Ahead of Friday Night’s Bucked Up 200 at Las Vegas, Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis made an interesting proposition to teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, an offer that has gotten the attention of thousands on social media, while sending some drivers and teams into a frenzy, trying to get everything prepared for when their trucks depart for Nevada.
Lemonis and his network of companies have been supporters of the NASCAR Truck Series for more than a decade. As part of that support, the series was dubbed the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2009, a partnership that Lemonis has kept alive through brands Camping World and Gander RV & Outdoors in the 13 years since.
On Monday Evening, Lemonis sent out a Tweet asking which NCWTS teams were without a primary sponsor for this weekend’s event in Las Vegas.
Which @NASCAR_Trucks are unsponsored this weekend? Respond here if you are and if you know of someone get their attention quick pic.twitter.com/5KEbCUXnJZ
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) March 2, 2021
Over 225 people responded to the Tweet, with fans mentioning and tagging various drivers and teams that hadn’t secured a primary partner for the event, hoping that something may possibly come from the interaction.
About an hour later, Lemonis made his final offer: “[$15,000] for a wrapped truck… the [$15,000] turns into [$25,000] with a top-10, [$35,000] with a top-five and [$50,000] for a win instead of [$15,000]…. IN or OUT?”
Hey @NASCAR_Trucks ..time running out … 15k for a wrapped truck.. the 15k turns into 25 with a top 10, 35 with a top 5 and 50 with a win instead of 15 …. IN or OUT ? #campingworldnascar pic.twitter.com/ISfzB8f54O
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) March 2, 2021
However, this type of interaction isn’t uncommon for the Camping World CEO, who at the beginning of the season announced that Camping World would be providing over $500,000 in incentives to the drivers and teams of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, including:
- The winner of the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona – Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing — was awarded at $25,000 bonus for themselves, as well as the winning team’s road crew.
- The team leading the NCWTS points after Kansas, will receive a $50,000 road crew bonus.
- The team leading the NCWTS points after Knoxville, will receive a $75,000 road crew bonus.
- The single entry that leads the most laps throughout the NCWTS season, will receive a $50,000 driver bonus and $25,000 road crew bonus as the conclusion of the season.
- The 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion will receive an electric pickup truck and a Lordstown electric RV.
Last season, Lemonis pitched in to offer $25,000 to the “Kyle Busch Bounty”, which challenged any full-time driver at NASCAR’s top-level to run against and outperform Kyle Busch in one of his five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, an offer initially proposed by Kevin Harvick.
All of these things, along with the series’ annual “Triple Truck Challenge” are the brainchild of Lemonis, who has spent the last decade thinking of new, unprecedented, and unique ideas to promote NASCAR and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“The [NASCAR] Camping World Truck Series is the best racing, period.” Lemonis told TobyChristie.com. “If another series sponsor disagrees, then prove it. This community has helped me grow Camping World and it deserves the payback.”
As of Thursday Afternoon, the following ten drivers and teams will feature primary sponsorship from Camping World on Friday Night:
- Sheldon Creed – GMS Racing – No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado
- Jordan Anderson – Jordan Anderson Racing – No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado
- Norm Benning – Norm Benning Racing – No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado
- Grant Enfinger – CR7 Motorsports – No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado
- Raphael Lessard – GMS Racing – No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado
- Jesse Iwuji – Reaume Brothers Racing – No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado
- BJ McLeod – Reaume Brothers Racing – No. 34 Toyota Tundra
- Dawson Cram – Cram Enterprises – No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado
- Tyler Hill – Hill Motorsports – No. 56 Chevrolet Silverado
- Parker Kligerman – Henderson Motorsports – No. 75 Chevrolet Silverado
Sheldon Creed:
Sheldon Creed, the defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion, is the most notable driver to be carrying the colors of Camping World in Friday’s Bucked Up 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, after running the series’ last event at Daytona’s Road Course unsponsored. Prior to this week, Creed had already received some attention from Lemonis, who told the 23-year-old to call him to “discuss sponsorship” after seeing his blank Silverado at Daytona.
