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If Jimmie Johnson’s racing in the Dickies 500 is nothing more than a Sunday drive for the likely Sprint Cup champion, what’s Ron Hornaday’s night going to be like Friday in the WinStar World Casino 350?
If he has anything to do with it, it’s not going to be any different than the first 22 races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series."It’s been a good year, but it’s not over yet," said Hornaday, who drives the No. 33 Veterans of Foreign Wars Chevrolet. "You can win as many as you want, but if you don’t win the championship, it doesn’t matter."Hornaday is well on his way to doing that. He’ll come into Friday’s race with a huge 202-point lead over second-place Matt Crafton. As long as Hornaday avoids disaster over the final three races of the season, he’ll be celebrating his fourth title in the NCWTS in Homestead, Fla., later this month.He’s done a great job of avoiding problems all season. Hornaday, 51, has won six times and has 17 top-10 finishes. He put a stranglehold on the series by winning five consecutive starts, becoming just the third driver in NASCAR’s top three series to do so. That streak allowed him to become the first NCWTS driver to earn the driver of the quarter honor. Hornaday gives plenty of credit to his owners — Kevin and DeLana Harvick."Winning five in a row is uncommon," said Hornaday, who has 44 victories in the series. "Winning five or six races, I’ve done that before. I’m with a great organization. Kevin and DeLana have given me great trucks every week. You’re only as good as your equipment."And while Hornaday is close to another title, he still wants to make sure and give his team the owners’ title. That lead is just 100 points for Kevin Harvick Inc. over Billy Ballew Motorsports, which benefits from having Kyle Busch as a part-time driver.Hornaday knows there are no guarantees for him at Texas Motor Speedway. He’s won at TMS twice in his 13 starts, with both of those victories coming in 2008. But he also has finishes of 27th, 24th and 18th. He finished 19th in June as a pit-road penalty and oil pressure woes doomed him despite leading 55 laps."I’ve won at Texas," he said. "I’ve run good at Texas. I’ve also blown motors. I’ve run out of gas. I’ve hit the fence off Turn 4. Texas keeps you honest because it’s a tough track to get around. We’re going there optimistic, but we know this thing isn’t over."He’s speaking from experience. Hornaday was in contention for the title last season until the final race and eventually lost to Johnny Benson by seven points.Hornaday spent the off-season working with crew chief Rick Ren trying to figure out how to run better on the tracks where the truck has struggled. That has paid off as Hornaday has been running at the end of all but two races. His worst finish was a 26th, but two races later he started his five-race streak in Milwaukee."It’s not over until that checkered flag falls at Homestead," said Hornaday, who could clinch the title before the season finale. "These last three races for me are harder than the start of the year. I’ve got to be on my p’s and q’s."
Hornaday at TMS
| Year | Start | Finish |
| ’97 | 12 | 27 |
| ’98 | 22 | 24 |
| Spring ’99 | 4 | 10 |
| Fall ’99 | 4 | 10 |
| Spring ’05 | 14 | 6 |
| Fall ’05 | 18 | 7 |
| Spring ’06 | 7 | 15 |
| Fall ’06 | 9 | 5 |
| Spring ’07 | 6 | 4 |
| Fall ’07 | 8 | 18 |
| Spring ’08 | 3 | 1 |
| Fall ’08 | 7 | 1 |
| Spring ’09 | 2 | 19 |
ANTHONY ANDRO, 817-390-7760
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