Camping World renewal brightens Truck garage

Johnny Sauter (Getty Images)
Johnny Sauter (Getty Images)
Johnny Sauter (Getty Images)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The smiles were just a little bit bigger than normal in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garages at Kansas Speedway on Thursday – all courtesy of news this week that entitlement sponsor Camping World has extended its contract for another seven years with NASCAR.

“It’s great news for everybody,” driver Johnny Sauter said. “Competitors always think about (the future of their sports). This is refreshing in a world that is always changing. You look at local news and it’s all negative. This is refreshing.”

The future of No. 3 NASCAR national series constantly seemed to be the subject of rumors and speculation. With this week’s news, Sauter said, all that can be put to rest until 2022.

“Your hear rumors all the time,” the Wisconsin native said. “But I’ve been around this long enough not to believe everything I hear.”

Driver Matt Crafton, a veteran of 318 truck starts, said, “It’s huge for me and for all the owners, for every one of the crew guys and for everybody involved in the Camping World Truck Series – it’s very cool.  I know when I read it that morning I was ecstatic over it just to know that Camping World and the Camping World Truck Series is going to be around for a long time to come.  I know it was a big breath of fresh air for NASCAR too — they have to sign two series sponsors and they got one of them out of the way and Camping World is stepping up so that is very good.”

Odds and ends

The Kansas NASCAR weekend got off to wet start on Thursday as rains moved in late in the morning and pushed the two Camping World Truck Series practices back about 45 minutes. Two one-hour practices were held.  … Two trucks withdrew from entry, it was announced Thursday morning. Those were the No. 66 and No. 74 entries. Drivers on the entry list were listed at TBA for both trucks. Owners were listed at Chris Baluch and Mike Harmon, respectively. The withdrawals cut the field to 31 trucks.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.