Race: Kentucky 201
Location: Kentucky Speedway
Starting Position: 22nd
Finishing Position: 14th
Owner Points Position: 12th
Race Recap: Four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) champion Ron Hornaday has grown accustomed to celebrating in victory lane at the end of the night throughout his career. But this week, after back to back finishes outside the top-20 of 30th and 33rd at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway in recent weeks, a top-15 finish in Friday night’s 13th Annual Kentucky 201 at Kentucky Speedway was a positive change for the all-time series winner. Hornaday, who overcame handling woes and a vibration late in the race, held on to finish 14th when the checkered flag flew at laps 134.
Joe Denette Motorsports (JDM) welcomed Chevrolet Truck Month aboard the No. 9 Silverado alongside associate sponsors Arthur Krenzel Lett (AKL) Insurance Group and Mudslingers Contracting for the 134-lap duel in the Bluegrass State. The event marked the 16th race on the 22-race NCWTS schedule and marked Hornaday’s 316th series start.
Hornaday put the Chevy Truck Month No. 9 on the leader board 13th right out of the box in Friday morning’s first hour-long practice session. After working to get the splitter off the racetrack and overcoming a tight condition early on, Hornaday posted the 16th-fastest lap at the end of the session.
In the 1.5-hour final NCWTS Kentucky 201 practice session Ron Hornaday, battling a tight condition, posted the 20th-quickest lap in his first run. Hornaday then brought the No. 9 Chevy to the garage where the JDM team made a spring change on Hornaday’s chassis No. 11 and ended the session scored 23rd.
Hornaday was the 19th qualifier in the Kentucky 201 time trials and put his Chevrolet Silverado fifth on the charts on the first lap. After all 37 trucks took time, Hornaday lined up 22nd on the outside of row 11 with a fast lap of 31.296 (172.546 mph).
When the green flag fell on the 13th Annual Kentucky 201, Hornaday rolled off from the 22nd-position with the confidence of knowing that the last time he started 22nd at Kentucky Speedway in 2006, he ended the night in victory lane. Hornaday started his charge back to victory lane as soon as possible and was scored ahead four positions in 18th on just the second lap of the 134-lap event.
After the field settled into race-pace Hornaday held the No. 9 Chevy Truck Month Silverado in the 21st-position only complaining that he was uncomfortable with the left front geometry and was experiencing a loose condition on corner entry. When the first caution flew at lap 16, crew chief Terry “Richie” Snyder brought the No. 9 to pit road to the attention of the JDM crew for four fresh Goodyear tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to combat their handling issues. Hornaday restarted the Kentucky 201 on lap 20, scored 24th.
It was only a handful of laps before the yellow flag was displayed a second time at lap 22. Snyder once again chose to bring Hornaday to pit road, this time for a left front chassis adjustment. As the yellow waved for 10 laps, Hornaday made another trip down pit road to top off on fuel at lap 30 and once more on lap 31 to top off again in attempt to work the fuel strategy in their favor. Hornaday restarted from the 23rd position when the field went back green on lap 32.
The third caution flew only three laps later at lap 35 and the field remained under an extended yellow for seven laps. Hornaday and crew chief Snyder discussed their race strategy under the caution and chose to hit pit road to top off with fuel one more time at lap 41 before going back green on lap 42 from the 21st-position.
When the pattern continued and the caution waved once again just five laps later at lap 47, Hornaday radioed to the JDM crew that he needed the No. 9 machine “tightened up.” Hornaday came to pit road for the necessary chassis adjustments and incurred a stop-and-go penalty for removing equipment from the pit box. Hornaday lined up 21st when the field restarted at lap 51.
When the fifth caution of the night flew at lap 55 for an accident in turn two, Hornaday barely missed the melee to take over the 15th-position when the field shuffled out and went back green on lap 58.
Still battling the loose condition, Hornaday lost one position and was scored 16th when the caution fell for the sixth time at lap 81. Snyder chose to bring the No. 9 Chevrolet to pit road twice under this caution for right side tires and fuel on the first stop and a left front chassis adjustment on the second trip. On the lap 84 restart, Hornaday lined up 18th ready to make up ground when the field went back green.
By lap 86, Hornaday advanced four positions to 14th before reporting a slight vibration in the rear of the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado with just 42 laps remaining in the 13th Annual Kentucky 201. The vibration continued as the green-flag run went on but Hornaday was able to hold on to the 15th-position until the final caution of the night at lap 108. Hornaday stayed out while others hit pit road under the caution and moved up to 11th on the leader board.
Restarting 11th with just 23 laps remaining in the Kentucky 201, Hornaday fell to 14th at lap 118 and remained in the position, solidly in the top-15, until the checkered flag waved for race-winner James Buescher at lap 134. Parker Kligerman, Ty Dillon, Joey Coulter and Brian Scott completed the top-5 finishers.
Ron Hornaday Quotes: “We really missed it this weekend. The truck was just wrecking loose during the race and it took everything I had to hold on to it and bring it home in one piece. It was a change of pace to finish the race after our last couple weeks but honestly, we just stayed out of trouble and survived tonight.”
Notes:
* Hornaday remained tenth in the 2012 NCWTS driver point standings after his 14th-place finish in Friday night’s 13th Annual Kentucky 201 at Kentucky Speedway, 79 points outside the top-five and 125 points behind leader, Ty Dillon
* Team owner Joe Denette also held strong and ended the evening still twelfth in the owner point standings, just four point behind eleventh-place
* After 16 races in 2012, Hornaday now has 10 top-15 and six top-10 finishes with an average start of 13.2 and an average finish of 14.4
Up Next: The NCWTS will return to the main stage Saturday, September 29 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Smith’s 350. Hornaday captured his record-breaking 51st series win in the 2011 edition of the 146-lap event and will be looking to record his 52nd, taking the JDM No. 9 team with him this time. Don’t miss all the action, LIVE on SPEED beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.
