LOOKING FOR WIN NUMBER ONE: On the current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule, there are few tracks in which veteran Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday has not visited victory lane and Chicagoland Speedway is one of the few. The Truck Series added the trip to Joliet, Ill. to the schedule last year. Hornaday recorded an 11th-place finish after getting off sequence with pit strategy.
However, if Hornaday has any questions about Chicago, the first person he will go to is Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) co-owner, Kevin Harvick. Harvick has back-to-back NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins in 2001 and 2002 at the 1.5-mile track and a Nationwide Series win in 2007 to his credit. Harvick is no stranger to victory lane at Chicagoland Speedway.
THE CLOSER: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics Hornaday was “the closer” in last year’s race at Chicagoland Speedway. Hornaday gained three position in the last 15 laps of last year’s EnjoyIllinois.com 200, progressing the most of any other Truck Series driver in the field that late in the event.
EXPERIENCE: Although Hornaday only has one Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway under his belt, he has competed several times in the Nationwide and Cup Series on the 1.5-mile oval. Hornaday has four Nationwide Series starts with his highest finishing position of fifth, a career-best effort at Chicagoland. Hornaday also made one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in 2001 while driving for A.J. Foyt. He had an engine expire and finished 40th.
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP: This weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Hornaday will be piloting the No. 33 Shopezgo.com Chevrolet. Throughout the 2010 season fans can visit Shopezgo.com for all their E-Z-GO genuine parts and accessories needs and by entering coupon code “KHI25” customers can receive a 10 percent discount off their purchases.
Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES A DRIVER FACES AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY?
“In order to be fast at Chicago, you have to be on the white line. The track continues to age too, so it keeps loosing grip and it is important to get your truck really rolling through the center of the corner. Last year we actually had a pretty good set-up for the race, but got caught on a round of pit stops. We learned a lot and now I have a better idea of how to run a truck around Chicago than I did last year. I’m looking forward to going back and trying to make Chicagoland one of my favorite tracks with a win.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE 2011 TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE THAT WAS RELEASED LAST WEEK?
“I think NASCAR really takes the time and looks at what they are doing with the schedule. I really enjoy all of the tracks that we go to and I hope that with some of the date switches and some of the companion events we can get more fans in the stand for our Truck Series events.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Shopezgo.com team will take chassis No.048 to Chicagoland Speedway. Chassis No. 048 last hit the track at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway two weeks ago, where Hornaday earned his first career top-five finish at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” Prior to the trip to Darlington, chassis No. 048 also competed at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway where Hornaday piloted it to a sixth-place finish. KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick also drove chassis No. 048 earlier this year at Gateway (Ill.) International Raceway, earning his third Truck Series victory of 2010. Chassis No. 048 has an average finishing position of 3.33.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Hornaday overcame a spin on lap 52 and fought his way back up through the field at the 0.533-mile bull ring to record a third-place finish, his third consecutive top-10 finish.
ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams by following at http://twitter.com/KHI_TruckSeries. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Nationwide Series team at http://twitter.com /KHI_NNS. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick at http://twitter.com/kevinharvick and http://twitter.com/delanaharvick.
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 E-Z-GO
E-Z-GO, a Textron Inc. company, is a leading manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, ST personal utility vehicles, Shuttle personnel carriers, and MPT turf-maintenance vehicles. E-Z-GO also produces the Cushman® line of heavy-duty material carriers.
E-Z-GO is the preferred golf car fleet provider for many of the world’s most revered golf courses, clubs and resorts. E-Z-GO is also the golf car of choice of nine of the nation’s ten largest course-management companies. E-Z-GO boasts the largest sales and service network in the industry, with more factory branch locations and independent distributors than any other manufacturer of golf cars and utility vehicles.
Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960.
About Textron
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron in known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.
About Kevin Harvick Inc.
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.
QUICK NOTES
Race Info:
August 27, 2010
Chicagoland Speedway
EnjoyIllinois.com 200
Truck Specs:
Chassis: 048
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)
Track Layout:
1.5-mile D-shaped oval
Race length: 150 Laps/225 Miles
Banking/Turns: 18-degree turns; 11-degree front straight-a-way; 5-degree back straight-a-way
Weekend Schedule
Thursday:
Practice: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., EST
Friday:
Final Practice: 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., EST
Qualifying: 4:35 p.m., EST
TV: EnjoyIllinois.com 200 can be seen live on SPEED beginning Saturday at 8:30 p.m., EST.
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 8:45 p.m., EST.
Ron Hornaday
NASCAR Truck Series Statistics at
Chicagoland Speedway
Starts: 1
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top Five’s: 0
Top 10’s: 0
Laps Led: 2
Average Start: 6.0
Average Finish: 11.0