Ron Hornaday Jr. made NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history last
weekend with an unprecedented four consecutive wins. At age 51, his
record-setting feat also tied him with Joe Ruttman and Harry Gant as the only
drivers over age 50 to win five races in a single season. Hornaday and the No.
33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet team head to Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday
(8 p.m. ET live on SPEED; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 7:30 p.m. ET) looking
to make it five successive wins on a track at which he has never visited Victory
Lane.
Below are the thoughts of the SPEED on-air Truck Series team as Hornaday
attempts to continue his winning streak:
Q: Drivers had won four consecutive races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and
Nationwide Series before. Why did it take so long to accomplish this milestone
in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series?
"Judging strictly by the numbers, you would have expected it to happen in the
Truck Series long before the others because we have fewer drivers competing each
week. But I'd contribute the delay to the diversity of the Truck schedule. In
the Cup Series, it's easier to get your car and performance dialed in when you
run Atlanta, Texas and Charlotte within a few weeks of each other, but in the
Truck Series, we go to a variety of tracks in near succession, such as
Mansfield, O'Reilly Raceway Park and Iowa, making it more difficult to win on a
weekly basis. That's what is so cool about Hornaday's accomplishment - that he
did it on a variety of venues."
-- Adam Alexander, SPEED reporter
Q: The Truck Series heads to Nashville this weekend, one of only eight tracks
at which Hornaday has never visited Victory Lane. What do you think his odds of
continuing his streak are?
"Despite the fact he is winless at Nashville, I see no reason Hornaday can't get
it done this weekend. I think they have a very legitimate shot of making it
five-in-a-row or even beyond that to six consecutive wins. It's very possible
this could become a much bigger record than four-in-a-row for Hornaday and his
No. 33 team."
-- Ray Dunlap, SPEED reporter
"Hornaday's team has a good chance of achieving five successive wins Saturday,
but in a break from the norm for this group, it's going to be more of an uphill
climb than usual because although Hornaday holds two top-five finishes in four
starts at Nashville, he has yet to visit Victory Lane. This will be a bigger
challenge for them than they've had the past few weeks."
-- Krista Voda, host of NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda
Q: Is Hornaday the best driver in the history of the Truck Series?
"Hornaday is the best driver the Truck Series has ever seen. Statistics always
tell you something about a driver's ability and a look at the record books at
the end of this season, will show Hornaday at the top of just about every
category imaginable. He is the best driver in series history strictly by the
numbers but also by watching him perform. There are two or three other guys I'd
put within striking distance but given Hornaday's performance the past two
seasons, he's the best by far."
-- Ray Dunlap
"There are a number of drivers you'd have to consider as the best of all time.
Mike Skinner has been outstanding and it's hard to match some of the numbers he
has put up. But the single best has to be Hornaday because he's been so strong
in so many different eras of Truck Series racing. Now at 51, Hornaday is as
dominant as he has ever been, which speaks volumes about him as a driver. He's
certainly in line to have a chance to win an unprecedented fourth championship.
You can make an argument for other drivers but I don't know how you could bet
against Hornaday as the best ever."
-- Adam Alexander
Q: Is Hornaday the championship favorite at this point in the season?
"Hornaday could very well win his fourth championship this season. You'd be
crazy to pick against him because he is the Jimmie Johnson of the Truck Series.
We all know not to bet against Johnson until he gives us a reason to. With five
wins this season, four consecutively, and 14 opportunities remaining, how could
you bet against 'The Professor'?"
