RON HORNADAY KENTUCKY PREVIEW

BACK-TO-BACK: This weekend Ron Hornaday looks to become the first back-to-back Truck Series winner at Kentucky Speedway.  Hornaday already holds the title as the only Truck Series driver to have two wins (2006 and 2009) at the 1.5-mile speedway.

FROM THE POLE: Not only is Hornaday the only two-time Truck Series winner at Kentucky Speedway, he is also the only driver to ever win the race from the pole position.  Last season Hornaday went on a winning spree, eventually winning five consecutive races throughout the 2009 season. Kentucky Speedway marked his third consecutive win in 2009, previously recording wins at The Milwaukee (Wisc.) Mile and Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park.  Hornaday led only 29 laps of the 200-lap event on his way to the win. 

NOT THE ONLY WINNER: Hornaday is not the only KHI driver to win a race at Kentucky Speedway. Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) co-owner Kevin Harvick won the inaugural Nationwide Series event at Kentucky Speedway in 2001.  Later that season, Harvick went on to claim his first of two Nationwide Series championships (2006 and 2001).

CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATION: Out of the 10 Truck Series events held at Kentucky Speedway, the winner has gone on to become the champion five times.

Year           Kentucky Race Winner                 Champion
2000           Greg Biffle                             Greg Biffle
2001           Scott Riggs                             Jack Sprague
2002           Mike Bliss                             Mike Bliss
2003           Carl Edwards                 Travis Kvapil
2004           Bobby Hamilton                 Bobby Hamilton
2005           Dennis Setzer                 Ted Musgrave
2006           Ron Hornaday                 Todd Bodine
2007           Mike Skinner                 Ron Hornaday
2008           Johnny Benson                 Johnny Benson
2009           Ron Hornaday                 Ron Hornaday

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY?
“It takes having a truck that can run on any line on the track.  It also takes having the caution flags fall your way and having a team who can make good pit calls.  The past few weeks the No. 33 team has really started to gel.  My crew chief Kevin Buskirk and I are still learning each other, but we’re learning more each week. We have had solid finishes at the 1.5-mile tracks this year and we are bringing the same truck we ran last week at Chicago, which is a really good piece.  I’m looking forward to going back to Kentucky. We had a surprising win there last year, I had never really run too well there, even though I had one win, it had never been a track where I was very successful. Everything went our way last year and I’m hoping for the same result this year.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 E-Z-GO team will take chassis No.048 to Kentucky Speedway.  Chassis No. 048 last hit the track at Chicagoland Speedway last week where Hornaday earned his third consecutive third-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Hornaday and the No. 33 team earned their third consecutive third-place finish last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Hornaday led a total of nine laps but was unable to hold off Kyle Busch and Todd Bodine for the win.  The run marked Hornaday’s ninth top-five finish of 2010. 

HOLLYWOOD BOUND: Hollywood Casino and its newly-formed night club, Boogie Nights, will serve as associate sponsors on the No. 2 and No. 33 KHI Chevrolet Silverados at Kentucky Speedway, becoming the Official Hotel of Kevin Harvick. Inc. this weekend. The world-class hotel offers comfort, style, convenience and entertainment, while the casino offers live 24/7 poker, slots, video multi-games and a wide variety of table games such as craps, roulette, mini-baccarat and Caribbean stud.  Boogie Nights, which is located inside Hollywood Casino, is a ‘70s and ‘80s dance club open Thursday Friday and Saturday nights. The club cover charge is $10 and many special packages are available offering VIP treatment, bottle service, private booths, drink packages and more. For more information, visit the Hollywood Casino website, www.hollywoodindiana.com, or http://twitter.com/HollywoodIND.

Ron Hornaday Chicagoland Preview

LOOKING FOR WIN NUMBER ONE:  On the current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule, there are few tracks in which veteran Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday has not visited victory lane and Chicagoland Speedway is one of the few.  The Truck Series added the trip to Joliet, Ill. to the schedule last year.  Hornaday recorded an 11th-place finish after getting off sequence with pit strategy. 

However, if Hornaday has any questions about Chicago, the first person he will go to is Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) co-owner, Kevin Harvick.  Harvick has back-to-back NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins in 2001 and 2002 at the 1.5-mile track and a Nationwide Series win in 2007 to his credit.  Harvick is no stranger to victory lane at Chicagoland Speedway.

THE CLOSER: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics Hornaday was “the closer” in last year’s race at Chicagoland Speedway.  Hornaday gained three position in the last 15 laps of last year’s EnjoyIllinois.com 200, progressing the most of any other Truck Series driver in the field that late in the event.

EXPERIENCE: Although Hornaday only has one Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway under his belt, he has competed several times in the Nationwide and Cup Series on the 1.5-mile oval.  Hornaday has four Nationwide Series starts with his highest finishing position of fifth, a career-best effort at Chicagoland.  Hornaday also made one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in 2001 while driving for A.J. Foyt.  He had an engine expire and finished 40th.

SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP: This weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Hornaday will be piloting the No. 33 Shopezgo.com Chevrolet. Throughout the 2010 season fans can visit Shopezgo.com for all their E-Z-GO genuine parts and accessories needs and by entering coupon code “KHI25” customers can receive a 10 percent discount off their purchases.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES A DRIVER FACES AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY?
“In order to be fast at Chicago, you have to be on the white line. The track continues to age too, so it keeps loosing grip and it is important to get your truck really rolling through the center of the corner.  Last year we actually had a pretty good set-up for the race, but got caught on a round of pit stops.  We learned a lot and now I have a better idea of how to run a truck around Chicago than I did last year.  I’m looking forward to going back and trying to make Chicagoland one of my favorite tracks with a win.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE 2011 TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE THAT WAS RELEASED LAST WEEK?
“I think NASCAR really takes the time and looks at what they are doing with the schedule.  I really enjoy all of the tracks that we go to and I hope that with some of the date switches and some of the companion events we can get more fans in the stand for our Truck Series events.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Shopezgo.com team will take chassis No.048 to Chicagoland Speedway.  Chassis No. 048 last hit the track at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway two weeks ago, where Hornaday earned his first career top-five finish at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” Prior to the trip to Darlington, chassis No. 048 also competed at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway where Hornaday piloted it to a sixth-place finish.  KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick also drove chassis No. 048 earlier this year at Gateway (Ill.) International Raceway, earning his third Truck Series victory of 2010.  Chassis No. 048 has an average finishing position of 3.33.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Hornaday overcame a spin on lap 52 and fought his way back up through the field at the 0.533-mile bull ring to record a third-place finish, his third consecutive top-10 finish. 

About E-Z-GO
E-Z-GO, a Textron Inc. company, is a leading manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, ST personal utility vehicles, Shuttle personnel carriers, and MPT turf-maintenance vehicles. E-Z-GO also produces the Cushman® line of heavy-duty material carriers.

