Money Troubles for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series produces some exciting racing, but could underfunded teams mean the end is near for the championship?

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Some of the most exciting racing each year in NASCAR comes from what many refer to as the #3 division of the stock car ladder. The Camping World Truck Series is unique in that their bodies are shaped like many of the pickup trucks fans can see on the road today, but they also make for great racecars.

From young guns to seasoned veterans, lots of racers have enjoyed the Truck Series over the years. Former champions include Greg Biffle, Mike Skinner, Todd Bodine, and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday. But how long can the series continue if there is no one to race in it?

Not long ago, there were arguments made that the series needed to keep the field at 36 trucks because of the sheer number of entries coming to each race. But since then, the number of funded teams in the Truck Series has dwindled significantly. Red Horse Racing abruptly shut down earlier in 2017, dropping two more entries from the field. GMS Racing, which previously carried a four truck armada, dropped their #23 Chevy in favor of their three championship efforts.

The issues with funding are not solely found in the Camping World Truck Series, but throughout NASCAR and racing. Consider that many of the recent races for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have not even filled the 40-car field, with just 38 cars competing in the last race at Sonoma Raceway. However, many of these teams can fall back on the larger purses and the charter system to help meet the gap. Not so much, however, for the truckers.

Perhaps the issues of funding came to the forefront most recently in the Truck Series after John Hunter Nemechek’s win at Gateway Motorsports Park. In his post-race interview, the race winner spoke of how his NEMCO Motorsports team may not have been able to compete the following week at Iowa without winning. The #8 team would then go on to win again at Iowa, securing a strong spot in the series playoffs, but still lacking full sponsorship.

This is not a problem that is unique to NEMCO or Nemechek for that matter. Before Red Horse Racing shut down, Timothy Peters was comfortably inside the playoff grid for the series based on points. Now, Peters has only started one race since their shutdown, ending with a wild crash at Texas.

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No one can surely know the future of the Camping World Truck Series at this point, but if more sponsors do not come aboard to fund these championship contenders, there will be fewer fans, fewer teams, and less drivers to fill their fields. And with fewer competitive races, the truckers will have their days numbered.

Be sure to tune in for the next race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from Kentucky Speedway. The race can be seen live on Thursday, July 6th on FS1.

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