NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
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TRUCKS: A Revolution On Tap For 2012?
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will look considerably different in 2012 from the previous season…
Jared Turner  |  Posted January 18, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Truck Series newcomer Ty Dillon will be back this year in the No. 3 Richard Childress Chevrolet seat vacated by his older brother. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
There's an old adage that declares the only thing that stays the same is that everything changes.

It’s an adage that certainly does ring true these days for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

In one of the biggest season-to-season upheavals since the formation of the series in 1995, the 2012 season will feature wholesale changes from 2011.

And the changes run deep.

In addition to a major influx of new faces in new places, the Truck Series' annual calendar has been trimmed by three races from its 2011 slate.

Now featuring just 22 events, the series will no longer compete at Nashville Superspeedway (previously two dates), New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

The trucks will debut at Rockingam — which last hosted a NASCAR national series in 2004 — as Iowa picks up a second race.

An even more seismic shift, however, involves the drivers and teams.

Gone is Kevin Harvick Inc., which dominated much of 2011 but closed its doors at the end of the season.

Also missing will be reigning series champion Austin Dillon, who has been promoted to the Nationwide Series to compete for grandfather Richard Childress' team.

But the Truck Series won't be completely devoid of Dillons. Austin's younger brother, 19-year-old Ty, has seized his brother's former seat in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Despite being just a rookie, the 2011 ARCA Racing Series champion could contend for the title with last year's NCWTS championship-winning team.

RCR will expand to three teams, as 2011 rookie of the year Joey Coulter returns and newcomer Tim George Jr. competes in 12 races in a No. 2 RCR truck.

George drove for RCR last season in ARCA.

Johnny Sauter, last year's championship runner-up, and teammate Matt Crafton are both back at ThorSport racing but the organization has switched from Chevrolets to Toyotas and expanded to field a third full-time entry for rookie Dakota Armstrong.

Former Kevin Harvick Inc. drivers Nelson Piquet Jr. and Ron Hornaday have landed at Turner Motorsports and Joe Denette Motorsports, respectively.

Piquet will be a teammate to fellow Brazilian Miguel Paludo, who moves over from Red Horse Racing, and 2011 championship contender James Buescher. Hornaday, a four-time champion, will be paired with rookie Max Gresham.
SAFER barriers are installed at Rockingham Speedway. (Photo: www.rockinghamspeedway.com)

Eddie Sharp Racing, which purchased the assets of KHI, is fielding three trucks with Justin Lofton, Cale Gale and one other driver.

Meanwhile, two familiar names from NASCAR's top two series will make select Truck Series appearances: Sprint Cup driver David Reutimann joins Ricky Benton Racing for 13-15 races, and 2011 Nationwide Series driver Jason Leffler will make at least 14 starts for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

KBM owner Kyle Busch, who won six races last season, has not announced his driving plans.

Fellow Sprint Cup driver and Truck Series team owner Brad Keselowski has made known his intentions to run at least six races in a second truck fielded by his own Brad Keselowski Racing team.

Keselowski, who last drove a Truck Series race in 2010, will once again field a full-time entry for 2011 rookie Parker Kligerman.

What do all the changes – both competitive and geographic – mean for 2012?

The season kicks off Feb. 24 in Daytona.

Stay tuned.

Jared Turner is an Associate Editor for SPEED.com, covering NASCAR and Formula One, and is an Editor for TruckSeries.com. His professional motorsports writing career began in 2005.
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