NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
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HORNADAY: Truck Series Driver Diary - Talladega
I reached a milestone in my Truck Series career with a win at Martinsville after 16 attempts...
Ron Hornaday Jr.  | http://www.kevinharvickinc.com/  |  Posted October 28, 2010   Talladega, AL
Ron Hornaday (Left) and wife Lindy (Right) celebrate in victory lane at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
'Checking Off The List'

Last weekend I reached a milestone in my career. I took the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway for the first time in 16 tries. Plus, I was able to keep Armour’s streak alive! Every time that paint scheme has been on a vehicle at Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), that vehicle has gone to victory lane. Kevin has done it three times in the Nationwide Series, and I think there was some concern that running the scheme on the Truck wouldn’t bring the same luck. I have to admit I’m pretty superstitious but even I was a little skeptical. Now I really believe there is something to it. I told the Armour representative who was at the track this past weekend that he could sponsor every one of my races next year - I don’t mind.

As unbelievable as the Armour paint scheme “lucky charm” phenomenon is, it’s even more incredible that now when I walk into my house, I see that grandfather clock sitting in my living room. It is a constant reminder that we finally did it. I have said for the last few years that I don’t race for the money anymore; my wife will spend that. I race for the trophies. To me this is one of the crown jewels in my trophy collection. It makes me proud to think that I have put myself on a list that includes Bobby Hamilton, Joe Ruttman and Jack Sprague as a Truck Series winner at Martinsville.

It’s always nice to be able to mark a track off my list that I have never won at before. Right now there are eight tracks currently on the Truck Series schedule that I’m trying to put a tally in the win column at: Daytona (Fla.) International Raceway, Michigan International Raceway, Iowa Speedway, Pocono (Pa.) International Raceway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Chicagoland Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and this weekend’s track: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

VIDEO: Last Lap Trucks - Martinsville Ron Hornaday Jr. wins Kroger 200. (Image: SPEED)
Talladega is that track that everyone wants to conquer at least once. If you are able to do it, you put yourself into an elite category with names like Petty, Allison and Earnhardt. I’ve never been very good at restrictor-plate racing. I’m not a very patient person and it’s hard to just depend on the air and other drivers to make your moves for you. It’s also a difficult place to race because you just never know what’s going to happen. We had the best speedway truck we had ever had before in Daytona this year. We were running fourth when we got wrecked, but I was so pleased at how that truck ran. We put a new body on it after the Daytona wreck and decided to bring it for this weekend’s race.

My boss, Kevin Harvick, has been really successful at Talladega in the past few years. I definitely go to him for advice. My spotter, Rick Carelli, was a pretty good restrictor-plate racer in his time too. Carelli entered the second race ever for KHI in 2002 at the Truck Series season opener at Daytona. He started 12th and was looking good for the win as the laps wound down, but a band of Dodges paired up and drafted past Carelli and he finished fifth. That was the last Truck Series event he entered. I had the privilege of racing with Carelli that day. He was doing really well. I ended up 12th when everything shuffled out at the end. That is probably the one race left on my list that I want more than the others. Daytona is the one place my father always wanted to race at and never got the chance. It would mean everything to me to win there, but that day will come, as I proved this past weekend in Martinsville that practice makes perfect!

Even though the 2010 season has not been the year we thought it would be on the No. 33 truck team, it has been a productive year. We have had to find the right chemistry on top of the pit box and the team has had to learn how to adapt to new leadership. But one thing that has not changed is that we have never given up on each other. I constantly get asked the question “How long are you going to be racing?” My wife Lindy and I made a pact several years ago that when I start riding around in the back of the field just to collect a paycheck, then it’s time to hang up my helmet. We have been very competitive this season; we have just encountered some bad luck. I count this year as a huge success. I marked Martinsville off my list - something I have not been able to do in 16 attempts. We have grown as a team and I’m ready to see what the end of 2010 holds and I can’t wait for 2011.

Ron Hornaday Jr., reigning four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, returns to the seat of the No. 33 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.

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