It feels like months since I have climbed behind the wheel of the No. 33 truck. Even though the trucks have been idle for three weeks, it doesn’t mean I have. I’m ready to go back racing so I can rest! The week after the Truck race in Michigan, where I recorded my career-best MIS finish of fourth, I headed to Wisconsin to join the No. 33 Nationwide Series team for the first time this year. I was really excited to go to Road America for the inaugural race. I love road-course racing and I had a lot of fun. I wasn’t very happy during the first practice session, but we qualified 11th and would have finished in the top five, but we ended up being collected by another competitor and broke the track bar.
I figured we would go a few laps down, but the No. 33 Nationwide team doesn’t quit. We changed the track bar in less than a lap, I never even climbed out of the car and came back to finish 13th. It wasn’t the day I was hoping for, but it reminded me just how dedicated these team guys are.
After the race in Wisconsin, my wife Lindy and I took a little time for ourselves. We joined some friends and family at the beach to celebrate my birthday. It was nice to relax. However, when I got home there was no relaxing to be done. Lindy and I are in the process of redoing the kitchen and master bathroom in our house. I’ve spent a lot of long days installing new flooring, tile and making other home improvements. I’ve been very busy, but the house is looking great.
It seems like KHI has been just as busy as I have because we’ve made quite a few exciting announcements for the No. 33 truck team the past two weeks, too. We announced that Ollie’s Bargain Outlet will be on the No. 33 truck for the inaugural race in Pocono in a few weeks. A lot of people have asked me about that race. I’m really looking forward to it. I think the veterans in the Truck Series will race well there. I haven’t been there since I raced for AJ Foyt in the Cup Series back in 2001. It’s definitely unlike any other track, but I’m lucky that I have my boss Kevin (Harvick) to lean on. He ran well there earlier this year and he will definitely be a big help when we set up the truck. Next week Kevin and I are going to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to attend the Eastern League All Star game, where Ollie’s is the title sponsor. We are going to sign autographs and Kevin is going to throw out the first pitch. I’m excited to meet some of the Pennsylvania fans before returning for the race later this month.
Just this week I was doing a photo shoot for another one of our new partners, E-Z-GO, who will also be joining the No. 33 truck this season. It was a lot of fun and I was able to walk away with my very own 2Five. It’s a really cool golf “car.” It goes up to 25mph, it is E-Z-GO’s first street-legal vehicle and I can’t wait to get mine to the race track and drive it around the motorcoach lot. I was really surprised. We took some photos with the truck and the golf car and at the end of the shoot, they were like, ‘OK, you can take it home.’ I was shocked, but ready to try it out. It is battery powered and even has a jack for my iPod. I can cruise around the race track blaring Elvis’ greatest hits. Pretty cool!
I’m just ready to get going. We haven’t had too many races in a row yet, so this 10-race stretch will certainly be a change of pace. I like it when we race every weekend. I can get in a rhythm and I know my team can, too.
I also want to remind all of our fans to vote for the ESPY awards. You can go to www.espn.com/espy or vote via facebook at www.facebook.com/espn and click on the ESPY award tab. I have been nominated in the Best Driver category, the first Truck Series driver ever to be nominated for an ESPY award. I am truly honored to be listed amongst such great drivers, but it would be really cool if I could win and represent the Truck Series. So go vote and watch the Truck Series second and final Sunday race of the season this weekend as I chase another really cool trophy.
Ron Hornaday Jr., reigning four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, returns to the seat of the No. 33 Longhorn/Georgia Boot Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. Hornaday is the all-time winningest driver in series history and in 2009 became the first NASCAR driver in 38 years to win five consecutive races, joining Richard Petty and Bobby Allison in a tie for second on the consecutive wins list. Additionally, he was voted Truck Series Driver of the Decade by the NASCAR media at the conclusion of the 2009 season. The California native claimed the pole position for the inaugural NCWTS race at Phoenix International Raceway in 1995 and went on to win six races that season en route to a third-place points finish. His storied NASCAR career also includes three full seasons and four victories in the Nationwide Series, as well as a stint in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Hornaday also became the first driver to claim back-to-back championships in the NASCAR Southwest Tour Series in 1992-’93. For more information on Hornaday, please visit www.kevinharvickinc.com, www.ronhornaday.com, www.georgiaboot.com and www.longhornmoistsnuff.com.
http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/trucks-ron-hornaday-driver-diary-iowa/