Team Owners Left Fearing for Survival as NASCAR’s Dwindling Purse Raises Concern

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is hitting a rough patch in 2025, and it’s got team owners sweating bullets. Smaller race fields and empty pit stalls are becoming the norm, with only one full 36-truck field in the first 14 races, at Daytona’s season opener. Compare that to six full fields at this point in 2024 and 11 in 2023, and it’s clear something’s gone sideways. Where have all the trucks gone? Frontstretch sat down with five big-name Truck team owners and managers, who spoke anonymously to spill the tea on the series’ shaky financial ground. The big bad wolf? Declining prize money that’s leaving teams gasping for air.

“Anyone that has any kind of business sense … can look at a balance sheet and say, ‘This is a nightmare. This is a complete dumpster fire. Get out, get out, get out.’ … I’m not trying to be dramatic, I don’t know how this Truck Series is going to survive, other than it’s just a rich man’s playground.” one team official confessed. That’s the kind of panic bubbling up as owners watch their wallets shrink. Sure, a sluggish economy isn’t helping, but the real gut-punch is the purse money, or lack thereof, that NASCAR and tracks dole out after each race.

Truck owners are spitting mad, calling the payouts a pittance compared to what Cup and Xfinity teams pocket. “The problem is the purse is so poor through the whole field. Let’s say you run 30th, you might get $8,000-$9,000, right? By the time you pay for entry fees, one set of tires, mandatory costs, traveling people … you’re already in the hole.” a team manager groaned. Costs like fuel, insurance, and pit equipment don’t magically shrink for Trucks, yet the prize money’s a fraction of what higher series get. Owners aren’t splashing cash, they’re scraping by, but the math just ain’t mathing.

NASCAR’s pushing back, insisting they’re doing their part. “Teams want more money in not only the Truck Series but in the Xfinity Series and in the Cup Series. That’s nothing new. We do our best to address those concerns and increase the money that goes to the teams,” officials said. They point to the $1.1 billion-per-year media deal that kicked in for 2025, boosting purses across all three series, the biggest jump in over a decade. But Truck folks aren’t buying it, arguing their slice of the pie is still crumbs compared to Xfinity’s. At Daytona, Xfinity teams from 31st to 35th got a $4,000 bonus each, adding $20,000 to the purse. Trucks? Just $1,000 for the 21st to 25th, with 11 teams going home with nothing.

The gap stings. Xfinity’s deal with The CW brought in more cash, while Trucks stuck with FOX under a different contract. “It’s two different discussions of two different media rights deals,” NASCAR explained, noting their production costs cut into the pot. But owners argue that their expenses, labor, travel, facilities, rival or even top Cup teams. “With the [Next Gen] car, it dropped payroll. I have guys out here that weld chassis together. I don’t know a Cup shop right now that does that,” a manager said. Trucks can’t reuse equipment across tracks like Cup teams, jacking up costs while purses lag.

Well, compare the Cup Series race payout to that of the Truck and you might get an idea of why Truck owners are waving the red flag. This weekend’s Cup race in Atlanta will distribute $11,055,250, whereas the Truck race couldn’t even hit the million-dollar mark with $782,900. Although the Cup Series attracts more audience and sponsor, the Truck Series also offers good racing. If the current situation continues, we might see drivers opting to race directly in the Xfinity level, where they can at least bag a decent paycheck with sponsorship support.

NASCAR’s tried cost-cutting, Ilmor engines, crew limits, backup truck rules, but owners feel unheard. Meetings with NASCAR involve competition directors, not owners like Rick Hendrick or Joe Gibbs from the Cup level. “They want their jobs to be easier. Whenever there’s any conversation to reinvent the wheel … they’re the first ones to shut it down,” one owner griped. With Ram joining as a manufacturer in 2026, there’s hope for a cash infusion, but owners say it won’t fix the broken purse model threatening the series’ survival.

NASCAR Names Latest Track to Join Truck Series Schedule

The Truck Series is shaking things up with its first-ever race at Lime Rock Park in Lakeview, Connecticut, for the LIUNA 150, a 100-lap battle on a 1.478-mile, seven-turn road course that opened in 1957. Set for Saturday, June 28, at 1:00 PM ET (FOX), it’s the Trucks’ first road course of 2025, while Cup and Xfinity hit EchoPark Speedway for the Focused Health 250 (Friday, 7:30 PM ET, CW) and Quaker State 400 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, TNT Sports).

NASCAR hyped the debut on X, calling Lime Rock the “newest stop” for the Trucks, with a 34-truck field featuring newbies Thomas Annunziata and Jordan Taylor in Spire’s No. 07 and No. 7 Chevrolets, plus Cam Waters back in ThorSport’s No. 66 Ford. Corey Heim, despite a 23rd-place flop at Pocono due to a flat tire, leads the points, with Chandler Smith, Daniel Hemric, Layne Riggs, and Grant Enfinger close behind.

The short field, just 35 trucks, underscores the series’ struggles, even with road course ringers padding the list. Lime Rock’s twisty layout, a veteran of IMSA racing, promises a wild show, but owners are still pleading for bigger purses to keep their trucks on the grid.