OK, today we’re going to look at the upcoming seasons for NASCAR’s Nationwide and Camping World Trucks series
Although earlier I said this post would also include the NHRA, due to the length I’ll address the drag racers next week. Remember: the management reserves the right to change its mind.
Probably the biggest news for NASCAR’s second-tier series isn’t what’s going to happen this year, but what’s expected for 2010.
That’s when NASCAR expects to roll out a Car of Tomorrow variant for the Nationwide Series. Ugh!
Meanwhile, for this year the series appears to be in pretty good shape, although I’m going to watching to see if car counts go down through the middle of the schedule.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has sponsorship for two cars in his JR Motorsports stable, and Roger Penske will be able to run ARCA champion Justin Allgaier for the whole season.
Because the Nationwide Series runs the old-style car — for now — costs are much more reasonable than for the Cup teams. There are a lot of chassis and parts out there, and everyone knows what to do and how to make the cars go fast.
Which leads to my concern for next year, when all that goes out the window with a Nationwide CoT. Although the teams that run both Cup and Nationwide will have a leg up, the smaller operations will probably be squeezed pretty hard paying for the new bodies and learning how to make new setups to be competitive.
Let’s just enjoy it for now, shall we?.
Who’s who in the zoo?
2008 champion Clint Bowyer isn’t expected to run a full schedule this season, so the title will be up for grabs.
Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are the most prominent Cupsters who will also run the Nationwide Series, but expect Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton and Junior to also see action.
Former Cup driver, now a team owner Joe Nemecheck will also field a Nationwide team.
Three former Truck series racers — John Wes Townley, Erik Darnell and Brendan Gaughan — will move up to the second tier this season.
For more series information, check out the Nationwide page on www.Jayski.com
Where to begin? The alarming lack of teams? The ridiculous plan to cut costs by altering or eliminating pit stops?
I’ve always found the racing in the Truck Series to be the most exciting because it is the closest to watching Saturday night racing at a local track. The mix of wily veterans and fresh-faced newcomers provided some drama, and it gave the rooks the chance to learn the ropes.
I’ve also found that NASCAR evidently has no clue on how to market and/or promote this series effectively. SPEED has the broadcast rights, so don’t expect to see ESPN-ish slick commercials with miniature slot-cars.
As the final rung of the national series ladder, the Trucks just don’t get the respect they deserve.
OK, venting complete. Now what’s new? Longtime sponsor Craftsman has been replaced by Camping World, but one has to wonder what kind of deal NASCAR had to work to make it happen as sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com has reported Camping World is paying just half of what Craftsman is estimated to have paid.
Sometime soon — rumor has it the decision has been made but NASCAR is sitting on it — there will be an announcement on rule changes altering the way pit stops are conducted. At one point NASCAR was thinking about eliminating green-flag stops and instituting a midpoint competition yellow, but now it would appear the plan will limit the number of crew over the wall to either four or five. Additionally, teams will not be allowed to change tires and refuel in the same stop. This change is expected to save teams money, because they will need fewer crewmembers at the track.
Let me say this about that: last summer when the Camping World Series West, which uses competition yellows and limits crewmembers, was at Evergreen Speedway I asked the teams if it saved money. The answer was “not much.” And more importantly, every team thought the level of competition on the track was compromised by the inability to conduct full-on pit stops.
Defending series champion Johnny Benson has shifted over to a new team, Red Horse Racing.
Keeping track of how many established teams have folded — as many as 10 by one count — and new teams created is hard work. Rather than try to run it down for you, let me once again refer you to the www.Jayski.com Camping World Truck Series page.
One schedule change was made for 2009. Mansfield Motorsports Park closed due to the economy and that race has been moved to Iowa Speedway in September.
If you’re looking for more venting about the truck series, check out this blog post.
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