I always laugh when someone asks me about my “off season.” NASCAR really doesn’t have an “off season” and our shop sure doesn’t have one either. I swear our fabrication shop works around the clock. They almost have to; after the season was over, Kevin sold most of our trucks, so almost everything we are going to run this season will be new.
Kevin Harvick Inc (KHI) went through some changes during the “off season.” I have a new crew chief in Dave Fuge. Really, Dave’s not new, not to me at least. I’ve known him since our days racing in the Southwest Tour. A lot of the “new” faces at KHI have old beginnings. Not only does Dave date back to the Southwest Tour days, so does Rick Carelli, KHI’s General Manager, and the new crew chief of the No. 2 truck, Doug George.
The story everyone likes to tell is the one when Carelli, Doug and I raced for the 1992 Southwest Tour championship. Doug had the thing pretty much wrapped up but Carelli and I had a chance at it should something happen. Within the first five laps I had an exhaust pipe go through my windshield. Doug led most of the race and was in position to win the championship, but with 10 laps to go he blew a motor. Carelli took over the lead and with two laps to go he blew a tire and hit the wall, causing a seven-car pile up. He ended up breaking seven ribs and being airlifted to the hospital. So here I am with a busted windshield and roof, brakes that barely work and it looks like I’m going to win the Southwest Tour championship. Coming to the checkered flag, I broke a gear in the transmission, and I got out and pushed the car across the finish line. I ended up winning the title by three points. Needless to say, we all go back a long way so it’s nice to know that I’m surrounded by former racers.
That is what I have always liked about working for Kevin. Really, all of my owners over the years have been former drivers and it works out best that way. They know what you need because they have sat in the driver’s seat themselves.
When the season is over, besides asking about my plans for the “off season,” the next thing people want to ask you about is “How are you going to do next year?” That is the funny thing about this sport - no one ever really gives you time to enjoy what you’ve just done. They always want to move on. Last year was a great one. Everyone asks me what my most memorable moment was. It’s hard to say - they were all memorable, from winning five consecutive truck races to winning my fourth Truck Series championship. At this age, I’m just glad I get to be a part of it all. But, if I had to pinpoint one I would have to say racing side-by-side with the boss at Martinsville. That was a pretty cool experience!
This year it looks like the competition will be tougher than ever with new teams and new drivers coming along. I’m not really big into making predictions, but we have some things we want to accomplish this year. We are always trying to top what we did last year so I’d like to win seven races and be the first driver to repeat as champion, but it’s going to be tough. The TruckSeries is adding one new track to the schedule this season in Pocono, Pennsylvania. Plus, we lost Milwaukee, so NASCAR decided to take the trucks back to Darlington. I’ve raced at each of these tracks in both Nationwide and Cup cars and they very different from anywhere else we run, so we will have to see what happens. They are two unknowns on the schedule.
I’m just ready to get back to racing. The track is where I’m happiest, so I’m ready to be back, but I’ve done some pretty cool things in the “off season.” We shot a commercial for the Truck Series which I think will turn out really cool and I have been with Longhorn Moist Snuff a few times doing ride-a-longs in Orlando at the Richard Petty Driving Experience and attending their National Sales meeting in Phoenix.
With the “off season” over, I’m ready to get back to racing and head to Daytona. Traditionally, I haven’t done well at restrictor-plate tracks, but last year we had our best finish of fifth in the season-opener, so I’m optimistic. It was always my dream to race at Daytona when I was a kid, so going there always gives me chills. I look forward to the day that I take the checkered flag there and say I’ve won at Daytona. That would be something really special to me.
http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/trucks-ron-hornaday-driver-diary-off-season/