Nascar Craftsman Truck Series

A popular NASCAR racing series which features modified or reconfigured pick-up trucks is NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. This racing series is one of the 3 national divisions of NASCAR, together with the NEXTEL Cup and the Busch Series. It was announced on the 3rd of December 2007 that as soon as the 2008 season is concluded, Craftsman would not sponsor the series anymore. Since 1995 which was the year NASCAR founded the car racing series, Craftsman has been the sponsor of the title. The Truck Series idea dates back to 1993, the year when a group of racers made a prototype pickup truck for NASCAR. These prototypes were first shown at the 1994 Daytona 500 race. During the season, a number of demo races were held to further the cause. These trucks showed themselves to be very popular among promoters, sponsors and fans.

Kyle Busch was just 16 years of age when CART threw him out of a 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Fontana, California and sanctioned the Marlboro 500 because the tobacco sponsorship regulations does not allow competitors under 18 years to participate in any NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. This incident resulted in the 2002 minimum age requirement of NASCAR. Many of the 1st drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series were veterans but had no experience in other NASCAR national race series. As the time went by, some of young drivers among them made their debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, using it as a springboard for their careers. The Craftsman Truck Series is now a place for the veterans to make their living.