07-17-2006 | TruckSeries.com Report
BUSCH SERIES RETURNS TO MARTINSVILLE: The NASCAR Busch Series has not visited Martinsville (Va.) Speedway since 1994, but this weekend's event will be the 34th time that the Series has visited the half-mile paper clip shaped track. NASCAR Busch Series teams will have an open test session on Thursday, July 20, before the teams return to the track on Friday for two practice sessions. Qualifying and the race will take place on Saturday afternoon. "HOME TRACK" ADVANTAGE FOR KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) is located just 45 minutes southwest of Martinsville, Va., in Kernersville, N.C. KHI employs nearly 70 people, and many of the employees live in the area with a handful that live in the Martinsville (Va.) area. Crew members of the No. 33 and No. 77 teams will also get an added rarity to their weekend as well, as they'll be able to sleep in their own beds each night, instead of the typical race weekend sleeping at a hotel. HORNADAY BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE NO. 33: Ron Hornaday will return behind the wheel of the No. 33 Outdoor Channel Chevrolet this weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Hornaday will drive the No. 33 the next three weeks. Hornaday's last stop in the No. 33 Outdoor Channel Chevrolet was on June 24, at the Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile, where he finished 16th. DID YOU KNOW?: Ron Hornaday has never made a Busch Series start at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have ample experience at the half-mile track. Hornaday has eight career Truck Series starts and two career Cup Series starts at Martinsville, Va. Hornaday has three top-five finishes in those 10 starts. Hornaday already has one race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway under his belt this season, the Truck Series event in April when he finished 14th. HORNADAY TREND: After Ron Hornaday won his first Truck race of the 2006 season, he followed up that performance with a top-five run in his next Busch Series start at Dover, Del. Ron Hornaday will look to continue that trend on Saturday afternoon at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Hornaday currently has two Truck Series wins in 2006. Hornaday's second Truck Series win of the season was at Kentucky Speedway on July 8. His next Busch Series start will be at Martinsville Speedway on July 22, where Hornaday will be looking for another solid top-five performance to keep the trend alive. KHI QUOTEBOOK ARE YOU EXCITED TO WORK WITH WALLY ROGERS THIS WEEKEND? "Wally (Rogers) and I have a great working relationship. I've been able to work with Wally at Martinsville on three different occasions, so I'm excited to return there with him for the Busch race. I know all the Outdoor Channel guys have been working hard preparing for this race, and I'll do my best on the track this weekend. Wally as always will make great calls and get the car's handling where it needs to be." Crew Chief: Wally Rogers: YOU'VE SERVED AS CREW CHIEF FOR HORNADAY AT MARTINSVILLE BEFORE, IS THAT AN ADVANTAGE? "It will be nice to unload the car at Martinsville and have Hornaday know exactly what he's looking for on the first couple of laps. We work really well together, and have had some good runs together at Martinsville. Thursday's test session will be a big help, but Hornaday's experience will be the biggest advantage of all." DO YOU CONSIDER MARTINSVILLE A "HOME TRACK?" "Personally, I don't consider it a home track since I'm from New Jersey, but for KHI its definitely a home track. We'll all get to sleep in our own beds at night and be close to our families. It's also a great chance for the guys back at the shop who don't travel to get to come to the track and see our teams compete. Hopefully that means "home track" advantage for the No. 33 this weekend." TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Driver: Ron Hornaday: WILL YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE TRUCK RACE EARLIER THIS YEAR AT MARTINSVILLE HELP YOU? "Any extra seat time you can get at a track always helps. I've been fortunate to turn a lot of laps at Martinsville (Va.). I've drove the Truck there a bunch, and most recently for Kevin and DeLana (Harvick). I've had a lot of great runs there, and hopefully we can put it all together this weekend in the Outdoor Channel Chevrolet."