E-Z-GO is the preferred golf car fleet provider for many of the world’s most revered golf courses, clubs and resorts. E-Z-GO is also the golf car of choice of nine of the nation’s ten largest course-management companies. E-Z-GO boasts the largest sales and service network in the industry, with more factory branch locations and independent distributors than any other manufacturer of golf cars and utility vehicles.

Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960.

Ron Hornaday Bristol Review

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 20, 2010)—- Ron Hornaday wanted to do the Ickey Shuffle in victory lane at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in homage to his new sponsor Tide/Kroger and Darrell Waltrip who took the “Tide ride” to victory lane at the “World’s Fastest Half-mile” in 1989.  However, an on-track incident on lap 52 placed Hornaday one lap down in the 34th position.  Hornaday spent the remaining 135 laps fighting his way back through traffic and avoiding a record tying 12 caution periods, to finish the O’Reilly 200 in the third position, his third top-10 finish in a row.

“It was a good night for the No. 33 Tide/Kroger Chevrolet,” said Hornaday after the race Wednesday night.  “It really should have been a lot better, but after we pitted we got stuck back in the thick of things in the field.  I’m not sure how the No. 12 truck got in front of us, but for some reason he got loose and came down over the nose of my truck sending me into the inside wall.  The truck didn’t get too much damage, but we had to fix it which cost us a lap and then we just had to fight traffic the rest of the night.  I think had the race gone green the rest of the way I might have had Aric [Almirola], but with all the stuff we went through tonight I’ll take a third-place finish.” 

Hornaday began the O’Reilly 200 from the fifth position. The high speeds at the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway saw action quick and often during the 200-lap event. The first caution of the night waved on lap 11 with the No. 33 scored in the third position, Hornaday radioed his crew chief Kevin Buskirk to inform him that the truck was a little free off (the corner), but it was coming to him. Under the third caution of the night on lap 37, the No. 33 team decided to come down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment.  The timing was just right for the team as they knew from that lap on the No. 33 could make it the rest of the race on fuel. 

However, differing pit strategies were abundant throughout the field, miring Hornaday deep in the pack in the 22nd position for the restart on lap 39. Stuck in traffic, Hornaday carefully began to pick his way back toward the front of the field.  By lap 50, he was scored in the 17th position.  Two laps later Hornaday got under the No. 12 truck passing in the bottom lane.  The No. 12 came down on the
No. 33 taking the air off of Hornaday sending him spinning down the 36-degrees of banking at Bristol into the inside wall. The No. 33 truck sustained minimal damage, but Hornaday did bring the No. 33 down pit road on lap 55 to repair the splitter and check for any other issues to the nose of the truck.  After repairing the damage, the team took two right-side tires and filled the truck with fuel.  The race restarted on lap 56 with Hornaday scored in the 34th position one lap down to the leaders.

A timely caution on lap 62 resulted in Hornaday being awarded the “lucky dog” so that he could return to the lead lap.  The No. 33 team took advantage of their good fortune and came back down pit road on lap 65 for two left-side tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment.  Hornaday restarted the race on lap 68 in the 28th position. By lap 97, Hornaday had broken back into the top 10 and continued to move forward picking trucks off one by one. Hornaday said little about the handling of the No. 33 truck, focused on making his way back to the front of the field.  The yellow flag was displayed once again on lap 129.  Hornaday radioed to his spotter Rick Carelli to do whatever he could to get him to the high lane as quickly as possible on restarts, since his truck worked the best on the top of the race track. 

As the laps quickly wound down, Hornaday was scored in the seventh position on lap 150.  The leaders became separated with lap traffic in the closing laps making it difficult for Hornaday to advance his position. On lap 164 the second and third place trucks of Timothy Peters and Hornaday’s Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) teammate of Elliott Sadler got together in turn one.  Both trucks sustained damage and Hornaday was able to move into the sixth position and rejoin the leaders for the restart on lap 169.  Hornaday used the high side to his advantage, rocketing past the bottom lane of trucks into the third position.  The caution waved twice more before a large crash on the back stretch put the O’Reilly 200 under red flag conditions.  The No. 33 team was good to the end of the race on fuel, but many of the leaders were unable to make it for the green-white-checkered finish.  Hornaday held off Mike Skinner to take the checkered flag in the third position. 

The run marks Hornaday’s third top-10 finish in 12 days of racing in the Truck Series, he moves up one position in the point standing to fifth, 333 points behind Todd Bodine.  Kyle Busch went on to win his third straight Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway followed by Aric Almirola, Hornaday, Skinner and Justin Lofton.

The Truck Series returns to action next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway for the EnjoyIllinois.com 200, which can be seen, live on SPEED at 8:30pm, EST. 

Ron Hornaday Bristol Preview

TWO TIMER:  In the 10 Truck Series races at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Ron Hornaday and Kyle Busch are the only two Truck Series drivers to have two Truck Series victories at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.” Hornaday and Busch each have two wins and each scored their two victories back-to-back (Hornaday 1997/1998, Busch 2008/2009). 

FROM THE POLE: Hornaday and Mark Martin are the only two Truck Series drivers to win a Bristol Motor Speedway Truck Series event from the pole.  Both of Hornaday’s two Truck Series wins at the 0.533-mile track came from the pole.  In his Truck Series career, 10 of Hornaday’s 46 career victories have come when he started first.

SHORT-TRACK SUCCESS: Throughout the history of the Truck Series, Hornaday has collected the most wins at short-tracks.  To date he has a total of 21 short-track wins to his credit.  Hornaday returns to Bristol Motor Speedway looking to become the first three-time Truck Series winner and add to his short track win total.

SPOTTER SPOT: Hornaday is not the only member of the No. 33 team to find victory lane at Bristol Motor Speedway. Spotter and KHI General Manager Rick Carelli scored a Truck Series victory at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” in 1996.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO RETURN TO VICTORY LANE AT BRISTOL?
“I think it’s going to take a solid qualifying effort and staying out of trouble for me to win again at Bristol.  Last year we had a solid third-place run.  I want to build on what we were able to learn from that race.  Our short-track program has been really good this season.  Elliott Sadler is going to be my teammate and he is very good at Bristol.  I think if we can combine our experience we will have a really good shot at the win in both of our KHI trucks.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Tide/Kroger team will take chassis No.039 to Bristol Motor Speedway.  Chassis No. 039 last hit the track at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in March.  Hornaday drove the truck to a second-place finish behind KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick, as Harvick scored his second Truck Series victory of 2010.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Hornaday made his first Truck Series laps around the track deemed “Too Tough to Tame.”  The No. 33 team recorded their seventh top-five finish of 2010, bringing home a third-place finish after leading 29 of the 147-lap event.

