NASCAR today announced the 2014 schedule for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, a slate that includes the return to racing at Gateway Motorsports Park for the first time since 2010.
Gateway, a 1.25-mile oval in Madison, Ill., just outside of St. Louis, hosted truck series races from 1998-2010 with only one repeat winner in its 13-race history – Ted Musgrave, who won in 2001 and 2005. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Kevin Harvick won the most recent Gateway race, in July of 2010.
Now independently owned by St. Louis-native Curtis Francois, a former racer with significant ties to the local community, Gateway will hold its 2014 race on June 14.
“We’re excited to have the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series return to Gateway and to the St. Louis area, which is such a racing hotbed,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Curtis Francois and his staff have worked diligently to bring NASCAR national series racing back to those great fans.”
After a two-year hiatus, New Hampshire Motor Speedway likewise returns to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule (Sept. 20). New Hampshire held truck racing from 1996-2011, and will return in 2014 as part of a companion weekend with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. “With their return to New Hampshire, it will be great for fans to see more of what the trucks are known for – close racing at shorter, tighter venues,” O’Donnell said.
Next season’s 22-race schedule also includes two tracks which made wildly successful debuts in 2013 – Eldora Speedway (July 23) in Rossburg, Ohio and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Aug. 31) in Bowmanville, Ontario. The entire 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season can be seen on FOX Sports 1 and heard on SiriusXM Satellite Radio and Motor Racing Network Radio.
In 2013 Eldora, the 0.5-mile dirt track owned by three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, held the first NASCAR national series dirt race since 1970. A standing room only crowd of 20,000 fans watched history, as 2011 series champion Austin Dillon captured the victory. This event will be the first of two Wednesday night races for the series, joining Bristol Motor Speedway’s popular mid-week race on Aug. 20.
This summer, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park became the first road course to host a truck series race in more than a decade. Culminating with end-of-race fireworks that have become a trademark of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing, Chase Elliott – son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott – won the inaugural international event.
Next season’s schedule features one date shift, with the series racing at Kansas Speedway on May 9, the first night race for the series at the 1.5-mile venue. The balance of the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck schedule, the series’ 20th season,maintains a familiar feel, opening with Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 21 and culminating on Nov. 14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
2014 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
Feb. 21 Daytona International Speedway
March 29 Martinsville Speedway
May 9 Kansas Speedway
May 16 Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 30 Dover International Speedway
June 6 Texas Motor Speedway
June 14 Gateway Motorsports Park
June 26 Kentucky Speedway
July 12 Iowa Speedway
July 23 Eldora Speedway
Aug. 2 Pocono Raceway
Aug.16 Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 20 Bristol Motor Speedway
Aug. 31 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Sept. 12 Chicagoland Speedway
Sept. 20 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 27 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Oct. 18 Talladega Superspeedway
Oct. 25 Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 31 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov. 7 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov. 14 Homestead-Miami Speedway
