By Jared Turner
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Ron Hornaday’s bid for a second straight Camping World Truck Series title hasn’t exactly gotten off to a smooth start.
But Hornaday, in his 13th year in the series, isn’t panicking.
Despite finishing 27th in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and later learning that crew chief Dave Fuge would be replaced, Hornaday is upbeat heading into Saturday’s Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hornaday, 51, has overcome early-season adversity in the past, including 2008 when he finished 25th at Daytona but rallied to finish second in the final standings, seven points short of the championship.
“There’s no urgency,” said Hornaday, who won six races last year en route to a record-setting fourth series championship. “We’ve got 24 races left, and if we get on a roll like we did last year, we’ll be fine.”
Kevin Harvick Inc. co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick appointed Fuge the successor to Rick Ren after Ren’s offseason defection to newly formed Kyle Busch Motorsports, but Fuge parted ways with KHI after one race. Doug George, who was hired Dec. 3 as the crew chief for KHI’s No. 2 truck, has moved over to Hornaday’s No. 33 Chevrolet where he’ll call the shots beginning this weekend.
Hornaday and George, 49, are actually old rivals, having competed against each other for a championship in the ‘90s in what was then known as NASCAR’s Winston West Series.
“It’s really ironic because Ron and I were pretty fierce competitors, and now we’re working on the same team for the same goal,” George said.
The most immediate goal is to bounce back from Daytona, where Hornaday’s race was ruined in a crash on Lap 32.
“The good thing about Doug is he’s drove before, he doesn’t have an ego, he knows what it takes,” Hornaday said. “I can still yell at him; or when you get out there and the truck’s not performing like it’s supposed to, and you yell back at him, he’s been in the position of having the pressure of driving and crew chiefing and he’s been around a long time.”
George was the winning crew chief one year ago at Atlanta with Kyle Busch and Billy Ballew Motorsports. Hornaday has a win and five top 10s in nine starts at the 1.54-mile track.
“I think we’ve got a really good baseline setup to start with,” George said. “To me, it doesn’t matter if we’re going to Martinsville or Atlanta or wherever. Our common goal here at KHI is to run up front and win races and run for a championship here with the 33.”
Fast facts
What: Atlanta 200
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway; Hampton, Ga.
When: 2 p.m. ET Saturday
TV: Speed, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/SIRIUS Satellite Ch. 128
Track layout: 1.54-mile oval
Race distance: 130 laps/200.2 miles
Qualifying: 9:35 a.m. ET Saturday
2009 winner: Kyle Busch
2009 polesitter: Kyle Busch
Points leaders: 1. Timothy Peters, 190; 2. Todd Bodine, 180; 3. Dennis Setzer, 170; 4. Jason White, 165; 5. Matt Crafton, 155; 6. Stacy Compton, 151; 7. Nelson Piquet, 150; 8. Johnny Benson, 147; 9. J.J. Yeley, 139; 10. Donnie Neuenberger, 138.