Kroger 250-Martinsville Speedway
Joe Denette Motorsports Express Notes
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race No. 2 of 22
Race Info:
Event: Kroger 250
TV: SPEED, 1:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 250 laps/131.5 miles
Track: .526-mile oval
Joe Denette Motorsports Media Contact at Martinsville:
Jessica Caulder O’Brien, 803-240-5807, Jessica@JoeDenetteMotorsports.com
Joe Denette Motorsports:
Team Website:www.JoeDenetteMotorsports.com
Team Facebook:www.facebook.com/JoeDenetteMotorsports
Fast & Fun Facts:
Joe Denette was recently featured in the March 12 issue of PEOPLE Magazine. Denette was one of five lottery winners highlighted in the article, “Amazing Lottery Stories.” Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Martinsville Speedway is the 27th annual event at the .526-mile short track.
Welcome Home:
Three members of the Joe Denette Motorsports team are from the “Old Dominion” state:
Joe Denette, owner of Joe Denette Motorsports, is from Fredericksburg, VA. Jeff Hensley, General Manager and crew chief for Ron Hornaday, Jr., is from Ridgeway, VA. Michael Hobson, rear tire carrier and mechanic on the No. 9 Chevrolet, is from Mechanicsville, VA.
Ron Hornaday
No. 9 Chevrolet
Ron’s Website:www.RonHornaday.com
Ron Hornaday on Twitter:@RonHornaday
Fast & Fun Facts:
Ted Musgrave, the 2005 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Champion, will be Ron Hornaday’s “Eyes in the Sky” at Martinsville. Musgrave, now retired, has 17 wins at the half-mile paperclip. Let Experience Prevail… Hornaday has raced at 45 different tracks in the NCWTS. Of those tracks, the 54-year-old Truck Series veteran has made the most starts at Martinsville Speedway logging 19 starts and 4163 laps (2,189.7 miles). Ron Hornaday competed in the inaugural NCWTS event at Martinsville Speedway on September 25, 1995.
This Weeks No. 9 Chevrolet:
Ron Hornaday will pilot chassis No. 8 in the 27th Annual NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Martinsville Speedway. This is the same Joe Denette Motorsports chassis that Elliott Sadler piloted to a ninth-place finish after starting on the pole in the 2011 NCWTS event at Bristol Motor Speedway. Jason White also piloted this chassis to a 15th-place finish in the October 2011 NCWTS event at Martinsville Speedway.
Spring Forward:
The NCWTS has been racing at Martinsville Speedway twice a year since 2003. With 19 starts at the .526-mile track, Hornaday’s average finish in the spring surpasses his average finish in the fall.
Spring- Average finish, 5.4 Fall- Average finish, 8.7
Ron Hornaday-Martinsville Minute:
Starts: 19
Poles: 1 (October 2008)
Wins: 1 (October 2010)
Top-5: 10
Top-10: 13
Laps Led: 311
Average Start: 7.9
Average Finish: 8.8
Laps Completed: 96.3% (4163 of 4324)
In The Loop…
According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Hornaday boasts impressive stats at Martinsville Speedway:
1st-Average Running Position with an average finish of 7.1 1st-Driver Rating with a rating of 112.1 1st- Fastest Driver’s Early in a Run 1st- Fastest Driver’s Late in a Run 1st- Fastest Laps Run with 235 1st- Fastest on Restarts 3rd- Green Flag passes with 332. 1st- Green Flag Speed 1st- Laps in the Top-15 with 2763 (87.4%) 2nd- Laps Led with 307, trailing Mike Skinner by 20.
Testing, 1, 2, 3, Testing…
Hornaday, and rookie teammate, Max Gresham, spent the day at Motor Mile Speedway on Wednesday, March 21, in preparation for this weekend’s event at Martinsville Speedway.
Hornaday’s NCWTS Stats:
Starts: 301
Top-5: 146
Top-10: 208
Poles: 27
Wins: 51
Laps Led: 9,525
Average Start: 8.2
Rearview Mirror-Daytona:
Hornaday started 12th and spent most of the 109-lap event in the top-15 before making a late charge to the front of the field with 20 laps to go. With three attempts at a green-white-checker finish, the Series veteran was involved in a last lap incident and credited with a 14th-place finish in his ninth start at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Get to the Points:
Following a 14th-place finish in the first event on the 2012 schedule at Daytona International Speedway, Hornaday is currently 13th in the 2012 NCWTS driver point standings. Joe Denette, owner of the No. 9 Chevrolet, is currently 14th in the 2012 NCWTS owner point standings.
Quoting Ron Hornaday:
What are the keys to success at Martinsville?
