SuperTruck Racing

It was a gem of an idea that became reality. The NASTRUCK USA truck, dubbed SuperTruck, was built on a chassis two inches longer than Winston Cup specs. From the creation of four off-road racers--Jim Smith, Jim Venable, Dick Landfield and Frank "Scoop" Vessels--the truck burst onto the scene just five short years ago and into the four-race Winter Heat, which soon became sponsored as the Craftsman Truck Series. Last October, the abundance of talented race truck drivers and dedicated sponsors was raring to go at the California Speedway. Paired with the CART FedEx championship finale that weekend, the Craftsman drivers were eager to show their stuff. Greg Biffle had already posted nine victories in his sophomore season, and was poised to take his final crack at the championship. By finishing no worse than third in this October 30th shootout, he could become the youngest champion in the history of the series. Word was fast spreading through the garages about a potential new schedule pairing the Craftsman Truck Series at more NASCAR venues in the coming year.

Ron Hornaday, two-time NCTS champion, was departing to campaign in the Busch Series in 2000. A hard charger in NCTS for the past five years, Hornaday felt that driving in the truck series had been great for him. "It brought my name into people's homes all over the country," says Hornaday, "and I'm certainly going to miss the competition, the officials, families, and friends I've made over those past five years. I hope I can do as well in Busch." Is it a feeder series for young talent to move up, or a series that's standing on its own? "It can be either," he answers, "depending on how you look at it. If there's a young kid who wants to come into truck racing, he'll learn how to race as hard as any other series. It's a stand-alone event, great hard racing now, with NASCAR adding the pit stops, and making longer races, booking bigger tracks. It's a great stepping stone. "Going from short tracks to larger tracks, there's a lot more travel now, and that's the only difference I see from Busch to this one," says Hornaday. "That travel's scaring some competitors away, but once new fans around the country see a truck race, they won't watch another race."

Ousted by Jack Roush, Joe Ruttman merged back into the series midway through 1999 behind the wheel of Bobby Hamilton's Dana Dodge. "I still don't think this series now is where it will be three to five years down the road," he says. "It will accelerate even more. These trucks don't look like a race car, but as we drive them a while and feel the power they have--the basic chassis and the weight--they're like a Cup car. A lot of drivers feel this is the best place to get training versus the Busch Series." For him, the series became a safety net. "When I got slipped out by Roush, that was a major blow to me," he says, "because we were always there in the point standings. But when I came back, it gave me a better appreciation of what I was missing, and I'm thrilled to be hooked up with Bobby Hamilton. With the parity here among manufacturers, our passing and drafting is more competitive than Winston Cup's."

It was Joe's driving effort that attracted team owner Hamilton. "He's eager--like a young kid," says Hamilton. "Our sponsors love him, and Joe's really picked up the morale of our team." Hamilton wants to see the trucks booked more often with NASCAR events. "These open-wheel fans are a different breed, so when the NASCAR fans see the show we put on, they'll say, 'Man, these guys race harder than Winston Cup.' That's why you don't see many Cup drivers currently competing in our series." Mike Bliss, who also ran the full five years in NCTS, was leaving to campaign a Winston Cup Pontiac in 2000. "This was a tough series from the very first," he recalls, "learning to run on radials, and having only two trucks and two engines to compete. Now we need about eight. "In the next few years, I think we'll see the last of the small tracks fade out. Right now, this series has leveled off. Busch is eating up all the sponsors, but when the trucks run more with NASCAR events, that should change again. Here at the California Speedway, the fans are enjoying both our racing and CART's, but their corporate sponsors don't give a hoot about our trucks. They think we're in the way.

"Another thing that hurts is being here in California for four days, practicing just one hour a day, so we can share the track with CART. The schedule needs to be broken down to where we practice in the morning, qualify in early afternoon,and then race. We do that occasionally, the drivers and crews really enjoy it, and it helps keep costs down. Is this a stepping-stone series? It's been a great one for me." Jim Smith, the only original owner still in the Craftsman Series, recently discussed this four-day schedule with NASCAR. "One good thing they did for us during this week," he says, "was allow us to have a manufacturer's test.

That's better than having to test for two days, go home to Charlotte, then haul all the way back to race. My team recently tested at Talladega. That was tremendous. Also, our Craftsman teams have squeezed an amazing 100 more horsepower out of these 358 cubic-inch engines; that's phenomenal for this series." Midway through the year, Dodge pilot Dennis Setzer came roaring towards the front as a heavy contender, ranking third in points in October. "Mopar's been a Godsend to me," he says, "and so have my team owners, Bob and Kay Keselowski. With no Dodge in Winston Cup, our teams got all the support--engineers, aero support, engine guys--that was a big boost for us. As far as the series, we need more money here--larger purses, bigger sponsors. A few teams are dropping out because money's so tight, but NASCAR's done a terrific job this year lining up TV packages. I've been to four to five venues a week before a race to promote it, and that's exciting."

