NASCAR Haulers: How Do Cars Fit in a Hauler? Do They Return to the Shop After the Race?

Driving a NASCAR hauler from the shop to the racetrack is not an average road trip. Each part and piece in a car is carefully curated, specific to racetracks, to maximize performance. Therefore, the teams must swap cars at their home base, which is typically Charlotte, North Carolina, before setting out for their next destination.

But it takes a lot of effort to fit the race cars inside the hauler. So what does the inside of a hauler look like? A Joe Gibbs Racing video revealed that a team must carry more than one car in case of an accident during practice. The top rack of the hauler is the only section dedicated to transporting the cars, while the bottom section is meant to carry toolboxes, generator carts, and gas cans, along with other tools, parts, and pieces.

“The cars go at the top,” the video said. “At the very back of the truck is the primary car. Usually, it’s the only car to come out so we keep it where it’s most accessible. At the front is the backup. It’s pretty rare for the backup car to come out. This makes the grand total two cars.”

Do these haulers journey back to the shop after each race?

A NASCAR hauler weighs a whopping 80,000 pounds and is about 80 feet in length. Considering the massive size of these vehicles, it’s indeed difficult to take them to and fro between the shop and the racetrack. On top of that, these haulers often face hurdles beating the traffic on their way to the racetracks and back to the shop. However, these trips are a must since the parts and pieces on the car are adjusted a bit differently for each race, and they need to take the cars to the shop for that.

But there is just one time when the haulers do not go back to the shop. Another JGR video stated, “There’s only one time that they don’t. After Las Vegas, the next race is Phoenix. It makes no sense for all four haulers to come back to North Carolina. Instead, we use a swap-out hauler.”

“After Las Vegas, the used cars get loaded on and the swap-out hauler returns to the shop. It’s then loaded with four new cars and heads out to Phoenix.” Meanwhile, the four main haulers are driven from Las Vegas to Phoenix, where they meet the swap-out hauler and get loaded with the new cars.