Ron Hornaday Darlington Review

DARLINGTON, S.C. (August 15, 2010)—- Ron Hornaday had never driven a truck at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway until he made laps on Saturday in preparation for the Too Tough to Tame 200.  Hornaday qualified the No. 33 E-Z-GO Chevrolet in the fifth position and led a total of 29 laps on his way to his first top-five finish at the track nicknamed the “Lady in Black.”

“We had a great No. 33 E-Z-GO Chevrolet,” said Hornaday after the race.  “We were really good there in the middle of the race, but once we got back in traffic, it was so hard to pass. Clean air meant everything and for some reason, our last set of tires made me really loose. I had a great race with Timmy [Peters] for second. It was a good night for the No. 33 team. The guys worked really hard and Kevin [Buskirk] made some great calls. Not too bad for my first time here; I sure learned a lot for next time.” 

Hornaday began the Too Tough to Tame 200 from the fifth position. The first caution of the night waved on lap five and the No. 33 team decided not to pit to preserve track position.  The second caution of the evening waved moments later on lap eight, with Hornaday running in the third position.  The race restarted on lap 12 as Hornaday moved into the second position, chasing down Timothy Peters for the lead.  However, the No. 33 became aero-tight behind the No. 17 truck and Hornaday rode in the second position until the caution waved for the third time on lap 45. 

Hornaday brought the No. 33 truck down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment.  A quick stop by the No. 33 team allowed Hornaday to beat Peters off pit road to take the lead on lap 48. The 52-year old driver led his first laps around the historic Darlington Raceway.  Hornaday paced the field by over a second until the caution waved for the fourth time on lap 74. 

The No. 33 team was within their fuel window and decided to come down pit road for four tires, fuel and no adjustments.  Several of the lead-lap trucks decided to take two tires or no tires, placing Hornaday in the fourth position for the restart on lap 80.  Hornaday stormed up through the field in the outside lane on the restart, sliding into the second spot.  Despite his charge toward the front, Hornaday radioed crew chief Kevin Buskirk that the truck was way too loose to catch leader Todd Bodine. 

Hornaday dropped to third, fighting a loose-handling race truck as the fifth caution of the night waved on lap 90.  The No. 33 team decided to remain on the race track and maintain their track position.  On the restart on lap 95, Hornaday dropped back to the fifth position, but battled his way back to third when the caution waved on lap 105.  The No. 33 team was committed to making it a two-stop race, wary to give up third position, Hornaday remained on the track.  The caution waved for the final time on lap 120 when Brian Ickler blew a tire.  Hornaday was scored in the third position for the restart on lap 127.  He was able to maintain his position and record a third-place finish after leading 29 of the 147-lap event.

Bodine went on to win his second race in a row, followed by Peters, Hornaday, Johnny Sauter and Austin Dillon.  The run marked Hornaday’s sixth consecutive top-10 finish of 2010. 

The Truck Series returns to action Wednesday night at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. 

Ron Hornaday Darlington Preview

DANCING WITH THE LADY IN BLACK:  Ron Hornaday has met “The Lady in Black” known as Darlington (S.C.) Raceway as he has competed in both a Cup Series and Nationwide Series vehicle at the 1.366-mile track.  However, as the Truck Series makes a triumphant return to the track “too tough to tame,” Hornaday embarks on a new journey himself, tackling the “lady” in a truck.  Hornaday will make his first Truck Series laps around Darlington Raceway on August 14, 2010 when the Truck Series returns after a five-year hiatus.

WELCOME E-Z-G0:  Not only will Hornaday be making his first laps in a truck around Darlington Raceway, he will also be sporting new colors on the No. 33 Chevrolet.  E-Z-GO, a Textron company, will join Hornaday and the No. 33 team for the first time in 2010 at Darlington Raceway.  The Atlanta, Georgia based company, which sponsored Kevin Harvick for his second Truck Series win of 2010 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Ken Schrader at Kansas Speedway earlier this season, will unite with Hornaday at Darlington for the first of seven primary races this season.

TAKING YOUR TIME IN THE 2FIVE:  Hornaday’s new sponsor partner E-Z-GO will be debuting their new street legal vehicle, the 2Five, on the quarter panels on the No. 33 truck this weekend at Darlington.  The 2Five is the first street legal golf car.  It is named the 2Five because it will travel up to 25 miles per hour (mph).  If Hornaday traded in his No. 33 E-Z-GO Chevrolet, which will travel at a top speed of approximately 160 mph for the 2Five at Darlington, it would take him eight hours to complete the 200-lap event. 

GOING FOR 5-0: Hornaday is the all-time wins leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with 46 wins.  Hornaday looks to become the first driver in Truck Series history to record 50 wins. 

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
“WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE GOING TO DARLINGTON RACEWAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A TRUCK?”
“I’m really going into Darlington and treating it like a brand-new track.  Even though I’ve been there before in the Cup Series and Nationwide Series cars, I think driving a truck around the track is going to be really different.  We are really not sure what to expect.  It will be interesting trying to adjust from day time to night time.  We are going to take some notes that our Nationwide Series team collected earlier this year and try to make some assumptions based off their notes.”

“WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TRUCK SERIES COMING BACK TO DARLINGTON AFTER SIX YEARS?”
“I’m really glad they added Darlington back to the Truck Series schedule.  The best Truck Series race that I have watched in a really long time was the race they had in Darlington in 2003, when Bobby Hamilton and Ted Musgrave battled side-by-side all the way to the checkered flag.  Hamilton barely beat Ted over the line, it was an awesome race.  I think that the fans are going to love seeing the Truck Series back at Darlington. I’m glad they added the track back to the schedule, so I have a chance to race here.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 E-Z-GO team will take chassis No. 048 to Darlington Raceway.
Chassis No. 048 took to the track last weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, where Hornaday earned his eighth top-10 finish of 2010.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, Hornaday and the No. 33 team scored their fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the 1.33-mile Superspeedway with a sixth-place finish.

About E-Z-GO
E-Z-GO, a Textron Inc. company, is a leading manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, ST personal utility vehicles, Shuttle personnel carriers, and MPT turf-maintenance vehicles. E-Z-GO also produces the Cushman® line of heavy-duty material carriers.

E-Z-GO is the preferred golf car fleet provider for many of the world’s most revered golf courses, clubs and resorts. E-Z-GO is also the golf car of choice of nine of the nation’s ten largest course-management companies. E-Z-GO boasts the largest sales and service network in the industry, with more factory branch locations and independent distributors than any other manufacturer of golf cars and utility vehicles.

Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960.

About Textron
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron in known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.

