03-20-2006 | TruckSeries.com Report
This weekend marks the 2006 debut of Ron Hornaday in the No. 33 Outdoor Channel Chevrolet at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (BMS). Hornaday will drive the Outdoor Channel Monte Carlo SS in 13 races this season. Hornaday, who also drives the No. 33 KHI Silverado in the Truck Series, has 158 career Busch Series starts and four Busch Series wins to his credit. Hornaday made his last Busch Series start in 2005 at Phoenix International Raceway. Ron Hornaday has nine Busch Series starts at BMS, with a best finish of second. He also has six Truck Series starts at Bristol with two wins to his credits. Both of Hornaday's wins in the Truck Series came from a start on the pole. After five Busch Series events the No. 33 team is currently sixth in the Busch Series Owner's standings, just nine markers out of the fifth position. To date three different drivers have piloted the No. 33; Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Ron Fellows. Ron Hornaday will become the fourth driver this weekend at BMS. Following this weekend's Busch Series event at BMS, the Busch will get a well-deserved weekend off. The Truck and Cup Series' will move to Martinsville, Va., while the Busch Series will prepare for competition in two weeks at Texas Motor Speedway. Driver: Ron Hornaday Will having a teamate make a difference at Bristol? "It never hurts to have a teammate anywhere you go. Bristol is a little bit different because there is so much going on so fast. The best thing going into a place like Bristol is to have a teammate to go to during practice to talk about the set-ups. It'll be fun to watch Burney (Lamar) at his first Bristol race too!" Crew Chief: Wally Rogers Talk about preparing for the first short-track race of the season? "We really don't look at it all that much different than any other race. We beef up the front end of the car a little bit, but other than that you know that the key to Bristol is to be ready for anything. Hopefully you can be in position at the front of the field and avoid as much trouble as possible. The handling of the car is important there and you want to take care of your stuff." Technical Information
Are you exicted to get behind the wheel of the No. 33? "I've been excited about driving the No. 33 since we first talked about it last season. KHI has provided me with a great team and great race trucks, I expect the same with the No. 33 team. I have a good relationship with Wally that carries over from last season in the trucks. I know we'll unload the car at Bristol and be ready to go."
You worked with Ron in 2005 as his truck crew chief, will that benefit you this weekend? "I think my past experience with Ron will be a big help to the team this weekend. We had a lot of success last year in the Truck Series, and I know what he wants in a racecar. That'll be important considering the limited amount of practice time we getget ge. Plus Ron's a veteran and has a lot of laps around Bristol, so that'll be key!"