Have you noticed anything about the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since it last hit the track at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 25?
Yeah, me neither. And that’s a problem.
Aside from Christian Eckes‘ promotion to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing, there has been virtually zero news out of the Truck Series since Milwaukee.
Part of that is due to the inconsistency of the schedule – something I’ve long complained about. Running one race every two to three races doesn’t exactly lend itself to producing the best news cycles. With the next race still a week away at Bristol Motor Speedway, there’s just too much radio silence from the series with nothing to announce.
Not to mention, silly season hasn’t really taken shape yet with the lack of moves and promotions (Eckes and teammate Daniel Dye are the only drivers with plans announced for 2025).
Fortunately, there was one bit of Truck Series news that came out within the last week that could at least solve the first issue of too many off weeks.
That’s right – the 2025 schedule is here.
It’s slightly annoying that the schedule was released the day this column was published last week, so this reaction piece has had to sit for a week. But on the bright side, I’ve had a week to ponder and develop what I want to discuss.
As such, I’ve come to the conclusion that the 2025 schedule might be one of the best Truck Series schedules within the last decade. Here’s why.
Familiar Tracks Have Finally Returned
The schedule features two tracks that have made long-awaited returns. Well, actually three, but New Hampshire Motor Speedway is less noteworthy of a return than the other two.
The first is Michigan International Speedway, which was taken off the schedule following the 2020 season. It was honestly a shame to see the race go away, as Michigan always provides solid racing regardless of the series.
The removal of Michigan from the schedule came after the track lost one of its race weekends in the overall shuffling of NASCAR’s national series schedules. The lone race weekend it got after that featured the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series. In 2025, the Truck Series will replace the Xfinity Series in the annual visit to the Irish Hills, which moves from mid-August to the first weekend of June.
The second track to return is the one I’m most excited about and has been long overdue for any series. For the first time since 2013, Rockingham Speedway is back.
The last time the series saw any action from NASCAR was, ironically, the Truck Series, when it raced there in 2012 and 2013. Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson won the races, though at least Larson won’t be a part of the field in its return on Easter weekend 2025.
Since North Wilkesboro Speedway was revived from the dead in late 2022, a lot of people then turned their attention to the 1.017-mile track as the next track to get up and running.
While it won’t have a Cup Series date, it will feature a Xfinity/Truck doubleheader on the Friday and Saturday before Easter Sunday. Rockingham is another track with traditionally great racing, and if anything, the historical aspect of the track (much like North Wilkesboro) is all the more reason to bring it back.
Plus, NASCAR appeases more fans with an even greater emphasis on a return to its roots. It’s a win-win all around.
Michigan and Rockingham are two tracks that should not have left the Truck Series schedule, but it’s so good to have them back.
Three New Road Courses? Yes, Please
It’s not often that the Truck Series gets even one road course added to its schedule, but in 2025, it’s getting three.
The first is a return to Watkins Glen International. That marks the third track in 2025 that the series will return to. However, unlike Michigan and Rockingham, Watkins Glen has never really had a good shake on the Truck Series schedule. It originally started as a mainstay from 1996-2000, but then the series didn’t return for 20 years.
It finally came back in 2021, when Austin Hill took the victory. But that was the only time the series raced there, as it hasn’t been back on the schedule since. It seems like a good fit for the schedule, but there seems to be a longstanding hesitation from NASCAR to keep it on the schedule. Hopefully, 2025 puts on a show to convince NASCAR to make it a mainstay on the Truck Series schedule again.
The Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL makes its debut on the Truck Series schedule after hosting just the Xfinity and Cup Series since 2018. With a new layout coming this year, it could certainly be a barn burner. Both Xfinity and Cup have had chaotic races there, it’s only fitting for the Truck Series to have one too.
Interestingly, the Truck Series will compete at the ROVAL on a Friday night. Are we looking at a potential ROVAL night race? That’ll make the race even more interesting to top off an already wild debut for the Truck Series.
Speaking of debuts, the most exciting race on the 2025 schedule is a track making its first appearance on any of NASCAR’s premier schedules.
Welcome to NASCAR, Lime Rock Park.
The 1.5-mile road course out in Connecticut is one of the most underrated racetracks in the country in my opinion. It’s fast with sweeping corners and could provide some entertaining racing. The K&N Pro Series used to race there about 15 years ago and put on some good shows. There’s no reason to believe the Truck Series can’t put on a good show too.
The track is also of personal importance to one NASCAR driver, as Parker Kligerman is a part-owner of the track. Kligerman expressed joy that the track was returning and would absolutely love to run the race – it’s just a matter of logistics like most things are.
Three new road courses will present a unique challenge for the Truckers. Unfortunately, the lone road course of 2024, Circuit of the Americas, has been dropped from the Truck Series schedule, but Lime Rock Park alone makes up for its absence. Looking forward to many more right turns for the series in 2025.
Finally, an Expanded Schedule
After spending over a decade with seasons of 22-23 races, the Truck Series is finally getting a boost in races for 2025.
The schedule includes two more races, bringing the total to 25 (25 races for the ’25 season, nice). Rockingham, Lime Rock, Michigan, Watkins Glen, New Hampshire and the Charlotte ROVAL have been added, with only Milwaukee, COTA, World Wide Technology Raceway and a second race date at Kansas Speedway being removed.
As much as I hate seeing a Kansas date gone (that race always thrills) and Wisconsin losing its last hope of NASCAR following Road America’s removal, I’m OK with it if it means more races. Swapping Gateway for New Hampshire seems somewhat like an even tradeoff, so I’m OK with that too.
That means there are less off weeks and more consistency in the schedule. That alone should help viewership and keep the Truck Series more relevant than it is now. Most breaks from racing are only one weekend in length, which is great for getting the series racing more consistently.
The lone time there’s a break of more than one off-week comes after the June 28 race at Lime Rock. The next race after that is July 25 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. I’m sort of OK with this, as it kind of serves as a halfway-point summer break for the series, something all three series should have. Otherwise, the Truckers are racing every week or every other week.
Thank goodness. The occasional two or three weeks without Truck Series racing makes the racing go stale and doesn’t give any consistent news for the series. Plus, with the Cup Series running 36 races and the Xfinity Series running 33, it’s been long past time to give the third-tier series more than just over 20 races.
The 2025 season has the potential to be one of the best Truck Series seasons in a long time, if ever.
And this journalist, for one, is extremely excited to see what happens.
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter, among many other duties he takes on for the site. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight-choreographer-in-training in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.