Ron Hornaday Pocono Review

LONG POND, Pa. (August 1, 2010)—- The No. 33 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet team came to the “tricky triangle”, a new addition to the Truck Series schedule in 2010, with momentum, scoring win number one of the 2010 season last weekend at O’Reilly (Ind.) Raceway Park. However, bad luck, an unfortunate theme in the four-time champion’s season, struck once again, as Hornaday was involved in a late-race crash, resulting in a 29th-place finish.  Hornaday took a hit in the championship point standings dropping to seventh, 268 points behind leader Todd Bodine.

“We were just too loose,” said Hornaday after the accident. “We were all racing for positions back there, I was on the top, Johnny [Sauter] was in the middle.  He just got loose when Todd [Bodine] got under him. Before I knew it, we were wrecked.  It’s just a disappointing day for the No. 33 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet team.”

Hornaday started the Pocono Mountains 125 from the eighth position, while his Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) teammate Elliott Sadler scored his first Truck Series pole.  On-track action began as soon as the green flag waved.  The first caution came out on lap one for a spin down the backstretch.  It was too early for teams to come down pit road and be able to make it a one-stop race, so the No. 33 team decided to stay out.  The race restarted on lap three and one lap later Hornaday had gone from eighth to fourth, quickly catching the lead pack of Sadler, Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin.  However, as the laps clicked off, Hornaday’s truck became too tight. 

By the half-way point at lap 25, Hornaday was scored in the seventh position. The second caution waved on lap 26, allowing the field to come to pit road for service as it put them in their window to make it to the end of the race on fuel.  The No. 33 team opted for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment.  A solid stop by the No. 33 team allowed Hornaday to maintain his track position of seventh for the restart on lap 29.  Only a few laps later, on lap 39, the caution waved again.  Hornaday reported to his team that he was struggling with the aerodynamics of the truck, unable to move away from his competitors.

Hornaday continued to slide back through the field, and was scored in the ninth position when the caution waved again at lap 40.  There was much debate between the leaders on whether to pit during what could have been the final caution of the race.  However, none of the leaders chose to pit, setting up a restart with only 10 scheduled laps remaining. Hornaday battled up through the field on the restart, but was stalled by Mike Skinner and was only able to gain two positions, moving into seventh when the caution waved again on lap 45, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. 

The inaugural Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway went into overtime for the restart on lap 49. Hornaday, Johnny Sauter and Todd Bodine went three-wide into turn three.  Bodine became loose on the bottom, running Sauter up the track into Hornaday in the top lane leaving him nowhere to go.  Hornaday almost saved the No. 33 truck, but after a spin through the grass careened hard into the inside wall, ending his day.  Hornaday’s KHI teammate Elliott Sadler went on to win the Pocono Mountains 125, scoring the third consecutive Truck Series win for KHI.

The Truck Series returns to action next weekend, August 7th at Nashville Superspeedway, where Hornaday is the defending winner.

Ron Hornaday Pocono Preview

TRUCK SERIES ROOKIE: Very few times can one call Ron Hornaday a "rookie" in the Truck Series but the 46-time Truck Series winner will be this weekend as the Truck Series makes their inaugural trip to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.  Even though Hornaday has not made laps around the 'tricky triangle' in a truck, he has competed at the 2.5-mile facility in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car.  In 2001, Hornaday competed for legendary Indy Car driver AJ Foyt full-time in the Sprint Cup Series. During that season, Hornaday made two trips to Pocono recording an average finish of 32nd. 
 
WELCOME TO THE TRUCK SERIES:  Not only will Hornaday be making his Truck Series debut at Pocono Raceway, Pennsylvania based Ollie's Bargain Outlet will join Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Truck Series program this weekend.  The yellow and red Ollie's colors will race across the side of the No. 33 truck for the first time in 2010.  Kevin Harvick ran the Ollie's colors earlier this season at Dover (Del.) International Raceway as he piloted the No. 33 Nationwide Series car to a sixth-place finish.
 
NO PLACE LIKE HOME:  Two of the No. 33 Ollie's Bargain Outlet team members call Pennsylvania home.  Tire specialist Scott Haller grew up just down the road from Pocono Raceway in Effort, Pennsylvania.  Haller is a former Goody's Dash Series driver who moved to North Carolina six years ago to fulfill his dream of working on race cars. 
 
Shock specialist Josh Lesondak hails from New Market, Pennsylvania.  Last season, Lesondak worked with the No. 33 Nationwide program.  In 2010, he now builds and adjusts shocks for both the No. 33 and No. 2 Truck Series programs. 
 
BREAKING THE STREAK: Last weekend at O'Reilly Raceway Park, Hornaday broke his 22-race winless streak by recording his first victory of 2010, his fourth win at the 0.626-mile short-track. The win also marks the longest Hornaday has gone into a Truck Series season before recording a victory (ORP was the 12th race of the season).  Prior to 2010, Hornaday had recorded a win by the seventh race of the season.  
 
FOUR! : Prior to this weekend's event Hornaday will join other driver's and celebrities in the first annual "Onion Slice Open" a charity golf tournament presented by Todd Bodine at the Blue Ridge Top Golf Course in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania.  The event will raise money for the John Heinz Medical Center. 
 
Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TRUCK SERIES ADDING POCONO TO THIS YEAR'S SCHEDULE?
"I think it is great.  I remember when I started in the Truck Series in 1995; NASCAR had a 10- year plan of where they wanted to be.  The series out grew that plan in the first year and now we are going to the bigger tracks that the Cup Series has been racing on for years.  I think adding Pocono is great for the series, by making it a 50-lap race, you are sure to see a lot of action.  I know that going down in to turn one you better have a good spot because we will probably be four or five wide." 
 
WHAT IS YOUR OPINON ON THE NEW STYLE QUALIFYING THE SERIES HAS INSTITUTED FOR POCONO?
"In my opinion, that is probably the only style of qualifying that will work at that track in the amount of time we have to complete qualifying.  Traditionally, qualifying is not too exciting at Pocono, so I think it will give the fans something to watch and it will help keep the drivers on their toes and really make you want to run well in practice so you can get a late qualifying draw."
 
DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE SINCE YOU'VE BEEN TO POCONO BEFORE?
"It will certainly help that I have been to Pocono before, but it's been awhile for me. Plus, I was driving a Cup Series car which is pretty different from these trucks.  I'm going to have to get used to the new curbs that have been installed and remember how to get around the track.  I think the only advantage will be that I have some sort of an idea (off the track) so I might be able to get up to speed faster than some of the driver's who haven't been to the track before, but I really don't think it's going to be that much of an advantage."
 
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Ollie's Bargain Outlet team will take chassis No. 040 to Pocono Raceway. The No. 33 team last ran truck No. 040 at Texas Motor Speedway where they recorded a ninth-place finish.  In total, chassis No. 040 has competed four times in 2010 with Hornaday behind the wheel at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. 
 
