RON HORNADAY
No. 33 Utz Snacks Chevrolet Silverado
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race 7 of 25 – Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
HOME SWEET HOME: Ron Hornaday knows his way around the 1.5-mile track of Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Hornaday has been credited with Kevin Harvick Inc,’s (KHI) only two truck wins at the track. The four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion has five consecutive top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes so far this season but has yet to capture a victory. Hornaday will be looking to claim his first during Friday night’s 134-lap N.C. Education Lottery 200.
In his six starts at Charlotte, Hornaday has completed 811 of 812 laps. The driver dominated the race to lead the team to their first Truck Series victory of the 2007 season, leading 97 laps and holding an average position of 1.669 throughout the race. His second victory at the track came in 2009, the same year Hornaday won his fourth series title. The veteran driver was able to lead 29 laps and held an average place of 3.940, spending only two laps of the 134 lap event outside the top-15.
UTZ SNACKS: The No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado will once again be sporting the Utz Quality Foods paint scheme this weekend at Charlotte as the primary sponsor. The brand will also return as primary sponsor on August 6 where the Truck Series will be returning for their sophomore show at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 team will utilize chassis No. 058 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This chassis will make its on track debut this weekend as a newly-built chassis at the KHI facility. The team has done extensive wind tunnel testing and has promising numbers on the aero package.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: The No. 33 Utz Snacks Chevrolet team prevailed through what could have easily been an early end to an afternoon bringing home a ninth-place finish for the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last weekend. Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 team captured their fifth top-10 finish of the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season and maintained their fourth position in the Driver’s Point Standings, only eight points out of the lead.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Ron Hornaday
What are your thoughts and expectations heading into Charlotte?
“Everyone wants to win and loves to win at Charlotte. It’s so close to home, and it’s great to be near family and friends. We are bringing a brand new truck to the track. Jeff Hensley and the guys at the shop are doing such a great job, and we are really looking forward to the race.”
THOUGHTS FROM THE CREW CHIEF: Jeff Hensley
What is tricky about Charlotte?
“Ever since they repaved the track back in 2005 it is a lot smoother. We have been given a harder tire there in the past which in turn makes it harder to get into the race track. The bumps are starting to come back in Turns 3 and 4 but we are still searching for more grip.
“When you have a harder tire, a good aero package will help you balance out. We have spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel working on getting the drag out and getting good down force. The guys on this No. 33 team have worked really hard on this truck package and getting all the details right. Having the right people working together makes all the difference”.
The big screen TV has been unveiled and will be ready for Charlotte. Are you excited for that?
“That is pretty neat. I hope that I can see it from on top of the pit box. I will certainly be watching some of the race from the big screen. It’ll feel like I’m sitting at home watching the race, on a much larger scale.”
About Utz Quality Foods:
Utz Quality Foods was founded in 1921 and inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch cooking traditions. Today, the privately-owned and family-oriented company is based in Hanover, Pa., and manufactures over 90 flavors or varieties of snacks, including potato chips, pretzels, tortilla and corn chips, cheese curls, onion rings, popcorn and a specialty Natural and Organic line. Utz distributes its products from Maine to North Carolina. For more information about Utz or its products, visit www.utzsnacks.com or call 1-800-FOR-SNAX.
