SEASON-TO-DATE: At the approximate half-way point in the Truck Series schedule, Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado team head to Kentucky Speedway with the Truck Series points lead. Hornaday also leads all other drivers in the following NASCAR Loop Data statistical categories: highest average starting position of 3.0, highest number of fastest laps ran with 278, and the number one driver rating of 121.9 out of 150. Hornaday is a close second to Matt Crafton in highest average finishing position. Crafton edges out Hornaday with an average finish of 7.1 to Hornaday’s 7.2.
LAP LEADER: In the last two Truck Series events at The Milwaukee (Wisc.) Mile and Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park, Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 team have led 355 of the 401 laps of competition. In 2009, Hornaday has led more laps than any other Truck Series driver with a total of 537 laps.
LONGHORN COUNTRY: On his way to Kentucky Speedway, Hornaday will be stopping by the Swedish Match Manufacturing facility located in Owensboro, Kentucky. This plant produces all varieties of the Longhorn Moist Snuff brand, as well as other Swedish Match tobacco products. Hornaday is slated to tour the facility and work on the line as they make cans of Longhorn, as well as meet with Swedish Match employees and sign autographs.
Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT IS IT LIKE RACING AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY?
“Kentucky is another one of those 1.5-mile tracks and with the way our program has been this year, we have a chance to be really good there. It is a fast race track with two racing grooves. We won this race in 2006 and I would like to win there again, especially since nobody else has won there twice. Mark Smith (engine builder) has been giving us really good engines and it makes it so much fun for me to drive these trucks. Rick Ren (crew chief) and the guys will be working really hard to get the truck where it needs to be and I just have to go out there and do my part.”
AFTER TWO DOMINATING WEEKS, DO YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT HEADING INTO KENTUCKY?
“As competitive as the Truck Series is, you try not to be over confident going into any track. Last year at Kentucky, my teammate Jack Sprague had a truck that was faster than the field by three tenths of a second, only to have a spark plug fail on lap three. I just take one race at a time. This No. 33 team unloads where we think we need to be, and then we adjust. That is why we have been so successful, we have the ability to make the right changes so the truck is good with the conditions we are dealt. Kentucky tends to be a very heat-sensitive track so the team that can adjust to the conditions is the team that will be successful. ”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Longhorn team will bring chassis No.029 to Kentucky Speedway. Chassis 029 is a brand-new chassis with no laps on the race track, but has been tested in the wind tunnel and produced promising aerodynamic statistics.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Two weeks ago at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park, Hornaday and the No. 33 team visited victory lane for the third time in 2009. Hornaday once again dominated the event leading 175 of 201 laps on his way to his 42nd career Truck Series victory. With the win, Hornaday and the No. 33 team extend their points lead to 76 markers over second-place Matt Crafton.
MEDIA ACCESS: Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information please email Jessica Stroupe at KHI: jstroupe@kevinharvickinc.com.
ABOUT SWEDISH MATCH:
Swedish Match is a global Group of companies with a broad assortment of market leading brands in smokeless tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco, matches and lighters. Some of our well known brands include Red Man, Timber Wolf, Longhorn, Macanudo, Partagas, Cohiba and Borkum Riff. Swedish Match North America is headquartered in Richmond, VA, with manufacturing facilities in Owensboro, KY, Dothan, ALA, and the Dominican Republic. For more information visit the website at www.SwedishMatch.com
ABOUT KEVIN HARVICK INC.:
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full-time Truck Series teams, including the 2007 series champions. The No. 33 team is led by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars team is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, J.R. Fitzpatrick and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Nationwide Series team competing full-time with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman, Ron Hornaday, Cale Gale and Kelly Bires. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.
QUICK NOTES
Race Info
July 18, 2009
Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers
Race length: 150 Laps/ 225 Miles
Banking/Turns: 14-degrees in turns, 8-degree front straight-a-way; 4-degree back straight-a-way
Track layout:1.5-mile
Shape: D-shaped oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Friday:
Practice: 3:15 p.m. - 4:50 p.m., EST
Final Practice: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., EST
Saturday:
Qualifying: 3:30 p.m., EST
TV: The Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers can be seen on SPEED at 7:00 p.m., EST
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast live at 7:00 p.m., EST
Truck Specs:
Chassis: 029
Engine: Pro Motors Engineering (PME)
Ron Hornaday
Truck Series Statistics at
Kentucky Speedway
Starts: 4
Wins: 1 (2006)
Poles: 0
Top Five’s: 1
Top 10’s: 3
Laps Led: 47
Average Start: 14.5
Average Finish: 8.8