The boom in light trucks, which account for nearly half of the new-car market, has spawned a racing series that is gaining in popularity among motor-sports fans and manufacturers that dominate the pickup segment.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, sponsored by Sears, Roebuck and Co.’s famous line of tools, is only 5 years old. Nevertheless, it has captured the attention of the marketing and engineering brass at General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG.
“We know truck racing is exciting,” says Dennis Huth, vice president of administration for NASCAR.
The series also has quickly attracted all kinds of sponsors, he adds.
There has even been speculation in motor-sports circles that Toyota would like to join the series, now that it has a full-size pickup truck with a V-8 engine, the Tundra.
Though it says nothing is imminent, the Japanese giant has not ruled out asking to participate in the series, says Lynn Nielsen, a spokeswoman for Toyota Motor Sports.
Racing teams in the Craftsman events have driven Chevrolet trucks since the beginning of the series in 1994 and the excitement around the races has steadily increased, says Bob Tripolsky, a spokesman for GM’s Chevrolet Division. “It’s very similar to NASCAR,” he says.
As in Winston Cup racing, each of the racing trucks is modeled after a production vehicle and has to match NASCAR specifications. It has to be a full-size pickup with 112-inch wheelbase and weigh 3,400 pounds. The trucks are powered by 358-cubic-inch V-8 engines that produce 675 horsepower.
Instead of using electronic engine controls, the trucks still use carburetors to ensure they are almost identical technically.
The current templates approved for racing this year by NASCAR include the Chevrolet Silverado, the Ford F-150 and the Dodge Ram, three of the most popular vehicles sold in the U.S.
Several racing teams, including Richard Petty Enterprises, Richard Childress Racing, Hendricks Motor Sports and Roush Racing sponsor teams in the Winston Cup and Craftsman series, which has given the new truck races credibility, Ford and GM note.
Torrey Galinda, manager of global racing marketing at Ford Motor Co., says NASCAR has helped boost the visibility of the Craftsman series. “It has the strength of NASCAR on the marketing and operations side,” says Galinda.
The Craftsman series is fast emerging as a valuable venue for manufacturers to show off their brand and capture the attention of potential truck buyers, he adds.
Kevin Kennedy, a spokesman for Ford Motor Sports, notes the Craftsman series is getting more space in newspaper sports sections, and all 25 Craftsman events this year have been televised variously on CBS, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, note NASCAR officials.
“It’s really come on strong,” says David Elshoff, a spokesman for motors sports at DaimlerChrysler. “It’s given us a lot of exposure.”
“It’s not easy, but we have ways to measure the exposure. It’s been growing at a much faster pace for Dodge than for the norm,” says Robert Wildberger, DaimlerChrysler’s senior manager for NASCAR motor sports.
Wildberger says the company didn’t commit its Dodge Trucks to the series the first three seasons waiting to see how it would develop.
Trucks account for 60 percent of DaimlerChrysler sales, so, after getting approval from Chrysler Corp. directors, the motor-sports unit put the Dodge brand name back into oval-track racing for the first time in two decades, says Wildberger. (It was participating in off-road and Baja racing.)
“The first two years were a steep learning curve,” says Wildberger, who points out that teams racing Dodge trucks are beginning to climb in the Craftsman series rankings.
“The truck business is really big for us, and the company’s dealers have been enthusiastic supporters of the Craftsman series. Many dealers hold special promotions around the Craftsman races or invite their employees or customers to attend the race,” Wildberger notes.
Dodge dealers sponsor a Craftsman race in Florida and more than 5,000 people turned out for the party the dealers gave as part of the festivities. Teams racing Dodges also visit DaimlerChrysler factories to help boost morale, says Wildberger.
GM, Ford or Chrysler don’t own the racers but, as in Winston Cup series, they work closely with the teams and offer technical and financial support.
David Hederich, a spokesman for the GM Raceshop, says engineers typically will help the teams test, improve aerodynamics and fine-tune the chassis. “It’s a two-way street,” says Hederich, because the engineers often learn concepts they can apply to working on production vehicles.
“We have people working with chassis and others who work with the engines. We handle the research and development,” says Wildberger.
The engineers also learn lessons of teamwork and meeting deadlines they can apply to other assignments, he said.