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last weekend at O'Reilly (Ind.) Raceway Park, Hornaday scored his first victory of 2010 leading 129 of 200 laps. The win marked the four-time Truck Series champion's fourth victory at the 0.626-mile track.  Hornaday is the first Truck Series driver to record four victories at ORP. 

RON HORNADAY JIMMY JOHN'S CHEVROLET, NNW RACE PREVIEW

TEN AND COUNTING: This weekend four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday will climb behind the wheel of the No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet as he makes his second start this season for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) in the Nationwide Series.

When Hornaday takes the green flag on Saturday for the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (ORP), he will be making his 10th-career Nationwide Series start at the .686-mile oval track. In nine previous starts at the track, Hornaday has one win, two top-five and five top-10 finishes. See Race Preview

HORNADAY WINS AT ORP

CLERMONT, Ind. (July 24, 2010) —One year ago Ron Hornaday stood in victory lane at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) making history as the No. 33 team recorded its fourth consecutive win. Friday night Hornaday snapped a 22-race winless streak, at the 0.686-mile short-track, leading 129 of the 200 laps in route to his first victory of the season and his fourth at ORP, more than any other Truck Series driver. See Story

RON HORNADAY, ORP PREVIEW

HISTORY MAKER:  In 2009, Ron Hornaday came to O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) with three consecutive wins and an opportunity to make Truck Series history.  When the checkered flag waved Hornaday did in fact make history and became the only Truck Series driver to win four consecutive races.  The following week at Nashville Superspeedway he once again made history joining Bobby Allison and Richard Petty as only the third driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive races.

DOUBLE DUTY: This weekend at ORP, Hornaday will climb behind the wheel of the No. 33 Georgia Boot Chevrolet Silverado on Friday night and on Saturday he will pilot the No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Impala for his second Nationwide Series start of the season.  In his first Nationwide Series appearance Hornaday finished 12th at Road America in Elk Hart Lake, Wisconsin. Hornaday does have one Nationwide Series win at ORP in 2000, while he was racing full-time for Dale Earnhardt Inc., one of four career Nationwide Series victories Hornaday has recorded.

“Double duty is usually fun, unless you were with me at Milwaukee last year,” said Hornaday with a smile. “The Truck race was cancelled due to rain so I ended up running the Truck and Nationwide race on the same day.  I was pretty tired after that experience, but we won the Truck race and finished ninth in the Nationwide Series race.  I also ran the Nationwide car here at ORP last year and we ran sixth.  I’m looking forward to running both races; it will be a busy but fun weekend.”

THREE TIME: Hornaday is the only three time (1997, 2007 and 2009) Truck Series winner at ORP.  He and Morgan Shepard, who is a three-time Nationwide Series winner (1982, 1984 and 1988), are the only three-time winners at the 0.686-mile facility.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT WAS IT LIKE MAKING HISTORY AT ORP LAST YEAR?
“It was really strange.  I knew when we won that race that we had done something incredible but the impact of it did not sink in really with any of the No. 33 team members until later.  I think we were all riding the victory high.  Then it ended after Nashville, but we went on to win the championship so we were content with that.  Looking back on it this season I can’t believe we were ever in that position to begin with.  The competition is so tough and it is any driver’s race week-in and week-out.  Skinner probably should have won that race last year but we pulled it out somehow.  I just continue to be reminded how lucky I am to be with such a competitive team.”

WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF RACING AT ORP?
“ORP is a traditional short track.  I love racing there because it reminds me a lot of the tracks I grew up racing on.  It eats up tires, it gets hot during the day and gains grip at night.  It’s just a fun place to race at.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Georgia Boot team will take chassis No.43 to ORP.  This chassis ran earlier this season with KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick behind the wheel at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.  Harvick dominated the event leading 187 of 250 laps winning his second of three Truck Series events in 2010. The No. 33 team also ran this chassis at Nashville Superspeedway earning a third-place finish. 

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last weekend at Gateway (Ill.) International Raceway, Hornaday had a solid top-five run going until a left-front sway bar broke on the No.33 truck on lap 48.  The team spent nine laps on pit road working to fix the bar.  Hornaday was able to gain a few spots due to track attrition and finished the race in the 26th-position.

ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams by following at http://twitter.com/KHI_TruckSeries. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Nationwide Series team at http://twitter.com /KHI_NNS. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick at http://twitter.com/kevinharvick and http://twitter.com/delanaharvick.

ABOUT GEORGIA BOOT:
Since 1937, Georgia Boot has been a manufacturer and marketer of quality work and outdoor footwear. It is a division of Rocky Brands, a publicly traded company on Nasdaq® under the symbol: RCKY. For more information, visit www.georgiaboot.com.

RON HORNADAY, KHI AND E-Z-GO® JOIN FORCES

(AUGUSTA, GA) — E-Z-GO®, a Textron (NYSE:TXT) Company, announces that it will sponsor the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado driven by veteran NASCAR driver Ron Hornaday and owned by Kevin Harvick Inc., in seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races through the remainder of the 2010 season.

The Silverado will promote E-Z-GO’s first street-legal vehicle, the E-Z-GO 2Five™, now available at select dealerships across the country. The 2Five has a top speed of up to 25 mph and can be titled and operated by licensed drivers on most public roads with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less.

“We are excited to grow our partnership with Kevin Harvick Inc. and Ron Hornaday, and take advantage of this unique opportunity to promote the 2Five,” said Kevin Holleran, president of   E-Z-GO. “The KHI trucks have been very successful on the track with E-Z-GO, and I know that Ron Hornaday will continue that success and take the No. 33 E-Z-GO 2Five Chevrolet Silverado to Victory Lane.”

Hornaday is a Truck Series veteran and the only four-time series champion.  To date, Hornaday has collected 45 Truck Series victories, more than any other driver in the series.  He has a total of 25 poles, 127 top-five and 184 top-10 finishes.

“I’m really excited to have E-Z-GO join the No. 33 Truck Series team,” Hornaday said. “E-Z-GO’s schedule of races hit several good tracks for me.  Phoenix is one of my favorite places on the current Truck Series schedule.  It is the closest track to my hometown of Palmdale, California.  I have always had good success there and I’m looking forward to taking KHI and E-Z-GO back to Victory Lane.”

Team co-owner Kevin Harvick echoed Hornaday’s sentiments.

“We’re very happy to team E-Z-GO and Ron Hornaday for seven races throughout this season,” Harvick said. “Atlanta Motor Speedway was an awesome experience for me, winning my first Truck Series event there with E-Z-GO as the sponsor of our No. 2 truck and the race.  I know that Ron will do a great job.  I’m very happy with the E-Z-GO vehicle that I won during that race and I believe that the added exposure E-Z-GO will get from their association with the No. 33 Truck Series team will only lead to more fans riding their E-Z-GO vehicles around the camp grounds.”

