Catchfence

At the beginning of the year it was predicted by many that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series would have trouble achieving a full field of 36 each week due to the worsening economy.

That didn’t happen right away — largely due to new teams that saw an opportunity to jump into the series.

But that lifeline for the series may now be fraying.

Friday night’s race has just 33 trucks and many of those are just field fillers. The 33rd truck — Nick Tucker’s Chevy — was a full 29 mph slower in qualifying than Johnny Sauter’s pole-winning speed.

Only 27 trucks participated in Thursday’s final practice session. How many of those 33 do you suppose will actually be competitive?

It’s not necessary to have a full field to have an exciting race. Tonight’s race might very well end up being a barnburner. But it’s ridiculous to have trucks on the track that don’t belong there.

- The Birmingham News