Who said stock car racing can only be limited to sportscars? The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a prime example of pickup trucks being used in racing. It is the only series that involves racing stock pickup trucks. The Craftsman Truck Series is the third division in the NASCAR pedigree, it is a learning path and proving ground for the newer drivers of NASCAR. The drivers racing in truck series are both hungry rookies wanting to grab the attention of sponsors of and old veterans looking to increase the tally of their NASCAR victories.
The NASCAR Truck series has been serving the NASCAR driver pool for a long time and many of the current Cup Series drivers have achieved magnificent results in the Truck Series. The Truck Series involves the same manufacturers from the upper NASCAR series. Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet are among the engine manufacturers allowed in the Truck Series. Goodyear is the official tire supplier of the Truck Series. BenRhodes from ThorSport is the defending champion in the Truck Series. He won the 2023 championship while racing the no. 99 Chevy Silverado for ThorSport Racing.
Cost to race in the NASCAR Truck Series for Drivers
Hailee Deegan, who is the first woman to achieve victory in a NASCAR Pro Series revealed that it cost around $2 million for a driver to secure a spot in the Truck Series. She has spent three years in the Truck series racing for the championship winners, ThorSport Racing in 2023. While $2 million is a huge sum for a driver who has just made transition to NASCAR’s upper echelons.
It is ultimately necessary for the team as the team uses this money for the development of cars, spare parts and for participation fees, etc. The drivers are expected to pay this money through personal sponsorships or through their own finances. Usually, Truck Series helps drivers find a suitable sponsor to continue their journey in NASCAR as the upper levels of NASCAR require even more money to get a seat.
Cost to race in the NASCAR Truck Series for Teams
There are a lot of varied opinions about the exact cost required to run a full-time team in the Craftsman Truck Series, according to Kyle Busch the money required is nearly $3.2 million whereas Brad Keselowski says it amounts to nearly $4.5 millions. We can infer that on an average, a Truck series team takes $3-5 million to operate full-season.
The money that Truck teams use are distributed in participation, staff and maintenance of their vehicles. They either procure their money through sponsors from drivers, owners or the owners themselves put money into the team in hopes of gaining better results. Unlike Cup Series, the prize money for Truck Series championship is way smaller and teams struggle to be a part of the competition without sponsors.
FAQ's On Cost to race in the NASCAR truck series
A. The minimum age for racing in the series is 16 years.
A. A NASCAR Truck Team costs around $2.5 million a year to be competitive.
A. Dale Earnahrdt Jr. is the richest driver in NASCAR.
A. Hendrick Motorsports is the most expensive team in NASCAR.
A. NASCAR Trucks are sponsored by Craftsman.
