Ron Hornaday Jr., driver of the No. 33 race truck for Kevin Harvick Incorporated, got the thrill of a lifetime when he learned that he was nominated for the 2010 ESPY for Best Driver. Hornaday is the first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver to ever be nominated for this prestigious honor.
Although Hornaday is the first Truck competitor to get the ESPY nomination call, he is in good company. Hornaday joins other NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, both of whom have previously been nominated for the award.
“I was really shocked when I got the call,” Hornaday Jr. said. “This is a pretty cool thing. I am really honored to be nominated with drivers like Jimmie (Johnson), Kyle (Busch), Dario Franchitti and Tony Schumacher. All of those guys are great drivers and I am honored that they would even consider me.”
Fellow competitor and three-time ESPY nominee himself Ricky Carmichael was also pleased for Hornaday.
“What a great honor for Ron,” Carmichael, driver of the No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet race truck, said. “He has set the bar so high for all of us in the sport.”
“He deserves to be recognized for his great accomplishments, especially after last season. I had the opportunity to attend the ESPYs on three different occasions and it is still one of the highlights of my motocross career.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular and colleague David Starr echoed Carmichael’s congratulations to Hornaday.
“That is really exciting for Ron,” Starr, driver of the No. 81 Zachary Toyota, said. “He is one of the top competitors each week for our team and one of the top racers in the sport.”
“With all the various motorsports and drivers that could have been selected. It’s great for our Series that a NCWTS driver is included.”
The first ever Truck Series ESPY nominee has 45 wins and 25 poles to his credit. Hornaday Jr. currently leads the Camping World Truck Series for the most championships, with four under his belt.
Hornaday Jr., the 50 plus year old, has been one of NASCAR’s journeyman drivers. He grew up in southern California watching his father Ron Sr. race the local short tracks. Hornaday Jr. himself started out racing motorcycles and go karts, graduating to stock cars when he was in his teens.
Hornaday Jr.’s career progressed up the NASCAR ladder, moving from the Winston West Series where his father had once dominated, to the Truck, Nationwide and Cup Series. Throughout his career, Hornaday has driven for some of NASCAR’s greats from Dale Earnhardt, Sr. to Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress.
But it took one of his friends from the past, a young driver who used to sleep on his couch, to give Hornaday Jr. the preeminent ride that he so richly deserved. Hornaday Jr. has indeed found a racing home in the Truck Series with Kevin Harvick, racing for KHI and the team that bears his friend’s name.
Under the KHI banner, Hornaday Jr. has continued to flourish and win. He is the only Truck Series driver to ever win five consecutive races and the first driver ever in 38 years in any series to complete that feat, joining the likes of Bobby Allison and Richard Petty.
Anyone wishing to vote for Ron Hornaday Jr. as the 2010 ESPY Best Driver can do so by visiting http://espn.go.com/espys/.