[Team Yates]

The future of NASCAR's Truck tour in doubt? Promoter Bruton Smith and NASCAR president Mike Helton are reported to be meeting Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway over the uncertain future of NASCAR's Truck series, with increasing speculation that the tour – 25 races this season, on 16 Sprint Cup tour tracks and seven other tracks – will be severely cut next season. Indeed even the survival of the Truck series, which was created in 1995 by the late Bill France Jr. as a budget-priced 'proving ground' for new car owners, new sponsors and new drivers, has been questioned. General Motors, Ford and Dodge have all withdrawn financial support of the Truck tour and the Nationwide tour, leaving only Toyota officially involved. Toyota officials have reportedly decided to drop their financial support too, though Toyota racing boss Lee White insists no decision has been made. One suggestion to help save the Truck series has been for the four NASCAR car makers to work together to design an inexpensive 'spec' Truck engine, to cut costs. Another suggestion has been a 'common' engine for all three NASCAR touring series.(mikemulhern.net)(6-27-2009)

[Bob Tanner]

It's just sad that some just do not appreciate good racing, or rather racing that is good on most tracks.

For some reason, and if it's correct I just can not fathom why, it just seems as though NA__AR doesn't want the CTS to succeed?

[jks812]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

For some reason, and if it's correct I just can not fathom why, it just seems as though NA__AR doesn't want the CTS to succeed?

I think its they don't want to take a chance on it becoming more popular than the cup series. Which to me, it already is better.

[LSC9901]

I'm thinking that the real race fanatics will then have to revert to attending cup races. That equals money in the France family vault.

[Motorsports One]

From Jayski:

During an interview on SpeedTV's NCWTS setup program, NASCAR VP Steve O'Donnell said the state of the series is "really strong." O'Donnell stated that NASCAR officials met with team owners earlier this year to help out the racing with some rule changes, they have been working with the teams, and that the series puts on the "best racing". When asked about double-file restarts, O'Donnell said that the series has two weeks off following Memphis, and that NASCAR will continue to look at it. [Also heard that O'Donnell addressed the state of the series during the Drivers Meeting in Memphis, assuring teams that NASCAR is full speed ahead for 2010. He also said that NASCAR is excited by new owners and drivers and the new tracks coming on line next year.]

Plus, I never pay much attention to what Mike Mulhern writes, he's been known to write stuff based on pure speculation to provoke a reaction, positive or negative, from the parties involved.

Here are the first few lines of a recent article he wrote about Danica Patrick: "Danica Patrick will be in a Jack Roush NASCAR Ford next season, bank on it. Well, don't bet the ranch, but there is a growing sense that that is the momentum on the issue, if the sexy Indy-car star does make the leap into stock car racing, as she has hinted."

Here's how he started another article earlier: "Danica Patrick will be in NASCAR next season. If NASCAR executives can pull it off. George Pyne and key NASCAR executives are together working the entire Sprint Cup garage trying to put together a package for Patrick to run NASCAR next season."

When I started reading the above articles, I thought something had been officially announced. But I then re-read the first few lines and understood them the way they should have been written. When I saw the source of the articles, I put two and two together and dismissed the whole thing.

Now, when I start reading an article and the first sentence seems far-fetched, I just expect to see his name attached to it.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Motorsports One

From Jayski:

Plus, I never pay much attention to what Mike Mulhern writes, he's been known to write stuff based on pure speculation to provoke a reaction, positive or negative, from the parties involved.

True, Martin. Oh so true. I didn't notice that this was a Mulhern statement. You and I both remember his best faux pas; was it 1994 or 1995 when he prematurely announced that the Wood Brothers had fired Morgan Shepard? The big problem was that it was news to the Wood Brothers. Morgan made so not so kind statements about the way the Wood brothers had treated him and began looking for a ride while the Wood Bros. were trying to set the record straight.

But, from my point of view it would appear, despite what NA__AR publicly states, they aren't promoting the CTS as well as they could, considering the quality of the product the series produces.

But, the flip side is that NA__AR has its plate full trying to play catch up for all the ways they've screwed up the Cup and BGN Series, making both series a shadow of what they once were and what their potential could be.

