NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series a Success

03/18/96

The Associated Press reported that 500,000 race fans showed up to watch NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events last season, while 20 million others watched the races on TV. Last year was the series' first season, and its overwhelming success quickly laid to rest any debate about whether race fans wanted to see American made pickups speed around race tracks.

The question remaining this season, which started last Sunday with the Florida Dodge Dealers 400 in Homestead, Florida, will be how to top 1995. Part of the formula might be live television--Sunday's season opener was broadcast on TNN. Another part might be money--Sunday's purse weighed in at $401,475, the richest race in the series' short history to date. The season's closing race in Las Vegas will break that record by offering a purse of $600,00. Finally, this year's series has been expanded to 24 races, up from 20 last season, and the races are getting put on bigger tracks. Last Sunday's Florida Dodge Dealers 400 was the first truck race on a track that is over a mile long (Homestead's oval is 1.521 miles) but most of the other races this season follow suit.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel