup. Skinner was Rookie of the Year in 1997. But they didn't have as much success there. The thing is, trucks are different enough from the cars (Skinner actually made that comment recently) that being successful in one doesn't mean success in another. And the guys that dominate Trucks might not be great in Cup (and vice versa). Heck, some guys suck in Nationwide and rule in Cup, but it's just because that little difference in cars works for them. So while some of the Truck guys haven't been successful in Cup, it doesn't mean Trucks is a dumping ground. After all, it's still way more competitive weekly than Cup.

Don, I agree with you on everything but the Toyota thing. From a viewer standpoint, I don't think there are as many people anymore who are manufacturer loyal when the trucks all look the same. Which doesn't mitigate the fact that I wish Dodge had still given it a go, because more makers means more diversity in how something could be solved - but monetarily I think Dodge is in bigger trouble at all three levels than they've let on, so if they had to choose, which had the least committment?

9-10-2008 @ 8:27PM

anna seitter said...

KIM, I'm surprised that such fact has slipped away from your memory or maybe you just never realized cause you were not following MIKE SKIPPER back than. SKIPPER ran for HMS for few years before moving to trucks in toyotas.
Guess who's car was he driving at HMS? With poor success and constantly getting in to accidents every week i shall add.
Have ya guessed yet? YEAP MEM , IT WAS THE 48 CAR, virtually unknown until JJ jumped in.
BOBINE WAS also inthe winston cup before , but forgot who was he driving for and by the way; no much success for him also. THE TRUCK SERIES has been GREAT FOR BOTH OF THEM. Works for me, works for them......... take care.

9-10-2008 @ 11:42PM

Ghost said...

Skinner, never raced for HMS and never drove the 48 car. He raced for RCR and drove the #31 Lowes sponsored car.

9-11-2008 @ 1:15AM

HEY GHOST; LOL ghost? lol again,
in my book of memoryes , i read that skimmer raced for HMS also and was driving the #48 befORE JJ.
Also you are right too about skipper driving for RCR in the past
and that was when DESEN. was there.
i remember the # 31 too but do not remember the sponsor, sorry. Whatever anyway.
The point was that skipper had been driving in the cup already
and i'm sure KIM remembered by now. It probably just slipped out of her memories for a while.No sweat.
lol ghost, lmao, you won't happen to be a ghostblogger by any chance , would you?.

9-11-2008 @ 2:37AM

Ok, Ok, maybe dumping grounds was the wrong term to use, but you do see a lot of former cup and Busch series drivers making a go of it in the truck division. I stick by my Toyota statement, it's boring for the fans to see one make dominate the series the way they have. Not to mention discouraging to the other drivers who have to chase the Toyotas week after week. And Kim, there is still a perception by the general public that pickup trucks are just that, pickup trucks. it's hard for them to picture a truck in a racing situation. As for the competition, it's true, there is some of the best action in the truck division, however it's not well known outside the racing community. The trucks started out racing on mainstream Tv in good time slots, but due to lack of interest faded from the limelight and ended up on cable. I appreciate the input though, for that's what this is all about. Works for me.....

9-11-2008 @ 7:44AM

Well apparently all your comments just go to show that you were all correct. Clearly I don't follow the truck series and am somewhat of a "newbie" to NASCAR. I didn't start watching until the late nineties. I wasn't sure if Skinner or Bodine had been in the stock cars or not. Apparently like you all said, they must not have been very good. They seem to dominate in the trucks though (from the very limited knowledge I have of the series). When I started watching NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon were the only two drivers ever talked about, so I followed them. Then when Jimmie came along, my heart and desire followed him and have ever since. :-)

I still have to agree with 99fan. I believe a lot of the problem with the truck series and NASCAR in general right now are the cost of tickets to go to a race, not to mention all the other expenses that go along with attending a race. There are really two arguments in my opinion for the fall of the truck series. One being like 99fan and myself stated, the trucks no longer run at the same tracks as the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series at the same time on the same weekends. People who pay out the nose to attend those two races, would surely go to the truck race, too should they be included. If they are going to race the large tracks, the same tracks as the other two series, then why not run them on the same weekends? The other theory being that maybe they should just go back to their roots.....short tracks and dirt tracks at the local avenues in many states instead of the big daddy expensive tracks. I live in Ohio and every year the truck race sells out in Marion, OH. It's a short track and Ohioans love their local track. Either solution would probably bring the truck series more fans.

Thanks for all the lessons, guys. Apparently I needed them! :-)

Kim