Maybe it's best that the racing gurus in Daytona beach leave their hands off of CTS. The less they try and fix it, the more the racing stays unbroken.

[Motorsports One]

Originally Posted by Motorsports One

I never pay much attention to what Mike Mulhern writes, he's been known to write stuff based on pure speculation to provoke a reaction, positive or negative, from the parties involved.

From FoxSports.com

Despite reports from independent blogger Mike Mulhern, NASCAR Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter says emphatically that there is no validity to a story circulating that the Camping World Truck Series will shut down. "There's no truth to it whatsoever," Hunter said. "It's total B.S. The demise of the truck series is the figment of one person's imagination. (Mulhern) has a history of fabricating false stories and this is another example of it. We're very aware that (the Camping World Truck Series) is affected the hardest during this economic recession. We're currently looking at options. We've never given up on a series and we're not going to start now." That said, NASCAR is looking at options to reduce costs such as decreasing the schedule, increasing the number of single-day dates and bringing back the half-time pit stops that could eliminate the traveling crews to five or six members. One possible solution that is off the table is the use of crate engines. NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton said they are not a viable option because "they're not durable to last much beyond one race" which would raise costs, not lower them. Pemberton feels the sanctioning body has made "good gains with new rules and regulations" and the series "still makes sense."

[Stewart Fan]

Yeah I just don't see how the truck series can continue on. I mean they have NO factory support and without that how can they continue?

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Stewart Fan

Yeah I just don't see how the truck series can continue on. I mean they have NO factory support and without that how can they continue?

The same way real racing at the local level continues. Less technology, more "sweat equity," smaller teams and making the series cost effective for sponsorship.

It won't be easy but it can work. Cup has existed more than once without factory intervention and big sponsors. Some actually believe it made the racing better.

[thunderfoot]

It would be just like the early 60's where factory support was halted. But we came through just fine.
What dont kill ya makes ya stronger

[Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted by thunderfoot

It would be just like the early 60's where factory support was halted. But we came through just fine.
What dont kill ya makes ya stronger

Yeah but it didn't cost millions of dollars to race back then like it does now.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Stewart Fan

Yeah but it didn't cost millions of dollars to race back then like it does now.

It shouldn't have to cost millions of dollars. Look at local track racing and some of the small touring series. Better racing for a whole lot less money. This myth that good racing has to cost even figures is just that, a myth, and a frightening number of people have bought into it lock, stock and barrel.

[Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

It shouldn't have to cost millions of dollars. Look at local track racing and some of the small touring series. Better racing for a whole lot less money. This myth that good racing has to cost even figures is just that, a myth, and a frightening number of people have bought into it lock, stock and barrel.

I know it doesn't HAVE to but it does. When you have guys like Roush and Kevin Harvick in the truck series you have to spend a ton of money to race with them. Are we gonna put a limit on how much $ can be spent?

[kkfan91]

Originally Posted by Stewart Fan

I know it doesn't HAVE to but it does. When you have guys like Roush and Kevin Harvick in the truck series you have to spend a ton of money to race with them. Are we gonna put a limit on how much $ can be spent?

no it will just be roush and harvicks teams winning every week it will be like NASCAR 1968 and Petty 26 wins

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Stewart Fan

I know it doesn't HAVE to but it does. When you have guys like Roush and Kevin Harvick in the truck series you have to spend a ton of money to race with them. Are we gonna put a limit on how much $ can be spent?

I don't think so. We all see what redistribution of wealth and over-regulation does in our everyday lives. If there's one thing NA__AR doesn't need it's another ill-thought out rule trying to attain a goal of "parity." (Which, as is demonstrated in Cup, too often results in: Parity = mediocre racing)

My personal suggestion is: Just put a one truck-per-owner limit in CTS and discourage any type of mass invasion by Cup Raiders, but keep everything else the same. If this happens I sincerely feel the situation (which isn't really broken now) will correct itself and the series will continue, albeit at a lower profile (which ain't all bad). If it fails then it shows the fans who believe actual racing trumps drivers and personalities will be proven, like Elvis, to have "Left the building for good."

But I could be wrong in my assumptions, too. It's a common occurrence.