THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Last year in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 team were involved in a lap one incident, but were able to rebound and finish the race in the 25th position to salvage a three point deficit to Johnny Benson going into the final race at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. Hornaday looks at the race at PIR as a turning point in last year’s season.
“When you look back and think of why we didn’t win the championship in 2008, a lot of people point to Homestead,” said Hornaday. “I look at the season as a whole, running out of gas at Martinsville, getting taken out in Mansfield, and then wrecking on lap one in Phoenix. Even though this year our circumstances are different, we can’t look only at Homestead for the final call as to why we will or will not win the championship. Titles are won during a season, not in one race. I would really like to have last year’s Phoenix race to do over, but we don’t and now we are in a similar situation this year with just a different point margin. This year maybe I can keep the truck going in the right direction for more than a lap.”
LUCKY NUMBER 22: In order to wrap up the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver’s championship, Hornaday has to finish 22nd or better in the final two races at PIR and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW: According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics Hornaday leads all Truck Series driver’s at PIR in making passes down the straight-a-ways. In the last four races at PIR Hornaday has made 22 quality passes down the short straight-a-ways.
Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS HEADING TO PHOENIX?
“I have been pretty successful at Phoenix International Raceway over the years. I have had a lot of great races there and have two wins there in 1998 and 1999. It’s a flat race track for the most part. It has a little more banking in turns one and two than in turns three and four. We have been really good this year on the flatter, shorter tracks. Phoenix is a place that I have been running for a number of years and I really like going back to one of the roots of the Truck Series.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING INTO PHOENIX WITH A 197 POINT ADVANTAGE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE?
“To me right now we are just focused on two more races. I don’t look at the championship until Homestead. The No. 33 team is not only racing for the driver’s championship, we want to make sure Kevin and DeLana win the owner’s championship as well. I don’t go into it looking at how many points we are ahead. I know that we just need to win the last two races. That’s what I want to go do and then the points will take care of themselves.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) team will take chassis No.037 to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. Chassis No. 037 was last on track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Hornaday drove the then new chassis to a second-place finish.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last week at Texas Motor Speedway, Hornaday and the No. 33 team recorded their 10th top-three finish of the 2009 season. Hornaday battled leaders Kyle Busch and Matt Crafton for the win but his truck became too loose in the closing laps to challenge for the win.
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 VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS (VFW):
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United State) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the sacrifice and ensuring the rights of America’s veterans through advocacy, support and community service, while promoting patriotism. The VFW offers a wide array of services to support veterans and their families throughout their military career, from active duty to honorably discharged. For more information, visit: www.vfw.org or call (816) 756-3390.
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 is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, 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 and Ron Hornaday. 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
November 13, 2009
Phoenix International Raceway
Lucas Oil 150
Race length: 150 Laps/ 150 Miles
Banking/Turns: 11-degrees turns one and two; 9-degree turns three and four; 3-degree front straight-a-way; 9-degree back straight-a-way
Track layout: 1-mile
Shape: Tri-oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Thursday:
Practice: 5:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., EST
Final Practice: 7:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m., EST
Friday:
Qualifying: 4:30 p.m., EST
TV: The Lucas Oil 150 can be seen on SPEED Friday at 7:30 p.m., EST
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast live at 7:30 p.m., EST
Truck Specs:
Chassis: 037
Engine: Pro Motors Engineering (PME)
Ron Hornaday
Truck Series Statistics at
Phoenix International Raceway
Starts: 14
Wins: 2 (1998 (Spring), 1999 (Spring))
Poles: 2 (1995, 2008)
Top Five’s: 8
Top 10’s: 11
Laps Led: 152
Average Start: 8.1
Average Finish: 7.1