Randy Tolsma, another Dodge wheelsman, says, "Mopar influence? It's great for a few reasons--it gives us parity among manufacturers, but also Mopar fans are probably the strongest, most dedicated fans there are. Judging from my fan mail, they just go nuts over Dodge and Mopar.

Plus, with our newest possibilities of matching up with Winston Cup, and Ray Evernham being included with the new Dodge team a year from now, I think that's fantastic, 'cause it brings in other fans out there." Ken Schrader, wearing two hats as team owner and driver, was concerned about costs. "Our toughest part in this series is just keeping sponsorships. With all the travel, radial tires, steel bodies, and 24 races, it costs a lot to run this series." "NASCAR knows that," adds Hamilton. "They're directing their marketing efforts toward that." That Saturday, the NAPA Auto Parts 200 blasted off at the green--another hard-fought draft 'em, pass 'em, charge-to-the-front sprint race that's the trademark of current Craftsman competition. With a lap-and-a-half left to the checkered, Sprague charged his Chevy down low, passed leader Mike Bliss and second-place Hornaday, pocketing both the win and his second cherished championship. Had Biffle finished third, instead of seventh, he would have claimed that title.

In mid-November, NASCAR confirmed its new schedule for the year 2000. Craftsman Trucks would compete at four new tracks--Daytona International Speedway in February, Kentucky Speedway in June, Chicago Motor Speedway in August, and Dover Downs International Speedway in September. They would also run in nine companion events with NASCAR's Winston Cup Series and Busch Series, three more with the IRL, and two with CART. "We head into the new millennium with what we feel is our most exciting schedule in the six-year history of this NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series," says

Dennis Huth, NASCAR's former vice president of touring operations. Putting their displeasure behind them after an incident in Las Vegas proved costly in the championship chase, Roush and Biffle were pleased at this news. "I'm glad to see the series go to some of these newer, bigger venues, with hopes that NASCAR will increase the prize money," says Roush. "Going to Daytona's a step in the right direction; that will give our drivers valuable experience. We'll continue to use our truck program to develop young drivers and let some new sponsors get a taste of NASCAR without making a Winston Cup-type investment." Like many others, Roush felt that the truck series was an excellent training ground for new talent. "These race vehicles are heavy like Cup cars and have lots of horsepower, but they don't run on many of the tracks that Cup and Busch run. Their aero package is so different from the cars that they're difficult to drive; that's why you don't see Cup drivers dominate when they run the truck races."

Biffle was hyped about campaigning again for the championship. "And I think this series has a lot to gain at these four new tracks," he said. "I am disappointed that we're not going to Las Vegas or Bristol, because Vegas is one of my favorite tracks and it has a big purse. Bristol's the best show for the fans in all of NASCAR racing. But we'll be introduced to some new fans down in Daytona, and that should help. "Competing there will certainly be interesting. It all depends on what NASCAR does to slow these trucks down and even our playing field. They're looking at shock and spring combinations, heavier rear springs, and height and angle of the rear wing; all that will affect the way our trucks handle. Boy, this series will definitely be competitive again. I haven't seen anyone new coming in that will be a threat to win every week. It's going to be fun."

One truck will be conspicuously absent in the new season--Richard Childress's Chevrolet. Childress folded his tent, sold his truck and equipment to John Menard, and is fielding two Busch teams instead. Bryan Reffner was signed to drive for Menard. His new owner's first venture into the Craftsman Series didn't deter Reffner. "After meeting John, and seeing how he operates his race teams, I find they're first class," he says. "He wants to win races, and everyone thinks that way, but John will do what he has to do to make that happen."

Reffner was chafing at the bit to compete at Daytona. "A new venue like that will not only spur interest in our series as far as the fans go, but also for us drivers. It's a completely different style of racing. I've grown up mainly racing half-miles and short-track racing, certainly enjoyed Fontana, but Daytona now steps it up to the next level, and I'm excited about that." With four hot new venues a certainty, grandstands potentially filled with more cheering fans, and the magnetic lure of more sponsor money, the future looks strong for this rough-and-rugged truck competition in 2000. With NASCAR planning to step up its in-depth marketing this year, this still-young Craftsman Truck Series should become even more prominent on the NASCAR trail.