Ron Hornaday is the only four-time Truck Series champion. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
WHO MAKES THE FIRST CUT IF THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCORES ITS OWN HALL OF FAME?
SPEED™ ON-AIR PERSONALITIES WEIGH IN ON DRIVERS, PERSONALITIES WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION
Their names might not command the same star power as Petty, Earnhardt, Johnson and the France family, but their monikers conjure up similar images of true racers … those dirt-under-the-nails, hard-charging ambassadors of the sport.
Ron Hornaday, Mike Skinner, Jack Sprague, Jim Smith, Jack Roush and other early mainstays of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series all have left their indelible marks on the series over the past 15 years.
And while they won’t all be participants in Friday’s Truck Series race (8 p.m. ET live on SPEED; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 7:30 p.m. ET) at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a discussion of those worthy of initiation into a hypothetical Truck Series Hall of Fame seems appropriate as preparations begin for the May 23 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (12 p.m. ET live on SPEED).
If a Hall of Fame dedicated solely to the Truck Series was established, who should the first five inductees be? According to the SPEED Truck Series on-air team, Ron Hornaday, Jack Sprague, Jim Smith, Mike Skinner and Jack Roush make the first cut for the inaugural class - and in that order. Following is their reasoning:
1) Ron Hornaday (unanimous first pick)
“Ron Hornaday as the first inductee is a no-brainer. He holds 70-percent of all possible series records and has dominated beyond belief. What more do you need?”
-- Ray Dunlap, SPEED reporter
“Ron Hornaday as the first pick is a no-brain choice. The guy has four titles and is the all-time wins leader. Hornaday is the Truck Series.”
-- Adam Alexander, SPEED reporter
“Hornaday was a part of the series from the early days and he’s a part of the series today. Not only has Ron Hornaday endured, he has thrived. The only four-time champion in series history, Hornaday holds nearly every record in the Truck Series book. But each of those records has to be written in pencil because he has the potential to write new ones every time he hits the track.”
-- Krista Voda, host of NCWTS Setup
“The four-time champion could have easily been a five-time champ but lost by seven points to Johnny Benson in 2008. He has the most career wins and just about every record and is still doing it at 50-plus-years old. Hornaday’s a threat to make it five championships this year.”
-- Phil Parsons, SPEED analyst
“Ron Hornaday Jr. is the Truck Series. His success and the way he races symbolize what the Truck Series is to NASCAR - hardnosed, ‘lay-it-all-on-the-line’ racing.”
