The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Sears Pulls Sponsorship of Craftsman Truck Series Team for 1998

1 December 1997

In a pair of announcements a few more pieces of the 1998 racing season have
become clearer.

First was Sears' announcement that they would not be sponsoring a team in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck series through its DieHard branded products in 1998.
They will though continue on with programs that will provide sponsorship to
race events and a fan oriented contest. 

The DieHard races for the 1998 season will include the Winston Cup event at
Talladega Superspeedway, and a full weekend known as the DieHard Batteries
Motorsports Weekend. The event will feature the DieHard 200 for the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series and the DieHard 250 for the NASCAR Busch Series Grand
National Division and run over the weekend of July 3-5 at the Milwaukee mile.

Paul Baffico, president of the Sears Automotive Group, said, "Sears is a very
big supporter of racing. With our DieHard, Craftsman, NTB National Tire &
Battery and Western Auto racing programs, we reach out to the fans of many
different types of racing, including CART, IRL, NASCAR, NHRA and Trans-Am.
While we'll miss having a specific truck to cheer on, with Craftsman as the
sponsor of the entire truck series and DieHard as a race sponsor, we'll still
be very involved with the series." 

The Sears announcement prompted news out the Harrisburg, NC shops of Darrell
Waltrip owner of the #17 DieHard Truck campaigned in 1997 by driver Rich
Bickle. 

The news that the DieHard sponsorship was going away prompted Keith Waltz,
spokesman for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, to say - "We no longer have a truck
team and have no plans to continue the program."

Waltrip, who just celebrated his 25th year on the circuit, heads towards 1998
without a sponsor for his Winston Cup team. Waltrip, looking for a spark to
get his Winston Cup program back on track, will take the truck team personnel
and fold it into the Winston Cup operation. "We have got a bunch of good guys
in the truck team and Darrell felt they'd be an asset to roll into the Cup
team," Waltz said. "He felt it would make the Winston Cup team stronger and
that that's where we needed to concentrate." 

Waltrip is looking to sell off the truck team to interested parties. The truck
team, that came in second in the series points, consists of a hauler, tractor
and five or six trucks.

Driver Rich Bickle, who told Waltrip he'd be leaving the fold after the last
truck event at Las Vegas, is said to have lined up a ride with the new
Washington/Erving team. The deal though appears to have stalled with only a
letter of intent signed at this time.