Complete schedule Limited schedule Note: A driver designated with a
(R) next to their name indicates that they are contenders for the 2012
Rookie of the Year award.
Team changes ;The Kevin Harvick, Inc.-Richard Childress Racing Merger and Related Spinoff •
Richard Childress Racing, per agreement in the
Kevin Harvick, Inc. merger agreement, acquired the 2011 Owners Champion No. 2 truck as part of the Harvick-Childress merger that also included the No. 2 and No. 33 Nationwide teams. The No. 8 and No. 33 trucks were spun off in a separate deal. • Harvick spun off the No. 8 and No. 33 Truck teams, which
Eddie Sharp Racing, acquired. The teams in the spinoff join the present No. 6 truck driven by
Justin Lofton to form a three-truck team, which resulted in a September 2011 decision to switch manufacturers from Toyota to Chevrolet immediately, with support from Childress. The spinoff also included development driver
Cale Gale, who drove the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet. ;Other Changes •
ThorSport Racing switched to
Toyota Tundras for the 2012 season, with the three teams of
Matt Crafton (#88),
Johnny Sauter (#13), and
Dakoda Armstrong (#98) running for the full season. ;Discontinued operations •
Germain Racing had shut down the No. 9 and No. 30 trucks with employees asked to look for other employment, as the team's Sprint Cup team changed to
Ford from
Toyota.
Driver changes ;Changed teams • Neither of the
Kevin Harvick, Inc. drivers were retained by
Eddie Sharp Racing after the spinoff.
Ron Hornaday Jr. joined
Joe Denette Motorsports and drive their No. 9 Chevrolet. He was reunited with KHI crew chief
Jeff Hensley. Hornaday was not an exempt driver through the points standings during the first five races, but had an exemption through his status as a former Series Champion. (Series champions have an exemption available in certain circumstances.) •
Nelson Piquet Jr. moved to
Turner Motorsports to contest the full Truck series season as well as a limited Nationwide schedule. Piquet Jr. was teammates with fellow Brazilian
Miguel Paludo, who leaves
Red Horse Racing. • After enduring a disappointing season at
Germain Racing,
Brendan Gaughan moves to
Richard Childress Racing to run 8 Truck races. Those races were in the No. 2 truck acquired in the Childress-Harvick merger. • After
Germain Racing shut down its Truck Series operations,
Todd Bodine moves to
Red Horse Racing to driving the No. 11 truck that was the No. 7 that
Miguel Paludo drove. However, Bodine tweeted that he needed sponsorship to run the season. • After a disappointing 2011,
David Starr took the number 81 with him to the newly formed Arrington Racing formed by engine builder
Joey Arrington. • After a one-year stint with
Joe Denette Motorsports,
Jason White formed his own team for 2012 and fielded Fords. ;Rookie entries The Rookie of the Year standout would be
Ty Dillon, the younger brother of 2011 Champion
Austin Dillon. Ty scored a win at Atlanta and was in contention for the championship until a late crash at Homestead knocked him to 4th in the points but easily won him the RoTY title. Former
Kevin Harvick, Inc. development driver
Cale Gale was runner-up to Dillon, taking a pole at Bristol and a win at Homestead.
Ross Chastain finished 3rd in the rookie battle, while
John Wes Townley, despite missing Daytona, had two top-10s. Contenders
Jeb Burton,
Dakoda Armstrong, and Daytona winner
John King saw their runs for RoTY aborted due to sponsorship issues. K&N Pro Series East Champion
Max Gresham struggled with
Joe Denette Motorsports and departed the team early on.
Duke University graduate
Paulie Harraka struggled most of the season with Wauters Motorsport and left before Atlanta. ;Returned to the series •
Tim George Jr. returned to the Truck Series for the first time since 2009. He ran 12 races driving Richard Childress Racing's No. 2 truck inherited from
Kevin Harvick, Inc. •
David Reutimann returns to the series for 4 races with RBR Enterprises. •
Ward Burton returned to NASCAR for the first time after a five-year absence, driving the season-opening Daytona race for Hillman Racing. His son
Jeb would drive the following 4 races before a lack of sponsorship ended his run. ;Exited the series • Truck Series champion and former Rookie of the Year
Austin Dillon moved up to the NASCAR Nationwide Series full-time with crew chief Danny Stockman. •
Johanna Long moved to the Nationwide Series for a limited schedule with
ML Motorsports. •
Cole Whitt moved up to the NASCAR Nationwide series full-time in the 88 Chevrolet with
JR Motorsports. ==2012 calendar==