1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Schedule
The phenomenal growth of the NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman, henceforth to be known as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, after only one season of action has led series sponsor Craftsman to enhance its commitment to the series.
Brian France, NASCAR's Vice President for Marketing and Corporate Communications announced today that NASCAR and Craftsman have agreed on a five-year contract that includes Craftsman becoming title sponsor of the series, thus bringing a new name to the series -- the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series -- along with a brand new look to the logo.
"The fact that so many people chose to attend or watch the trucks during its inaugural campaign proves that truck racing has gained its place on the American sports scene," said France. "We are pleased that Craftsman recognized this and chose to extend the already great relationship we have with each other. The Craftsman commitment will allow us to build the series even more from its already strong foundation."
As part of its renewal, Craftsman, the "Official Tools of NASCAR," will continue its involvement in the NASCAR Winston Cup and NASCAR Winston Racing series by supporting top teams with tools. And, along with the DieHard Battery Division plus Western Auto, comprises a strong team effort by Sears in support of NASCAR racing.
"We committed to NASCAR and its truck series in 1995 because the concept behind racing trucks had all the ingredients for success," said George Kurkowski, Specialty Marketing Manager for Craftsman. "With the rave reviews from race fans and everyone involved with the series, elevating our involvement to title sponsorship was a natural progression for Craftsman.
"NASCAR has proven that America's love affair with the automobile has shifted gears to include trucks."
A new series logo will be revealed in the near future. The new logo will be part of the NASCAR Licensing Group's numerous elements, including merchandising and publications, planned for the series in 1996.
Craftsman, a Sears exclusive brand, is the top selling brand of tools and lawn and garden equipment in the United States. The Craftsman brand not only has unparalleled brand awareness in the tool industry, it plays a significant role in the daily life of America. Besides hand tools, Craftsman leads the market in bench power tools, bench power tool accessories, tool storage, air compressors, pneumatic tools, walk-behind mowers, riding mowers and tractors, chippers and shredders. Craftsman also features portable power tools and accessories.
The 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule will expand to 24 events, and will feature new stops at superspeedways in Homestead, Fla., Las Vegas, Nev., Loudon, N.H. and Nazareth, Pa. Twenty-three tracks in 19 different states are due to host NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events in 1996.
Two of the tracks, the Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, are 1.5-miles in length and represent the fastest layouts on which the second-year series will compete.
The soon-to-be-completed Las Vegas facility will close the 1996 campaign on Nov. 3 and carry in excess of $600,000 in total posted awards -- the largest event purse in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history.
One of America's premier road courses, the 2.454-mile Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, will host a series race on Aug. 25. The sixth addition to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series roster of facilities is Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway USA. The newly resurfaced, 0.596-mile oval's event is set for Aug. 31. Nazareth Speedway and Pennsylvania's debut on the series schedule is set for June 30.
In addition, racing purses will increase dramatically from $1.2 million to more than $4 million in posted awards in 1996. Broadcast television's presence in the series also will grow, along with an heightened national radio broadcast schedule.
Each event on the 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule again will be televised, with up to five events set for live coverage on CBS Sports, which carried two races last season. Turner Sports and WTBS will join series cable system partners ESPN and The Nashville Network in covering each event live. In addition, MRN, The Motor Racing Network, which broadcast six events in 1995, will carry a majority of next season's races with live coverage.
"The entire motorsports community is aware of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series incredible success story in its inaugural season," said Dennis Huth, NASCAR Vice President for Administration. "We are going to continue building on that solid foundation, along with our founding and new track operators, Sears Craftsman, Detroit's three truck manufacturers and our many racing teams."
Inspired by the booming demand for sport utility vehicles in the United States, NASCAR debuted a 20-race nationally televised series in 1995 that featured full-size pickup trucks modified for racing.
For Further Information:
Owen Kearns, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Media Coordinator,
408/438-3392
Vaneta Rogers, Sears Craftsman,
708/286-4726
