SPARTA, KY. (July 19, 2009)—- Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team won their third race in a row Saturday at Kentucky Speedway. Hornaday won from the pole for the second time in 2009. With the win, Hornaday becomes the only repeat winner at Kentucky Speedway. This marks the second time in Hornaday’s 12 year Truck Series career to win three races in a row; he is the only driver to complete this feat twice. In 1997 Hornaday won at The Milwaukee Mile, Louisville Motor Speedway, and Colorado National Speedway. Thus far in 2009 Hornaday has recorded wins at The Milwaukee Mile, Memphis Motosports Park and Kentucky Speedway.
“This is really unbelievable,” said Hornaday. “I’m not sure what we keep doing, but we need to keep doing it. I really have to thank Rick Ren (crew chief) and all of these guys for all of their hard work. If you had told me at lap 45 that we were going to win this race I would have said you were lying. On the last two pit stops we worked to make the truck turn so that I could run wide open through [turns] three and four. Somehow we got past a bunch of trucks and pulled this off. I’m excited about the roll we are on. This was an incredible race and I am ready to head to O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) next week.”
Beginning under cool and cloudy skies Hornaday won the pole, his fourth of 2009 and led the field down to the green flag. Hornaday would lead the first lap of the race, but lost the top spot to Brain Scott on lap two. Hornaday battled Scott for the first portion of the race until the first caution waved at lap 34 when leader Brain Scott had a right-front tire issue slamming the outside wall. On lap 35, the No. 33 team brought the truck down pit road for the first scheduled pit stop of the evening. Crew Chief Rick Ren called for four tires and no changes. The following lap the team filled the No. 33 with fuel. The race resumed on lap 41 and by lap 42 Hornaday had resumed the lead. Hornaday would lead four laps before being tracked down by rookie Taylor Malsam. The No. 33 truck began to fight a loose-handling condition dropping Hornaday to the fourth spot.
The second caution of the night came out on lap 53. Hornaday, who has been called “the restart king” got a great start gaining two positions to move into second. Continuing to fight a loose truck, Hornaday called for major changes. During a round of green-flag pit stops on lap 99, the No. 33 team brought the truck to pit road for fuel, a track-bar and wedge adjustment. However, the track-bar change was not what the truck needed.
A timely caution at lap 110 allowed the No. 33 team to bring the truck back down pit road for four tires and to reverse the track-bar adjustment. Restarting from the eighth position, Hornaday quickly began to blow by the competition. The turning point of the race came on the restart at lap 132. Following the fifth caution of the day for fluid on the track after the No. 13 truck lost an engine, Hornaday restarted in the third position and by lap 133 the “restart king” had driven around first and second place to resume the lead for the final time. Hornaday led the final 17 laps on the way to his fourth victory of 2009. Mike Skinner, Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters and Aric Almirola rounded out the top-five KHI teammate and rookie of the year contender Ricky Carmichael finished a career-best seventh. Hornaday maintains the points lead by 96 markers over Matt Crafton.
STATS RECAP
Race Info
July 18, 2009
Kentucky Speedway
Race: 12 of 25
Driver: Ron Hornaday
Started: 1st
Finished: 1st
Truck Series Point Standings: 1st
Race length: 150 Laps/ 225 Miles
Track layout: 1.5-mile
Shape: D-shaped oval
Number of Race Cautions: 7 for 30 Laps
First Practice: Ninth (32.175 seconds; 167.832 mph)
Final Practice: 11th (31.719 seconds; 170.245 mph)
Qualifying: 1st (Fourth pole of 2009)
Next on the Schedule for the No. 33:
Date: July 24, 2009
Track: O’Reilly Raceway Park
Event Name: AAA Insurance 200 presented by JD Byrider
Driver: Ron Hornaday
Sponsor: Longhorn
Broadcast Time: SPEED 8:00 p.m., EST MRN 8:00 p.m., EST