While the Craftsman Truck Series is the newest member of the NASCAR family of racing, 2007 marks the 12th anniversary of the series that got its start as a short-track series aimed at opening up the west coast to NASCAR.

The series boasts the support of not only the Big Three truck manufacturers, but Toyota joined the fray in ‘04, making it the only national series with four manufacturers. With its Tough Trucks, Tough Drivers moniker, the racing showcases bumping and banging not seen in the other two major NASCAR racing divisions. Late-race passes and record lead changes are just a few of the reasons why the NCTS is the fastest growing segment in NASCAR. The NCTS has been a proving ground for many of NASCAR's young stars, and talent doesn't go unnoticed for very long. The Truck Series has graduated notables including Busch Series champions Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick, and up-and-coming Carl Edwards as well as former Ford driver and Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch.

Besides its distinctive race vehicles—designed to mimic the trucks on the showroom floors—strategy separates the Craftsman Truck Series from its NASCAR counterparts. The races tend to be shorter in length, and coupled with a different set of rules, the outcome usually isn't decided until the closing laps. With 36 trucks lined on the starting grid, pit strategy plays an important element in a team's planning. Whether it’s saving a set of tires for the last pit stop or running the truck on fumes to the finish line, the 25-race season is full of surprising finishes.

Typically, truck teams only receive four sets of tires for the course of the weekend and with one set used for qualifying, tire strategy is paramount in determining the outcome of a race. Craftsman Truck Series rules also dictate that the race cannot end under the yellow flag whenever practical. In the event a caution flag is thrown prior to the conclusion of the race, a green-white-checkered finish is mandated and the trucks line up single file to begin a three-lap shootout.