NASCAR, in has decided to renew its Truck tour contract with ESPN, according to NASCAR sources. And the Truck tour will be adding at least two events next season at Chicagolands and Michigan, as companion events on Winston Cup weekends. ESPN was going to drop the Truck tour because it was a money loser, and NASCAR planned to put the tour on its Speed Channel. But pressure from both series’ sponsors and Truck teams led to a new dynamic in the NASCAR-ESPN negotiations. NASCAR executives are now talking big picture long-term with ESPN for the Truck tour, in a surprising change of heart, and NASCAR is talking about helping ESPN better market the series. NASCAR and the ABC division have been at odds for the last year and a half over the issue of access to the Winston Cup garage.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-20-2002)
