The concept for the series dates to 1991, when a group of SCORE off-road racers — Dick Landfield, Jimmy Smith, Jim Venable, and Frank "Scoop" Vessels — grew concerned about the future of desert racing and sought to create a pavement-based truck series. They brought the idea to NASCAR Western Operations Vice President Ken Clapp, who passed it to Bill France Jr., but initial discussions stalled. Clapp encouraged the group to build a prototype truck before NASCAR would consider the proposal formally. Bakersfield fabricator Gary Collins constructed the vehicle, which was first displayed during Speedweeks at the 1994 Daytona 500 and tested at Daytona International Speedway. The positive fan response prompted a formal meeting in Burbank, California on 11 April 1994, leading to the creation of the series.
Four demonstration races were held before the series launched, at Mesa Marin Raceway, Portland Speedway, Saugus Speedway, and Tucson Raceway Park. Sears, through its Craftsman tool brand, signed on as title sponsor for three years, and the inaugural race — the Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway — was held on 5 February 1995 before an event-record crowd of 38,000. Mike Skinner won that race, holding off Cup veteran Terry Labonte, and went on to claim the inaugural series championship.
The early Truck Series operated under rules distinct from those of the Cup and Busch series. Most races were no longer than 125 miles, many run on short tracks in the Western United States. Rather than pit stops, races used a five-minute "halftime" break during which teams could make adjustments and change tyres — a format popular with television broadcasters, who could conduct driver interviews during the pause. The halftime break was abolished in 1998 when NASCAR introduced competition cautions, and full pit stops were phased in from 1999.
A distinctive "overtime" rule required races to finish under green-flag conditions, mandating a minimum of two consecutive green-flag laps to close the event. This produced some notably extended races — a 1998 CBS-televised Pikes Peak race ran 198 laps against a scheduled 186 — until the rule was reformed in 2004 to allow only one green-white-checkered attempt.
The series initially attracted veteran short-track drivers who had not succeeded in the upper NASCAR tiers, alongside high-profile names: Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan fielded trucks for others in the inaugural year, and prominent Cup team owners Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, and Jack Roush each ran truck operations. Over time the series evolved into a dual-purpose competition: a development ladder for young talent, and a fallback for Cup veterans without a full-time ride.
Many drivers who became major NASCAR Cup stars passed through the Truck Series early in their careers, including Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch. The series also produced a notable regulatory moment in 2001 when 16-year-old Kyle Busch was disqualified from a race held on a CART weekend because of Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement age restrictions — an incident that led NASCAR to mandate a minimum age of 18 for national series events held alongside Cup or O'Reilly races.
The Truck Series was the vehicle through which Chrysler returned to factory-backed NASCAR competition, fielding Dodge Ram trucks from 1997 and making a full commitment by 2001. Toyota entered the series in 2004 with the Tundra model, becoming the first foreign manufacturer to compete in a major NASCAR national series in the sport's modern era. Ford has competed with the F-150 throughout the series' existence, while Chevrolet has been represented by the C/K pickup and later the Silverado. Ram Trucks announced a return to the series for 2026.
The current field consists of 36 trucks in events with qualifying. For ovals of 1.25 miles and under, each truck receives two timed laps with the best counting; longer ovals allow only one. Road course events use a two-part knockout qualifying format. From 2017 the series adopted the stage racing system used across all NASCAR national competitions.
Trucks run a steel tube-frame chassis with a safety roll cage to NASCAR standards. The engine is either a purpose-built 5.86-litre (358 cu in) pushrod V8 or a 6.2-litre Chevrolet LSX NT1 crate unit, producing 650 to 700 bhp unrestricted. Minimum weight is 3,200 lb without driver and fuel. Goodyear Eagle tyres are the sole supplier.
NASCAR introduced a playoff system for the Truck Series in 2016, initially covering eight drivers across three rounds with two eliminated per round. The field was expanded to ten playoff drivers from 2020, with two eliminated after the first round and four after the second.