NTS Motorsports News & Notes
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race No. 1 of 22
Ron Hornaday
No. 9 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet Silverado
Whether it’s his new home at NTS Motorsports at his old stomping grounds in Kernersville, NC, being reunited with former crew chief, Bruce Cook or the support from returning sponsor, Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff, Ron Hornaday has a fire in his heart and a pep in his step. After going winless in 2012 for the first time in his 13-year full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) career, Hornaday is on a mission to prove that he still has what it takes to be a five-time champion in 2013.
Driver Highlights:
2013 will mark Hornaday’s 14th full-time season in the NCWTS
Hornaday is the only four-time NCWTS Champion (2009, 2007, 1998, 1996)
Hornaday will make his 323rd career start in Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS)
Hornaday is the series all-time race winner with 51 victories and has 148 top-five finishes, 214 top-10’s, 27 poles and 9553 laps led
There are only seven tracks on the 2013 schedule (not including Eldora or Canadian Tire) that Hornaday has never won at and DIS is one of them
In 2012, Hornaday finished 13th in the NCWTS driver point standings. He accumulated two top-five and six top-10 finishes during the season. The veteran driver had an average start of 13.5 and an average finish of 17.3.
Where He Stands:
Hornaday returns to the NCWTS for his second season in the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado. After a successful merger between Joe Denette Motorsports and NTS Motorsports, the 54-year-old veteran finds himself part of a new home in the truck series garage with NTS Motorsports and rookie teammate, Brennan Newberry. The 2013 season brings about the return of Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff which is celebrating their second season with Hornaday and NASCAR and will adorn the No. 9 machine for 12 of the 22 events, kicking off their campaign in Friday night’s 100 lap/250-mile showdown. Hornaday will also be reunited with crew chief, Bruce Cook for the 2013 season and the rookie team will utilize ECR Engines.
Calling The Shots:
For the first time since 2011, Bruce Cook will be back atop the pit box for Ron Hornaday. In just four starts together at Kevin Harvick Inc., the duo captured one pole (Las Vegas) and two wins (Kentucky, Las Vegas). In a two year span (2009 & 2011), Bruce Cook has 27 starts to his resume as a crew chief in the NCWTS which includes six wins, 18 top-five, 22 top-10’s and four poles to his credit. Cook has one DIS win (2011) with Tony Stewart in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Chassis History:
Hornaday will pilot NTS Motorsports chassis No. 10 in this weekend’s NextEra Energy Resources 200 at DIS. This is the same Chevrolet Silverado that Hornaday piloted to a 28th-place finish, due to a late-race accident, at Talladega Superspeedway in 2011.
Daytona Fast Facts:
In nine DIS starts in NCWTS competition, Hornaday has a best finish of fifth (2009) including one top-five and two top-10 finishes with 18 laps led. The four-time champion boasts an average start of 10.4 coupled with an average finish of 18.6 and has completed 82.8 percent of laps attempted (757 of 914).
In The Loop:
According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Hornaday has the following stats at DIS:
13th- Average Running Position with an average finish of 14.747
10th- Driver Rating with an average driver rating of 84.8
8th- Fastest Laps Run with 10
2nd- Laps in the Top-15 with 505
8th- Laps Led with 18
A Penny For Your Thoughts-Ron Hornaday:
“There is obviously a lot of hype this weekend about the Daytona 500, but as a racer just competing at Daytona is a dream come true no matter which series you are in. Although the results have not shown it, I’ve had some good runs here and it’s one of those tracks that I would really like to cross off my bucket list.”
“There have been a lot of changes to the core of this organization for 2013 and I would say they are changes for the better. Bob (Newberry), has put the right people in place and done his homework to build a successful organization and Bruce (Cook) is one of those great leaders. We have a friendship and a bond that I believe will reignite again in 2013.”
About Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff:
Smokey Mountain Chew, Inc. is the World’s largest non-tobacco smokeless company, and the category innovator. Smokey Mountain invented tobacco-free snuff as a nicotine-free chewing tobacco option for adult consumers as well as an aid to help people quit chewing tobacco. Smokey Mountain is dedicated to providing the best tobacco-free smokeless alternatives on the market, in the flavors that adult consumers demand. For more information on Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff visit: www.SmokeySnuff.com
About NTS Motorsports:
NTS Motorsports is the result of a successful merger between Joe Denette of Joe Denette Motorsports and Bob Newberry of NTS Motorsports. The new powerhouse team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) established its headquarters in Kernersville, North Carolina where a select group of the industry’s best have collaborated.
The team will field two full-time NCWTS entries under the NTS Motorsports banner with Ron Hornaday back behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado and Brennan Newberry continuing in the No. 14 Chevrolet Silverado. The team will also field a third entry, the No. 24, for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran, Kevin Harvick for both Martinsville Speedway events in April and October, respectively.
Originally founded as a family racing team in Bakersfield, California by Bob Newberry, NTS Motorsports has a history of proven success in a variety of racing series. Along with the team’s flagship NCWTS shop in North Carolina, NTS Motorsports has a major presence in California where the team operates a development team in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, ARCA Racing Series, and Spears SRL South West Tour Series.
Bob Newberry has committed himself and his resources to making NTS Motorsports a winning team in NASCAR. In November, 2012, Bob Newberry and Wes Furrh jointly purchased the former Kevin Harvick, Inc. (KHI) building, boasting 70,000 square feet of shop space. The three-team powerhouse looks to continue the success in 2013 that KHI produced in the building in previous seasons with two NCWTS championships and 43 series victories.
As a young, passionate race team in NASCAR, NTS Motorsports is laying the groundwork to become one of the top teams in the industry with long term goals set firmly in the upper echelons of NASCAR’s top touring divisions.
For more information on Ron Hornaday and NTS Motorsports visit: www.NTSMotorsports.com
or follow us on Twitter @RonHornaday or @TeamNTS