To follow Ron Hornaday’s successes on the track, visit www.ronhornaday.com. To learn more about Kevin Harvick Inc., visit www.kevinharvickinc.com.

To learn more about the E-Z-GO 2Five or locate your nearest E-Z-GO 2Five authorized dealer, please visit www.ezgo.com/2five. To learn more about the complete line of E-Z-GO light-transportation vehicles, please visit www.ezgo.com. To follow E-Z-GO news, events and announcements on Facebook, please visit www.facebook.com/4ezgo.

About E-Z-GO

E-Z-GO, a Textron Inc. company, is a leading manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, ST personal utility vehicles, Shuttle personnel carriers, and MPT turf-maintenance vehicles. E-Z-GO also produces the Cushman® line of heavy-duty material carriers.

E-Z-GO is the preferred golf car fleet provider for many of the world’s most revered golf courses, clubs and resorts. E-Z-GO is also the golf car of choice of nine of the nation’s ten largest course-management companies. E-Z-GO boasts the largest sales and service network in the industry, with more factory branch locations and independent distributors than any other manufacturer of golf cars and utility vehicles.

Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960.

RON HORNADAY MICHIGAN RACE REVIEW

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 13, 2010)—- Ron Hornaday scored his career-best finish of fourth at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) Saturday in the VFW 200.  Hornaday led twice for two laps and overcame a pit-road penalty and rebounded from a race-low running position of 27th to record his fifth top-five finish of 2010.

“I really thought we were going to be able to do it on the second to last restart,” said Hornaday after the race. ”I took it three wide and did all I could, but the truck was so tight when I was on the bottom that it wouldn’t turn, and then it would all of a sudden jump sideways.  I’m really proud of the No. 33 team. This was the best truck that I have ever had in Michigan.  We will take a fourth-place finish, but I’m disappointed we were not able to get a win for Longhorn in their final Truck race.  They have been a wonderful sponsor and partner and we can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done for me and Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI).” 

Hornaday started the VFW 200 from the second position, his highest starting position to date at MIS.  Immediately, Hornaday challenged rookie polesitter Austin Dillion for the lead.  Hornaday led lap one and was able to gain five bonus points.  The leaders began to shuffle in the early laps of the race, exchanging the lead multiple times among several different trucks.

Hornaday had settled into the third position, when the first caution waved on lap three.  Hornaday radioed to the crew that he was a little free and became aero-loose when he was surrounded by other trucks.  The team decided to remain on the track, not wanting to lose valuable track position. Hornaday continued to run third when the second caution waved on lap 10.  The No. 33 team decided to bring the truck down pit road for service.  The team’s plan was only to take on fuel and make an air-pressure adjustment to the right-rear tire.  Unbeknownst to the team, NASCAR had implemented a rule that stated no truck could add or remove air from a tire without taking the tire behind the wall.  The No. 33 truck was called back down pit road to serve a pass- through penalty. Making the most of their situation, the team decided to top off with fuel.  Hornaday restarted the race on lap 18 at the tail end of the longest line in the 27th position.

By lap 23, Hornaday had made his way back into the top 10. Nine laps later, the caution waved again for a quick rain shower that was moving through the area.  The race was red flagged for approximately 45 minutes as the rain moved through and jet dryers dried the two-mile speedway.  For the restart on lap 41, Hornaday was scored in the seventh position. Five laps later, Hornaday moved back into fifth.  By lap 50, the halfway point in the race, Hornaday was fourth and radioed to the crew that the truck had gone from loose to tight. 

Hornaday continued to try different lines around the two-mile track, breaking the draft to catch the lead pack and move toward the lead position. With green-flag pit stops ahead, the No. 33 team began to reel in the leaders.  Hornaday was running in the third position when the leaders began to make pit stops. Hornaday waited until he led lap 76 before coming to pit road. The team called for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment.  While on pit road, Hornaday told the team to clean off the grill of the truck because the engine was running hot.  The No. 33 truck had collected a small piece of debris in the grill which the team removed. After the stop, Hornaday told the team the truck was a little snug but he thought they had something for the leaders.

A caution waved on lap 83 of the 100-lap race, when the No. 88 truck lost an engine.  Hornaday knew this was his shot at the win, taking the lead trucks of Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch three-wide going for the lead in turn one.  Unable to hold the position on the bottom, Hornaday slipped back to fifth when the final caution of the day waved on lap 89.  With only eight laps remaining when the race restarted, Hornaday ran down Timothy Peters to gain one additional position taking the checkered flag in the fourth position.

Aric Almirola went on to win his second race of 2010 followed by Bodine, Busch, Hornaday and Dillion. Hornaday remains fourth in the Truck Series point standings, 170 markers out of first. The Truck Series returns to action July 11th at Iowa Speedway. 

RON HORNADAY TEXAS RACE REVIEW

FT. WORTH, Texas (June 5, 2010)—- Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 team recorded their fifth top-10 finish of 2010 Friday night in the WinStar World Casino 400K at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS).  Hornaday overcame a pit-road penalty to lead 32 laps of the 167-lap event.  A right-rear tire failure during the green-white-checkered finish spoiled the No. 33 team’s chance for their first win of the 2010 season. Hornaday was able to bring the Longhorn Chevrolet home with a ninth-place finish.

“I really thought we had a shot at it on that last restart,” said Hornaday after the race. ”I hate that we lost the tire at the end.  We must have run over something because we didn’t have any contact with another truck.  We had a really good Longhorn Chevrolet tonight. It just wasn’t our night.” 

Hornaday started the WinStar World Casino 400K from the seventh position.  By lap two Hornaday radioed the team that the truck was really loose and dropped to the 10th position on lap five.

The first caution waved on lap 18 with Hornaday in the 10th position.  The No. 33 team brought Hornaday down pit road for four tires, fuel, an air-pressure adjustment and to remove tape from the grill.  The race restarted on lap 23 and three laps later Hornaday had moved from ninth to sixth. By lap 31, Hornaday had broken into the top five and by lap 42, Hornaday caught pole sitter Austin Dillion and Ricky Carmichael.  Making quick work of the two rookies Hornaday passed them both on the same lap to move into third. Aric Almirola who was running in the second position experienced mechanical trouble and shot down pit road on lap 49, moving Hornaday into the second position.

The No. 33 team made plans to pit under green on lap 75 while leader Todd Bodine peeled off the track to pit road on lap 74. Gaining five bonus points for leading a lap, crew chief Doug George called Hornaday just as the caution the caution waved on lap 75 leaving Hornaday as one of only four trucks on the lead lap. 

