NASCAR fails to build momentum for the truck series and regional series

May 7, 10:01 PMDetroit NASCAR ExaminerJosh Lobdell

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The Trucks are the step son of the NASCAR family Getty Images

Every Thursday I try and write an update on either the Truck series, or one of the two more popular regional series known as the Camping World East and West series. However since NASCAR has spaced these races out so much in the beginning of the year it makes a weekly update very hard.

While it does leave the racings fans wanting more of these versions of NASCAR style racing, in today’s digital age many of these fans simply turn to something else and then forget about these series.

For the Truck series it is particularly frustrating as that is the only national division of NASCAR whose TV numbers are up in 2009. Yet the Truck series goes for weeks at a time without any races. It is a really silly way to run a National racing series, especially one as popular as the Camping World Truck series.

The trucks raced just once in April, and will race only twice in May. Added to two February races, and two March races and the beginning of the Truck series schedule makes no sense at tall.

This seems to suggest that the Truck series doesn’t need to start this early in the season, while having the trucks as part of Speed weeks is great, this is really a summer series and should start in the late spring or early summer.

To keep this series a part of February Daytona Speed Weeks maybe this series could use an All Star Race during the Daytona opener. Maybe a race for every driver who won a race or pole in the season previous. Then the Trucks are represented during Speed Weeks and the real racing doesn’t begin until the trucks are ready to go racing every week or at leas every other week.

Starting the new season out with an all star race is not a new idea for NASCAR. In fact the regional racing series held their 2009 All Star event, the Toyota Showdown, as the first race on the 2009 schedule. That built up a lot of attention for this form of NASCAR racing, but these series suffer from drawn out schedules and no TV coverage.

These long breaks between races, for example is was four weeks between the Martinsville truck race and the Kansas truck race, kills all the attention and momentum of this series. Especially this year where the Kansas race was marred by severe weather and multiple rain delays.

When we are talking abut the regional series, series that have no national TV contract. I understand why the schedule is so drawn out. The schedule in these series is essentially every couple of week through the spring and summer.

While this makes sense for the schedule in these series to be done this way it leaves NASCAR fans frustrated that they cannot get their racing fix when they want. I find it particularly frustrating when I see a Camping World East/West series race on Speed only to find out it is a race from three weeks ago. This is a problem that NASCAR and its partners really needs to address.