NEWS AND NOTES: Toyota Tundra 200
07-27-2009 7:22 pm

Rick Ren, crew chief for the Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet team and driver Ron Hornaday Jr., is on the verge of making the NCWTS record books himself. With the team's win at ORP, Ren is tied with Dennis Connor as the all-time winning crew chief in the series. He's accumulated 26 wins with five different drivers. Three of those drivers are part of KHI: Former series driver and now KHI General Manager Rick Carelli; Andy Houston, who is also a former NASCAR driver and is currently the No. 4 KHI team's spotter; and of course three-time series champion Hornaday. At the rate his team is competing, chances are high Ren will eclipse that 26-win mark.

Travis Kvapil, the 2004 series champion and 2007 race winner at Nashville, will be back with the series this weekend piloting the No. 51 Miccosukee Resort & Casino Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports. In five starts, Kvapil has one top-five and one top-10 finish to go with his win. He most recently competed in the series last November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he grabbed a sixth- place finish.

Also keep an eye on Aric Almirola who will join Kvapil this weekend as a teammate in the No. 15 Toyota for BBM. This will be Almirola's sixth start in the No. 15 this year. In his last three starts, he's nailed three top-five finishes, including a third-place finish over the weekend at ORP.