Under the yellow, Hornaday brought the No. 33 truck down pit road to the attention of the crew for four tires and fuel.  As the stop ended, the jack dropped and Hornaday left his pit stall with the gas can still engaged.  This resulted in a stop and go penalty for removing equipment from the pit box, and Hornaday was placed at the tail end of the longest line for the restart on lap 81.  Hornaday quickly began to work his way through lapped traffic as he raced three wide in an effort to get back to the front.

Hornaday had worked his way back into the sixth position as the caution waved on lap 85. The No. 33 team decided to preserve their track position opting not come to pit road.  Hornaday restarted in sixth on lap 91 and a lap later he was racing Bodine for the lead.  Hornaday was finally able to get around Bodine on lap 102 to reassume the top spot.  The caution waved again on lap 129 only a few laps before the No. 33 truck had scheduled their final pit stop of the night.  Hornaday brought the No. 33 truck down pit road as the leader for four tires and fuel.  The No. 33 team lost the battle off pit road to Bodine, placing Hornaday second for the restart on lap 134.

Hornaday struggled to catch third gear on the restart and fell back to third, battling Timothy Peters for second as Bodine pulled out to a sizable lead.  Hornaday caught a break as the caution waved on lap 154, tightening the field once again.  With only seven laps remaining, the No. 33 truck restarted the race from the third position in the bottom groove, where they had been dominant all night.  A great restart by Hornaday looked as though he was going to battle Bodine for the win when the final caution of the night flew on lap 163, setting the field up for a green-white-checkered finish. 

On the final restart Hornaday charged the outside battling Bodine for the win, while fending off Johnny Sauter for second.  Going into the final lap, Hornaday radioed to the crew “I have a tire down” as the No. 33 truck jumped sideways down the back straight-a-way.  As the right-rear tire disintegrated on the No. 33 truck, Hornaday brought the wounded vehicle home crossing the finish line as the last truck on the lead lap in the ninth position.

Bodine won his sixth race at Texas Motor Speedway followed by Johnny Sauter, pole sitter Austin Dillion, Mike Skinner and Hornaday’s KHI teammate Ken Schrader who scored his career-best Texas Motor Speedway finish.

Hornaday remains fourth in the Truck Series point standings, 155 markers out of first. The Truck Series returns to action next week at Michigan International Speedway. 

RON HORNADAY TEXAS RACE PREVIEW

IN THE LOOP: According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Ron Hornaday and the
No. 33 truck have led more laps than any other Truck Series driver at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) over the last four Truck Series events held at the 1.5-mile track.  Hornaday has led 443 laps versus his closest rival Mike Skinner who has led 400 laps. 

1.5-MILE MASTER: Hornaday has made 66 starts on 1.5-mile tracks across the country.  Out of those 66 starts he currently has nine wins, second to Todd Bodine who has collected 10 wins on 1.5-mile tracks.

“I’m not sure why we are so good on the 1.5-mile tracks,” said Hornaday.  “I used to be known for getting around the short tracks, but recently all the guys at Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) have done a lot of research and we have done quite a bit of testing to make ourselves better.  I think the Truck Series schedule is very equal with short tracks, 1.5-mile tracks and superspeedways so you have to be good at all of them.  Over the last few years our 1.5-mile program has just come a long way and I’ve been the lucky guy who gets to climb behind the wheel of the KHI trucks and make it to victory lane.”

ONE OF THE FEW: Hornaday finds himself amongst an elite group of Truck Series drivers at Texas Motor Speedway. He joins Brendan Gaughan, Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague and Dennis Setzer as multi-time winners at TMS. He and Gaughan are the only two drivers who have ever won back-to-back races at the 1.5-mile venue Gaughan won four races in a row in 2002 and 2003, and Hornaday swept the spring and fall events in 2008.

GOLF ANYONE?  During the short, one-week break in the Truck Series schedule, Hornaday joined KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick and other NASCAR stars for the John Paul Linville (DeLana Harvick’s late father)  Memorial Golf Tournament at the Oak Hollow Golf Course in High Point, N.C., to raise money for the newly formed Kevin Harvick Foundation. 

“I’m not really a good golfer,” laughed Hornaday. “They had a last minute cancellation and asked if I would come join them at the tournament.  It is for a really good cause and I’m proud of Kevin and everyone involved for putting on such a great event.  We hit a few balls, but we mainly joked and had a great time amongst our team and the other golfers. “

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
AFTER A STRONG RUN AT CHARLOTTE, WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?
“I’m really excited to head back to Texas.  We have run really well there in the past.  I think we have a good set-up and will run well.  For me, Texas has always been hit or miss. We had back-to-back wins in 2008, but really I’ve been very hit or miss at Texas.  I’m looking forward to a good weekend and hopefully our first win of 2010.” 

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Longhorn team will take chassis No. 040 to Texas Motor Speedway.  Chassis No. 040 competed three weeks ago at Dover (Del.) International Speedway where after spending the majority of the rae in the top five, the No. 33 team experienced a vapor lock issue late in the race and were relegated to a 12th-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Two weeks ago at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, the No. 33 team scored their fourth top-three finish in the last five events, coming home third.  Hornaday led 28 laps during the 134-lap event, but his truck became too tight late in the race to make a move on eventual winner Kyle Busch.

RON HORNADAY CHARLOTTE RACE REVIEW

CONCORD, N.C. (May 22, 2010)—- Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 team scored another solid top-five finish to round out the month of May fourth in the Truck Series point standings, 103 markers out of the lead spot.  Hornaday and the No. 33 team led 28 laps on their way to a third-place finish Friday night in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

“I think I got a little too tight there at the end,” said Hornaday following the race. “It was a good night for the No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet.  We had a really good truck through the mid-portion of the race, but we ended up a little too tight at the end to do anything with Kyle [Busch].  I had a lot of fun tonight racing with Todd [Bodine] and all those guys.  Everyone did a really good job.  Not the finish we really wanted but it is a good point’s day and we will take another solid finish.  I’m really looking forward to Texas in a few weeks where we can apply some of the things we learned here tonight.”

Coming into the seventh race of the season, Hornaday had nine wins at 1.5-mile tracks in 65 starts. Following a three-hour rain delay Hornaday and the No. 33 team began the N.C. Education Lottery 200 from the fifth position.  The first caution of the night waved on lap 10 when the No. 3 truck blew a left-rear tire crashing hard into the outside wall.  The No. 33 chose to remain on the race track to save tires and valuable track position. By lap 22, Hornaday was battling his Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) teammate Elliott Sadler for the third position.  The second caution waved on lap 24.  The No. 33 team hit pit road on lap 26 for their first scheduled pit stop of the night.  The team opted to take fuel only to gain track position. The No. 2 team adopted the same strategy and came out the leader for the restart on lap 28 with Hornaday starting alongside in second.

