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NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
TRUCKS: Q&A - Ron Hornaday
Ron Hornaday has won two consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 15, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Ron Hornaday Jr. is the current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point leader and will go for his sixth straight win tonight live on SPEED at 8:30 pm ET. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

This will be a big weekend for Ron Hornaday Jr., the three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and current series points leader.

Hornaday has won the two most recent NCWTS events at Milwaukee and Memphis in his No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet Silverado out of the Kevin Harvick Inc. stables. On Saturday, he will look to make it three in a row with the running of the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway, a track that’s never had a repeat Truck winner.

These topics and more were discussed by Hornaday in this week’s NASCAR teleconference. Excerpts follow.

Talk about your outlook this weekend at Kentucky.
Taking another new truck there. So optimistic. I mean, I know the track, it's changed. The only fortunate thing we have up at KHI is we already ran a Nationwide race there. … Everybody is going to work real hard on that Longhorn Chevrolet this weekend just to get it over the bumps. That track has started to age. It's going to be a multi-groove race. I'm looking forward to it.

What do you feel is the toughest thing for drivers in general to be able to compete at this level that you compete at, and what is still toughest for you?
When the Truck Series started, they called it the stepping grounds to get your feet wet, to learn the radial tires, learn the different tracks, learn the pit stops, to move on to a different series. What the Truck Series has done in the last 15 years, it's made its own identity. Now it's standalone.

It's just tough to come in there. Just to get to know the racetracks, you can see from some of the racetracks from the first and second year, when you go back there, you see how much you learn about them, learn about the other drivers. That's the biggest thing with Ricky Carmichael (rookie teammate at KHI), is learning how to drive the other drivers. When you get underneath somebody, different manufacturers, the trucks are maybe tighter or looser. That still is the toughest right now. (Crew chief) Rick Ren and everybody at KHI is really working hard to get a different balance I should say with the approved spatial plates that we have to run to get it down the straightaway faster and still have the handling ability.

We're still working hard on it. Just knowing the different racetracks and who to race.

What remains the biggest thrill for you that really hasn't changed?
Well, I'm fortunate enough to drive for Kevin and Delana (Harvick). They give me an opportunity to drive fast stuff. I know every time we unload, we have an opportunity to run in the top five if not win the race. That makes me feel good. My kids are growing up now. I don't have to worry about putting shoes on their feet. Now I can just go out there and just have fun racing and go after all them trophies. The NASCAR Truck Series is definitely putting on some beautiful looking trophies. I got that last Elvis trophy, Memphis trophy up there. It's pretty cool.


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