Craftsman sponsorship ending after '08 season (cont'd)

"We literally are starting that process [Tuesday]," Poston said. "So we'll know more in the coming weeks. I would expect some calls will be coming in from people that are interested, and we'll start making outward calls. We plan to cast a wide net. But we're literally just getting started today, so no conversations as yet with any of the other [previously] interested parties have taken place yet."

Ron Hornaday captured the Truck Series championship in the recently-concluded '07 season, narrowly edging Mike Skinner in the driver points standings.

Scott Howard, manager of marketing partnerships for Sears, has been involved in discussions with NASCAR about his company's involvement in the sport for the past several months. Those discussions included but were not limited to the decision to drop the Craftsman brand as the title sponsor of the series -- and Howard insisted that Sears will remain involved in NASCAR in other areas.

Howard noted that Craftsman has been there with the Truck Series from the very beginning in 1995.

"Since then we have developed strong relationships with millions of loyal NASCAR fans we value greatly," Howard added. "While we will be relinquishing title sponsorship of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the end of 2008, we continue to explore new opportunities within NASCAR."

Unlike the Cup Series, which has seen drops in television ratings each of the last two years, TV ratings in terms of total viewership have grown for the Truck Series in each of its 13 years of existence. Twenty-three of the 25 races in 2008 will be televised by SPEED, with two events to be televised live on FOX.

Poston said that NASCAR appreciates all that Craftsman has done to help build the Truck Series brand over the years. But he added that he is confident a capable replacement sponsor will be found.

"You have a sponsor like Craftsman that has really helped define the identity of that series," Poston said. "I think with what they're going to do this year will help transition over to whoever the new sponsor is. Ultimately I think the fans are coming to see the competitors. They want to know that the series is in good hands and being taken care of, but ultimately they come to see the competitors. With the Truck Series, they're going to come back and see the same great competition that they have every year.

"You have a rock-solid fan base. They may be fans of the other series, too -- but when the series goes to stand-alone events at places like Nashville, or Memphis, or Las Vegas, you're going to have people going there because they love the Truck Series and they want to see it. It's really passionate, and it's really grown over the years. There is just so much loyalty and passion with the fans of this series, and you've got your great characters driving in it like Hornaday and your Jack Spragues and Mike Skinners, and some great, dedicated owners in Kevin and DeLana Harvick, and [Bill] Davis, and [Jack] Roush. So there is a lot of interest and a lot of good things happening in this series."