“It’s very cool what Marcus (Lemonis) is doing and I’m thankful that he supports the truck series like he does.” Creed said in a team release. ” I think we’re going to have another fast truck this weekend, it’s going to race different than it did in the fall with the colder temperatures. I’ve never not liked Vegas, but the truck I had last fall really gave me confidence. I’m excited to get back there, I feel like it’s a track we have a shot at winning at and I would love to bring that win home for Maury Gallagher.”
With the recent successes of both Creed and GMS Racing, there is no reason to believe that the No. 2 Camping World Silverado won’t be battling for the victory on Friday Night.
Jordan Anderson:
Jordan Anderson is the definition of a journeyman when it comes to the NASCAR ranks, opening his own NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team in 2018, under the banner Jordan Anderson Racing. Since then, Anderson has taken on the majority of the driving duties and with the help of long-time sponsor Bommarito Automotive Group, has attempted to expand his program into the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season.
While the No. 3 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado may not be a threat for the victory on Friday Night, you never know what someone is totally capable of until they’re challenged. I mean, we are heading to Las Vegas this weekend….
Norm Benning:
It’s been a while since Norm Benning’s Chevrolet Silverado has featured full sponsorship and a fully wrapped paint scheme, but this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the long-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor will have series sponsor Camping World on-board his No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado.
While it’s unlikely that Benning will score the victory, or even finish inside the top-10 without the help of some attrition, the $15,000 in sponsorship from Marcus Lemonis will likely help keep the doors open at Norm Benning Racing.
Grant Enfinger:
Grant Enfinger will have a completely different look when the series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday Night, as the 36-year-old will join Codie Rorhrbaugh and CR7 Motorsports as the pilot of the team’s No. 9 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado. The organization change comes in an off week with ThorSport Racing, as Christian Eckes will be piloting the No. 98 Toyota Tundra on Friday.
In reality, Enfinger’s lack of sponsorship – which ultimately forced his schedule to be scaled down to part-time — is what started the wave of Camping World sponsorships in this weekend’s event, as Marcus Lemonis took issue to the lack of funding causing a decrease in his 2021 schedule.
While the Fairhope, Alabama-native isn’t in the top-tier equipment he was with ThorSport Racing, CR7 Motorsports has shown their ability to build a quick intermediate track truck, one that could bring Enfinger to a top-10, or maybe even a top-five finish.
Raphael Lessard:
St.-Joseph de Beauce, Quebec-native Raphael Lessard has probably never even set foot in a Camping World store – they don’t have them in Canada — but this weekend, he’ll be backed by CEO Marcus Lemonis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in an interesting sponsorship deal.
Prior to the beginning of the 2021 campaign, Lessard wasn’t originally scheduled to run full-time for GMS Racing, as the 19-year-old didn’t have all of the necessary funding to secure the entire 22-race schedule. After some sponsorship searching, Lessard eventually found the necessary funding to be promoted to full-time.
While the victory – and that $50,000 to accompany it — would be nice, Lessard and the No. 24 team need to focus on collecting some solid finishes on the season, after a pair of finishes outside the top-20 to start the season.
Jesse Iwuji:
Reaume Brothers Racing is taking advantage of the opportunity to carry series sponsor Camping World on-board their entries in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this weekend, as both the No. 33 for Jesse Iwuji and No. 34 for BJ McLeod were scheduled to run without a primary sponsor at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The organization got to work late Monday Night, to get things prepared for the trip out West, using their own vehicle wrap printer to print the wraps needed for both of their trucks. Keith McGee – a part-time driver for Reaume Brothers Racing — designed both of the paint schemes that will on in Friday Night’s Bucked Up 200.
For Iwuji, Friday’s 200-miler at Las Vegas marks his 12th start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, scoring a best finish of 17th-place at Texas Motor Speedway in 2019. In two prior starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Iwuji has finished 26th and 31st, both driving for Reaume Brothers Racing.
BJ McLeod:
Reaume Brothers Racing is taking advantage of the opportunity to carry series sponsor Camping World on-board their entries in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this weekend, as both the No. 33 for Jesse Iwuji and No. 34 for BJ McLeod were scheduled to run without a primary sponsor at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The organization got to work late Monday Night, to get things prepared for the trip out West, using their own vehicle wrap printer to print the wraps needed for both of their trucks. Keith McGee – a part-time driver for Reaume Brothers Racing — designed both of the paint schemes that will on in Friday Night’s Bucked Up 200.
