produce some of NASCAR's meanest racing, it faces the likelihood of leaner entry fields with the recession draining corporate sponsorship. An optimistic estimate has 15 full-time driver-truck combinations starting the season, but only half a dozen have full-time deals.

But like NASCAR's other national series, the Truck Series faces a huge hurdle in attracting sponsors and spectators in a down economy. Some tracks are helping with lower ticket prices and value-added packages, but it remains to be seen whether fans will maintain loyalty to the feeder series or focus on Sprint Cup.

Then there's the question of whether the series will move away from its mission and tinker with the product. NASCAR officials recently met with Truck Series owners to brainstorm ways to cut costs.

"I don't know how to fix it, but I think everybody is hurting right now in the economy we have," said Hornaday, a three-time champion. "We'll see what happens. We're going to be out there and race as hard as we can, and we're going to put on a good show for the fans. We can't slam the Truck Series because it's one of the big three of NASCAR."

However, a blogger at FoxSports had a different take on the Truck Series. In fact, she predicts Camping World will lose the sponsorship later this year.

"After months of scrambling, Camping World wrote a low-seven-figure check, threw in a few motorhomes and won the right to name the truck series," wrote Lee Spencer at NASCAR on Fox. "For the $2 million Craftsman donated to NASCAR to continue as the official tool of the sport, wouldn't it have made more sense for the sanctioning body to show the 12-year partner a little love and keep continuity with the naming rights of the truck series? Don't be surprised if Craftsman doesn't return as the title sponsor by season's end."