Turner Scott Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News & Notes:
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Ron Hornaday
No. 30 Rheem Comfort Products Silverado
Charlotte Motor Speedway – North Carolina Education Lottery 200
May 16, 2014
Queen [City] For A Day…The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) heads home to the Queen City for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) on May 16. Four-time NCWTS champion Ron Hornaday Jr. will make his 10th-career start at the mile-and-a-half quad-oval track in hopes of scoring his third-career win at the facility. In his nine previous events at CMS, Hornaday has earned two wins, six top fives, six top 10s, led 170 laps and has an average finish of 9.3.
Previous Race Recap…Hornaday finished eighth for Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) at Kansas Speedway on a wild Friday night of racing in the nation’s heartland. Hornaday started the weekend out strong in the No. 30 Rheem Comfort Products Chevrolet, finishing 10th in the first practice session and 13th in final practice on Thursday. Hornaday and the NCWTS then tackled NASCAR’s “knockout” qualifying format for the first time on Friday afternoon, earning the 14th starting position with a time of 30.862 seconds for Friday night’s shootout. Before the field could complete the first lap, Hornaday was touched by another competitor in Turn 4, causing a multi-truck accident. Despite suffering damage, the No.30 team was able to make repairs to the Rheem Chevrolet and keep Hornaday on the lead lap. Hornaday settled into the top 15 after the restart and would maintain his position until Lap 57 when Hornaday was again involved in a multi-truck accident, bringing out the fifth caution of the day. Despite suffering damage, Hornaday and his TSM still remained on the lead lap and would restart P17. Hornaday would continue his march to the front, surviving five more cautions en route to an eighth-place finish for the Rheem Comfort Products Chevrolet.
This Week’s Silverado…The No. 30 Rheem Comfort Products team will unload chassis TSM-604 for this weekend’s race at CMS. TSM-604 made its on-track debut with Miguel Paludo behind the wheel last year at Phoenix International Raceway.
Gotta Have a Rheem…Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta. In its 88th year of operation, the company manufactures a full line of high-quality residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar, and heat pump water heaters; swimming pool heaters and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Raypak, Ruud and Rheem, have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is now in its eighth consecutive year as a NASCAR sponsor.
Watch and Listen…The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 can be seen live on Friday, May 16 on FOX Sports 1. Race coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. EDT, and the event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Radio, channel 90.
Ron Hornaday Jr. on Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
“Charlotte has been a pretty good track to me over the years. Turner Scott Motorsports has a really strong mile-and-a-half program, and we all had some really fast trucks in Kansas, so I think this can be a good race for TSM and the Rheem Comfort Products Chevrolet. We had a little bad luck last week in Kansas that kept us out of victory lane last week, so there’s nothing I’d like more than to go back and win this one for everyone at Turner Scott Motorsports.”
NCWTS Results at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Starts: 9
Wins: 2
Poles: 0
Top 5: 6
Top 10: 6
Laps Led: 265
Average Start: 9.2
Average Finish: 9.3
Ben Kennedy
No. 31 ALS Association Silverado
Charlotte Motor Speedway – North Carolina Education Lottery 200
May 16, 2014
Home Game…The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is back in action this week with its second-consecutive Friday night race under the lights. This weekend’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) is a ‘home game’ for Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) and most of the NASCAR teams and crew members who call the Queen City home. The 1.5-mile quad-oval will be new turf for Kennedy, who has never made a start at CMS. However, he and the No. 31 team tested at the facility last month, laying down some of the fastest laps at the two-day test.
May is ALS Awareness Month…This weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kennedy’s No. 31 Chevrolet Silverado will once again be carrying the colors of the ALS Association. This weekend, Kennedy will represent North Carolina’s Jim “Catfish” Hunter Chapter of the ALS Association. The Jim “Catfish” Hunter Chapter focuses primarily on helping local patients and families live with ALS while the National Office focuses primarily on research and advocacy. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are approximately twice as likely to get ALS. There is no cure and no life-prolonging treatments for the disease.
The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, the ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information, visit ALSA.org and CatfishChapter.org.
