ONE OF THE FEW: Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is one of only eight tracks on the current Truck Series schedule where Ron Hornaday has not scored a win. Hornaday has led 13 laps around the 2-mile oval and tied his career-best finish at MIS last year finishing seventh.
FAREWELL LONGHORN: This week marks the last Truck Series race for primary sponsor Longhorn Moist Snuff. New rules enforced by the Food and Drug Administration will prevent cigarette and smokeless tobacco sponsorships in sporting events as of June 22, forcing Longhorn to discontinue their relationship with KHI. The red, black and yellow colors have adorned Hornaday’s No. 33 truck for 19 races throughout the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Hornaday recorded four wins in the Longhorn colors in 2009. He also claimed his fourth championship title in the red, black and yellow paint scheme.
Hornaday will drive his final race for Longhorn Moist Snuff next week as he climbs into the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Nationwide Series entry at Road America in Elk Hart Lake, Wisconsin.
MICHIGAN BORN AND BRED: Rear-Tire carrier Andrew Emrick hails from Riga, Michigan, about an hour away from MIS. Emrick joined the No. 33 team at the beginning of 2010. He serves as a mechanic at the KHI shop during the week and is the rear-tire carrier for the No. 33 team on race day.
Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO GET YOUR FIRST MIS WIN?
“I’ve never really been able to get a handle on Michigan. Last year we spun out in practice. For some reason my trucks always seem to go to the extreme there. I’m either way too tight or way too loose. I really like the area. I love the area, but I haven’t gotten a handle on the track yet. We came a long way last year and probably should have finished better than seventh had we not gotten in an accident early. I’m looking forward to going back there with Doug [George]. He ran well with Kyle [Busch] last year, so I’m hoping he knows just what the truck needs to go fast.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Longhorn team will take chassis No. 044 to Michigan International Speedway. Chassis No. 044 competed three weeks ago at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway where the No. 33 team scored a solid third-place finish.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last week at Texas Motor Speedway the No. 33 team had a strong run going as they led 32 of the 167-lap event. Hornaday restarted second for a green-white-checkered finish and battled Todd Bodine for the win. On the final lap, Hornaday had a right-rear tire go flat as a result of running over debris on the race track. The tire issue relegated Hornaday to a ninth-place finish which was the No. 33 team’s fifth top-10 finish of 2010.
ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams by following at http://twitter.com/KHI_TruckSeries. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Nationwide Series team at http://twitter.com /KHI_NNS. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick at http://twitter.com/kevinharvick and http://twitter.com/delanaharvick.
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 LONGHORN MOIST SNUFF
The Longhorn brand offers the best value to consumers by delivering a simple combination of premium quality and really great price. Introduced in 2003, Longhorn is a low price leader in the moist snuff category, manufactured in the same fine tradition as some of our other tobacco products including Red Man, Timber Wolf and White Owl. Longhorn moist snuff gives you the taste you demand at the price you want. For more information on Longhorn, visit our website at www.longhornsnuff.com.
About Kevin Harvick Inc.
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.
QUICK NOTES
Race Info
June 12, 2010
Michigan International Speedway
VFW 200
Race length: 100 Laps/200 Miles
Banking/Turns: 18-degree turns;
12-degree front straight-a-way; 5-degree back straight-a-way
Track layout: 2.0-mile
Shape: D-shaped oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Friday:
Practice: 10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m., EST
Final Practice: 1:10 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., EST
Saturday:
Qualifying: 9:30 a.m., EST
TV: The VFW 200 can be seen live on SPEED beginning Friday at 1:30 p.m., EST.
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 1:30 p.m., EST.
Truck Specs:
Chassis: 044
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)
Ron Hornaday
Truck Series Statistics at
Michigan International Speedway
Starts: 6
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top Five’s: 0
Top 10’s: 4
Laps Led: 13
Average Start: 11.0
Average Finish: 14.3