The race then went on a long green-flag run.  Hornaday settled into the fifth position battling Bodine for fourth.  The two raced side-by-side for more than 20 laps until the No.33 finally prevailed past Bodine on lap 66.  Hornaday’s KHI teammate Sadler led 31 laps before giving up the lead on lap 68 when the team had to pit for fuel after not filling the truck completely on the first round of pit stops. 

Hornaday moved into the third position and anticipated making a pit stop on lap 80. Seconds before he was to hit pit road, the caution waved for the No. 85 truck which had caught fire on the frontstretch.  The trucks were brought down pit road under caution for the extensive clean-up effort that ensued to remove debris from the track.  When pit road opened on lap 84, the team brought the No. 33 down for their second and final pit stop of the night, changing four tires and adding fuel.  Quick work by the No. 33 team returned Hornaday to the track in the second position for the restart on lap 88.  The ‘restart king’ made quick work of leader Bodine jumping out to pace the field on lap 90.

Hornaday led a total of 28 laps before the fifth caution of the night waved on lap 111. The No. 33 team chose to remain on the track since they had used their last set of tires and track position was so vital.  Early race leader Kyle Busch lined up to Hornaday’s outside for the restart on lap 117.  Hornaday was unable to hold of a hard-charging Busch falling to third while battling once again with Bodine for second.  A rash of cautions late in the event resulted in the race coming down to a three-lap shootout for the finish.  Hornaday lined up in position to battle for the win but could not get a good enough start to challenge Busch for the win, crossing the finish line in the third position.

Busch won his second Truck Series race of 2010 followed by Bodine, Hornaday, James Buscher and Hornaday’s KHI teammate Sadler in fifth.

Hornaday remains fourth in the Truck Series point standings 103 markers out of first. The Truck Series returns to action in two weeks at Texas Motor Speedway for the eighth race of the 2010 season. 

RON HORNADAY CHARLOTTE RACE PREVIEW

ONE OF THE FAVS: When fans ask Ron Hornaday what his favorite track is he always responds “the one’s I win at.” This week he travels to another one of his favorite venues Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (CMS). In two of his five total starts at the hometown 1.5-mile track, Hornaday has recorded two victories. Ironically, each year he has taken home the hardware from CMS, he has also gone on to hoist the championship trophy at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

IN THE LOOP:  According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, thus far in the 2010 season, Hornaday continues to wear his royal crown as the ‘King of Restarts.’  Hornaday reigns over Johnny Sauter as the quickest to take off once the green-flag has been displayed.  Hornaday has a 4.167 average ranking among all drivers compared to Sauter’s 7.200 average ranking.

KHI LAP LEADERS: Hornaday’s KHI teammate and team co-owner Kevin Harvick currently leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in laps led this season.  Harvick has led the way for 267 of the 797 circuits that have been completed.  When it comes to this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hornaday comes in second to Kyle Busch, where Hornaday has led 128 laps at the legendary 1.5-mile quad oval.

ONE OF TWO: Hornaday and Busch are the only two Truck Series drivers who have ever won multiple races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Hornaday will attempt to pass Busch and become the tracks only three-time winner this weekend.

POLE WINNER:  Although Hornaday has never recorded a Truck Series pole award at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he does possess a NASCAR Nationwide Series pole, the only Nationwide Series pole he won during his time in the series.  Hornaday grabbed the pole in 2002, driving for Dave Carroll.

ENDING THE STREAK: Hornaday and the No. 33 Longhorn team will attempt to end their 17 race winless drought this weekend.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHY ARE YOU SO SUCCESSFUL AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY?
“I’m not really sure.  At KHI we have always had a solid set-up for that track.  It was one of those places, kind of like Daytona, that I wanted to get marked off my ‘ I’ve won there’ list.  I think I was just so determined to learn the track that once I got the first victory and figured out the place, we have been successful there ever since.”

WHAT IS IT WITH KHI AND NEW CHASSIS’ THAT MAKES THE ORGANIZATION SO LETHAL WHEN YOU RUN A NEW TRUCK?
“I used to only like running older trucks.  When we won the championship in 2007, I had one truck that I ran all the time and was very successful with -Chassis No. 014-.  The guys called it ‘Old Faithful’ because no matter what was going on, we could count on that truck for a good finish.  Once Kevin started selling trucks, it seemed like I got a new one every week there for awhile.  KHI just continues to give me the best equipment.  Each time they build a new truck they just make it better and faster.  We are constantly learning and changing.  New, old, battered, bruised, we run them all and hopefully win with them.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Longhorn team will take chassis No. 044 to Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Chassis No. 044 is a brand-new chassis that produced excellent wind tunnel numbers when tested recently.  In 2009, Hornaday won two out of six races with new chassis. 

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP:  Last weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Hornaday and the No. 33 team had a strong top five run going, when a late-race caution waved.  On the final restart of the race the No. 33 truck experienced vapor lock, not allowing the truck to pick up the remaining fuel in the cell.  Once the truck hit the straight-a-way the truck was able to get fuel and finish the race in the 12th position.  Hornaday remains fourth in the Truck Series point standings 125 markers behind new leader Aric Almirola.

ARE YOU PLEASED THAT THE PIT STOP RULES ARE DIFFERENT FOR 2010?
“Last season the new rules were definitely a challenge for our team, but in the end we figured it out.  I personally like making one stop for fuel and tires, but I commend NASCAR for trying something different to try and help teams save on costs.  We will just have to see how the new fuel cell works out.”

UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP: Dave Fuge has joined KHI and the No. 33 team as crew chief for the 2010 season.  Hornaday and Fuge have a storied history dating back to the NASCAR Southwest Tour days when Fuge’s chassis were the ones to beat week in and week out at Hornaday’s home track Sagus (Calf.) Speedway.  In 2002, Hornaday drove for Fuge when he jumped behind the wheel of a second truck for IWX Motorsports at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway for only his second Truck Series start of the season. Hornaday won the race, his first and only to date at Homestead, while teammate Mike Bliss won the 2002 Truck Series championship.

Quotes from Crew Chief Dave Fuge:
DO YOU FEEL ANY ADDED PRESSURE JOINING THE REIGNING CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM?
“Not any more pressure than I put on myself.  I think from the outside there is some pressure placed on me and this team to see if we can repeat last year’s success but everyone at KHI expects a lot and I expect the same. We have all the resources we need in the driver, team and equipment to be successful.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WORKING WITH FOUR-TIME TRUCK SERIES CHAMPION RON HORNADAY AND KHI?
“I’ve known Ron forever; I’ve raced with and against him for over 20 years so we know each other pretty well.  Kevin [Harvick] and Ron are West Coast guys like myself and we all have the same mentality when it comes to winning and we aren’t going to let anything get in our way to get there.“