Previous Race Recap…Luck was not on Kennedy’s side as the 22-year-old made his first-career start at Kansas Speedway. After impressively running fifth and second in the weekend’s two practice sessions, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender felt poised to make a strong qualifying run for the SFP 250. Unfortunately making his warm-up lap in the first round of qualifying, Kennedy’s ALS Association Chevrolet got loose and made contact with the wall, causing enough damage to require going to a backup truck. Still, Kennedy and the No. 31 team felt confident, utilizing a truck which had seen victory lane many times, including once at Kansas Speedway. Taking the green flag from the 30th position, Kennedy had worked his way to as high as eighth when a wreck broke out in front of the ALS Association Chevrolet on lap 57. Kennedy missed the initial incident, but when another competitor was knocked into him, the young driver suffered heavy nose damage and was forced into the garage for repairs. Ultimately, Kennedy was able to return to the track and finish the race, crossing the finish line in the 20th position.
This Week’s Silverado…Kennedy and the No. 31 ALS Association Silverado crew will utilize chassis TSM-601 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. TSM-601 was the truck tested at CMS last month. The truck also ran four times last season with James Buescher behind the wheel. The truck earned one win (Iowa Speedway II) and never finished outside the top 10.
Watch and Listen…The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 can be seen live on Friday, May 16 on FOX Sports 1. Race coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. EDT, and the event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Radio, channel 90. Kennedy will also be carrying an on-board camera for the event, so tune in to catch all the action.
Ben Kennedy on Charlotte Motor Speedway
“I could not be more ready to get to Charlotte and get some redemption. Kansas was a tough race for us overall; we really couldn’t have had more bad luck, so the best way to put it behind us is with a good run. We were so fast when we tested in Charlotte last month, so I think this could be a really great race for us. We’ve got a great truck, and it would be great to get a win in Charlotte at Turner Scott Motorsports’ home base, in front of our whole team’s friends and family.”
NCWTS results at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
-First Career Start-
Tayler Malsam
No. 32 Outerwall Silverado
Charlotte Motor Speedway – North Carolina Education Lottery 200
May 16, 2014
This Week’s Silverado…Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. and the No. 32 TSM team will unload a familiar chassis this week at Charlotte. TSM-605 made its debut last season at the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway, where it claimed the pole, followed by a third-place finish at the NCWTS finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Let’s Go…Turner Scott Motorsports is pleased to welcome Outerwall, Inc. on board the No. 32 Chevrolet Silverado for 12 NCWTS races this year. As the company that brought consumers Redbox® entertainment, Coinstar® money services, and ecoATM® electronics recycling kiosks, Outerwall is leading the next generation of automated retail.With more than 20 years of experience, the company mission is to create a better everyday by delivering breakthrough kiosk experiences that delight consumers and generate revenue for retailers.
Previous Race Recap…In his return to the NCWTS, Tayler Malsam proved he was back with a vengeance as he took on Kansas Speedway. During the two practice sessions, Malsam placed 12th fastest, followed by eighth fastest, and continued to perform as he placed the No. 32 truck in the 13th starting position after his first attempt at NASCAR’s new qualifying format. Despite a caution-filled night, Malsam spent most of his time running within the top five and was able to avoid multiple incidents when the field went three and four wide. After an impressive last-lap battle, Malsam crossed the finish line in fifth position, just a nose short of taking fourth.
Watch and Listen…Don’t miss any of the action as the NCWTS goes racing under the lights in NASCAR’s backyard. The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 can be seen live on Friday, May 16 beginning at 8:00 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports 1. The race can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Tayler Malsam on Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
“I’m really looking forward to racing our No. 32 Outerwall truck again this weekend. It felt great to get a top-five finish in my first run with Turner Scott Motorsports, and I think we’ve got a chance to do it again this week. My team and I were able to test at Charlotte Motor Speedway a few weeks ago and I learned some stuff that I plan to apply this weekend. The truck we’re taking had two good runs at mile-and-a-half tracks last year, so that will also work to our advantage. I’m ready to get back out there and get to work.”
NCWTS Results at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Starts: 2
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top 5: 0
Top 10: 1
Laps Led: 0
Average Start: 14.5
Average Finish: 10.5
