Mark Martin has said he expects to run some Craftsman Truck Series events in 2006. Credit: Autostock

Big names make Trucks better draw than ever

For years, the Craftsman Truck Series was plagued by a lack of identifiable names. The racing was good, sure, but there was no Dale Earnhardt on the bill, no personality dynamic enough to turn librarians into screaming loons.

Marty Smith

And while there's still no Dale Earnhardt on the bill, the guys he raced against are. The series roster reads like the starting lineup from the Coke 600, circa 1995:

Bobby Hamilton. Ted Musgrave. Jimmy Spencer. Ricky Craven. Johnny Benson. Todd Bodine. And then there's his former Richard Childress Racing teammate, Mike Skinner.

In all, no less than 12 former Cup Series drivers are represented on the 2005 series roster, not including the one-off deals Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Ken Schrader will undoubtedly run.

Some point to the wealth of former Cup talent as proof that the Truck Series is for has-beens, a safe haven where those past their prime can flame out gracefully.

That's ridiculous. Tell that to Spencer or Ron Hornaday. These guys are in the Truck Series for one reason: marketing strategy.

Cup Series sponsors seek youthful attractiveness over veteran experience these days, leaving many former Cup drivers to duke it out in the Truck ranks. That has created awareness, not to mention parity.

	Steve Park Credit: Autostock
	Winning formula Cup wins earned by drivers expected to run the complete 2005 NCTS schedule Driver Wins Johnny Benson 1 Ricky Craven 2 Bobby Hamilton 4 Steve Park 2 Jimmy Spencer 2 Total 11

There were 13 different winners during the 2004 season, same as the Nextel Cup Series. This year promises much the same, as five more former Cup guys join the fray.

And to think, Mark Martin shows up next year.

Martin presents a new situation for the Truck Series. Here's a guy who's had enough of the demands outside the cockpit, so he's chosen to make 2005 his last full-time season in the Cup Series. Come next February, he'll race whatever he wants, whenever he wants, wherever he wants.

He's said the Truck Series is on that docket. As sponsorship requirements continue to mount, more Cup Series veterans will follow suit.

But the Truck Series can't offer Cup Series money. Salaries are lower and winnings aren't even in the same stratosphere. Kasey Kahne won more than $350,000 for finishing second to Elliott Sadler at Texas last year. He won back-to-back races in the Truck Series and won slightly more than 80 grand.

Television ratings are low, too, so it's not all peaches and cream. But it doesn't have to be. Sure, a 3.5 overnight rating would be nice, but it's not vital. That stuff is for the Cup Series to worry about.

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The Craftsman Truck Series just has to be what it is -- the most competitive series NASCAR has to offer. If they keep producing the product they're currently producing, the rest will take care of itself.

And a lineup of 12 former Cup guys doesn't hurt, either.

Marty Smith is a senior writer for NASCAR.COM. His column appears each Thursday.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.