All three divisions of NASCAR’s National Series are heading to Darlington Raceway this weekend. While the “Throwback Weekend” tag has been shelved, this is still a highlight race weekend for the Truck Series, as NASCAR has reached into its bag and brought back a program that puts money on the line and pressure on the field.
After a two-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action, and this weekend’s purse for the Truck race stands at $839,700. But alongside that, the return of the Triple Truck Challenge will add excitement for the fans, drivers, and the teams, dangling cash bonuses over a three-race stretch.
Each of the three races in this year’s Triple Truck Challenge carries a $50,000 bonus for the winner.
The opening leg, the Buckle Up South Carolina 200, is this evening at Darlington, before the second stop meets race teams at Rockingham Speedway on April 3, followed by the final leg at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10.
All three tracks have hosted the program before, with Bristol and Rockingham part of the 2025 run and Darlington last in the schedule in 2021.
In total, the Triple Truck Challenge will award $50,000 financial bonuses to the winner(s) of the selected events.
If any driver manages to win two out of three, their total will climb to $150,000, with the $50,000 from the first two wins plus a $50,000 bonus for winning two races. And if they manage to sweep all three, the payday will jump to $500,000. However, to be in the hunt, drivers must be declared for Truck Series points, closing the door on part-time entries looking to swoop in and cash out.
The program first hit the track in 2019. Back then, the races ran through Texas, Iowa, and Gateway, though this schedule would change for the following season.
In 2020, the schedule was fixed for Richmond, Dover, and Charlotte before the COVID-19 outbreak forced a shuffle. The races moved to Daytona International Speedway, Dover, and Gateway. A year later, the stretch ran through Darlington, Circuit of the Americas, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
From there, the program kept making the rounds. Gateway, Nashville, and Mid-Ohio formed the core in 2022. The next year, NASCAR took the program to Charlotte, Gateway, and then Nashville. The same combination carried into 2024. In 2025, the run moved through Martinsville Speedway, Bristol, and Rockingham.
Over the years, several drivers have cashed in during the Triple Truck Challenge.
Greg Biffle opened the account with a win at Texas in 2019. Brett Moffitt struck at Iowa, while Ross Chastain took Gateway the same year. Sheldon Creed is one driver who made a lot from the challenge, stacking three wins across 2020 and 2021 at Daytona, Gateway, and Darlington.
Todd Gilliland and John Hunter Nemechek each took a win in 2021 at COTA and Charlotte. Corey Heim struck at Gateway in 2022 and again in 2024. Ryan Preece and Parker Kligerman added wins in 2022 at Nashville and Mid-Ohio. In 2023, Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger, and Carson Hocevar each found victory lane during their runs at Charlotte, Gateway, and Nashville.
Nick Sanchez and Christian Eckes delivered in 2024, winning the Charlotte and Nashville races. Last season, Daniel Hemric got the job done at Martinsville, Chandler Smith followed at Bristol, and Tyler Ankrum closed it out with an unlikely win at Rockingham.
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