Craftsman 200 (Portland)
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| Category | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States · Canada |
| Inaugural season | 1995 |
| Manufacturers | Chevrolet · Ford · Toyota |
| Tire suppliers | Goodyear |
| Drivers' champion | Johnny Sauter |
| Teams' champion | Kyle Busch Motorsports |
| Makes' champion | Toyota |
| Official website | Camping World Truck Series |
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The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (formerly the NASCAR SuperTruck Series presented by Craftsman and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in all of NASCAR to race modified production pickup trucks. The series is one of three national divisions of NASCAR, ranking as the third tier behind the second-tier Xfinity Series and the top level Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Camping World has served as the title sponsor since 2009; it replaced Craftsman, who served in that role from 1996 through 2008.
The idea for the Truck Series dates back to 1991. A group of SCORE off-road racers (Dick Landfield, Jimmy Smith, Jim Venable, and Frank "Scoop" Vessels) had concerns about desert racing's future, and decided to create a pavement truck racing series. They visited NASCAR Western Operations Vice President Ken Clapp to promote the idea, who consulted Bill France Jr. with it, but the plans fell apart. Afterwards, Clapp told the four to build a truck before NASCAR considered it. Bakersfield fabricator Gary Collins built a prototype truck, which were first shown off during Speedweeks for the 1994 Daytona 500 and tested by truck owner Jim Smith around Daytona International Speedway. The truck proved to be popular among fans, and NASCAR arranged a meeting in a Burbank, California hotel on April 11, 1994; the meeting ultimately led to the creation of the "SuperTruck Series".
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