Friday Night marks a sporadic appearance for BJ McLeod in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, who now works with the busy schedule of running the majority of the schedule for Live Fast Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series, as well as being a team owner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with his three-car operation BJ McLeod Motorsports – this weekend fielding the No. 5, No. 78 and No. 99 for drivers Matt Mills, Jesse Little and Stefan Parsons.
In 39 NCWTS starts, McLeod has scored a pair of top-15 results, most recently at Kansas Speedway with SS Greenlight Racing in 2012.
Dawson Cram:
It took the entire Cram family, Brian Keselowski and graphic designer Ryan Pistana to get it done, but Dawson Cram’s No. 41 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado is now ready to head West to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The family-owned operation had to hustle in order to get the design approved and truck wrapped in one day, a process that was absolutely stressful for a small team like Cram Enterprises.
Ryan Pistana, the designer responsible for Cram’s No. 41 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado spoke to TobyChristie.com about the process.
“I had just gotten home around 10:00PM and just saw what Marcus [Lemonis] was saying on Twitter about wanting to help out any unsponsored teams,” said Pistana. “About an hour later I got a call from Dawson Cram, he asked if I had seen what was going on [on Twitter] and let me know he had already been in contact with Marcus about the deal and he just wanted to see a concept design on the truck.”
“I was up a little past midnight working on the final design to send over to Dawson and in the morning, we got an email from Marcus saying out design was approved. I then proceeded to finish the design and get it ready for print. Luckily the folks at Trimaxx Graphics were quick, and we were able to print and wrap the design all in one day just in time for the team to head to Las Vegas.”
In 18 starts, Cram has a career-best finish of 13th-place at Martinsville Speedway in 2019, driving for Reaume Brothers Racing. In his only previous start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the owner-driver finished 35th after being involved in an early accident.
Tyler Hill:
It didn’t look like it was going to happen for Tyler Hill and Hill Motorsports, but with some innovative thinking from Marcus Lemonis, Hill’s No. 56 Chevrolet Silverado will carry the colors of Camping World in the Bucked Up 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The entire Hill Motorsports team will have to hustle when they make it to the racetrack, but the team is no stranger to having to work hard and under pressure.
Boarding the plane for Las Vegas. With help from @geckowraps, we are going to be ALL IN with @CampingWorld! We will have our work cut out for us when we arrive but we like working under pressure! pic.twitter.com/8YOpraDMuI
— Timmy Hill (@TimmyHillRacer) March 4, 2021
The organization is coming off a ninth-place finish at Daytona’s Road Course, the fourth top-10 finish in the team’s history. While Tyler has yet to earn a top-10 finish in 16 starts, the 26-year-old has never failed to finish a race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Parker Kligerman:
Parker Kligerman spoke to TobyChristie.com about the opportunity to carry Camping World on-board his No. 75 Chevrolet Silverado.
“It’s epic man. Going to change the model of the sport,” Kligerman told TobyChristie.com. “Marcus [Lemonis] is exposing what many in the sport have often wondered. Blank racecars are missed marketing opportunities every time they run. Often I’m in discussions with people who wonder why more innovative companies are not taking advantage of this and utilizing the open inventory for their gain.”
“The teams win, the sponsor wins and the sport wins. If the team is already going to the track and has committed financially the extra sponsorship can be a massive difference maker. Obviously, there is a breaking point between what a team can survive and make work financially vs the opportunity for the sponsor. but as a sport if we can continue to fill the late-stage gaps. It helps everyone. Is it sustainable? Who knows, but it’s worth a shot. Marcus is a legend for seeing that and everyone wins in the process.”
In three NASCAR Truck Series starts at Las Vegas, Kligerman has scored a single top-10 finish, driving for Brad Keselowski Racing in 2011. For Henderson Motorsports, the organization has never made a Truck Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, so Friday Night’s race will be uncharted territory for the single-truck operation.
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