“Martinsville is always a fun place to race. We race in such close quarters at high speeds, and when you get 35 other trucks on the track, it’s a recipe for great racing. The keys to success at Martinsville are having a good truck and patience. If you have a good truck you can focus on the bigger picture and your patience doesn’t seem to wear as thin. This race will produce a lot of carnage, and if you have the best truck and stay out of trouble, you can win at Martinsville.”
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Max Gresham
No. 9 Made In USA Brand Chevrolet
Max Gresham Website:www.MaxGresham.com
Max Gresham on Twitter:@MaxGresham
Fast & Fun Facts:
Off weekend fun… Piloting the No. 18 Ronnie Sanders Pro Late Model, Max Gresham won the 95-lap 95KSJ Pro Late Model race at Mobile International Speedway on Saturday, March 17. Eyes in the sky…Veteran spotter, Lorin Ranier will be atop the spotters stand for Gresham in this weekend’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Ranier also spots full-time for Jamie McMurray in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
This Weeks No. 24 Made In USA Brand Chevrolet:
Crew chief, Terry Snyder has chosen chassis No. 4 for the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. This is the same Joe Denette Motorsports chassis that Jason White piloted in the 2011 NCWTS event at Darlington Raceway.
Max At Martinsville:
As a rookie in the NCWTS, Max Gresham will make his track debuts at numerous circuits on the schedule during the 2012 season. Martinsville Speedway, however, is one of the few exceptions. The 18-year-old driver has two starts at the .526-mile track:
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (2010)… Started 16th/Finished 17th. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2011)…Started 24th/Finished 25th
Gresham’s NCWTS Stats:
Starts: 3 (2011)
1 (2012)
Laps: 437
Average Start: 27.8
Average Finish: 26.8
Rearview Mirror-Daytona:
Gresham started 29th and finished 26th in his first career start at Daytona International Speedway. Running as high as fifth, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender spent the second half of the 109-lap event in the top-10 until an accident during an overtime green-white-checker scramble relegated the driver of the No. 24 Made In USA Brand Chevrolet to an undesired finish.
Testing 1, 2, 3, Testing:
During the four-week break between Daytona and Martinsville, Gresham and the No. 24 Joe Denette Motorsports team have tested twice in preparation for this weekend’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. On Thursday, March 15 the team tested at Little Rock Speedway in Rockingham, NC, and again on Wednesday, March 21 at Motor Mile in Radford, VA.
Get to the Points:
Following a 26th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway, Gresham is 24th in the 2012 NCWTS driver point standings. The No. 24 is 26th in the 2012 owner point standings.
Rookie Race:
After Daytona, Gresham is currently fifth in the 2012 Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle.
Quoting Max Gresham:
What are your thoughts about having a four-week break on the 2012 schedule between Daytona and Martinsville?
“It hasn’t been bad. The time off has allowed me to have time to prepare for Martinsville. When we tested at Little Rock a few weeks ago, Ron (Hornaday) just showed up and that was really cool. He has a lot of experience and success at short tracks, and has been a great mentor. Along with testing, I was able to run the Pro Late Model race in Mobile, AL a couple weeks ago. I had a lot of fun and did well. Mobile is a half-mile track so just logging laps and staying behind the wheel as much as I can, will really help me this year.”
Unlike most tracks on the 2012 schedule, you have been to Martinsville. Is Martinsville a track you enjoy?
“I like racing at Martinsville. It’s getting back to short-track racing which is the heart and soul of this sport. I’ve been there twice, once in an East car and once in a truck, and although I haven’t had good luck there, I finished the race both times which is a success within itself sometimes at this track. I feel like I will be one step ahead when we unload this week because it’s a track I know unlike Daytona. I was learning the track and the truck there. To be honest, I can’t wait to get on the track this weekend. I feel like I will be able to pick up where I left off in 2011.”
About Made In USA Brand:
The Made In USA Brand Certification Mark is the only certification mark for identifying goods either made or grown in the United States that are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The number of Made In USA Brand accredited companies has grown to more than 700 in just over a year.
Companies interested in securing the Made In USA Brand Certification Mark for their products are encouraged to log on to www.MadeInUSABrand.com.
Race fans interested in pledging along with Max Gresham to purchase made in USA manufactured goods can take the pledge for FREE at www.PledgeForUSA.com.
Overdrive:
We’re Guessing They Sign Their Names Fast Too:
Hornaday and Gresham will join other NCWTS drivers for an autograph session on Friday, March 30 from 4:00-5:00 PM located outside the Main Ticket Office at Martinsville Speedway.
