Catchfence » Georgia Boot

Georgia Boot, America’s Hardest Working Boot, Ready for Todd Bodine to Defend Race Title at Kentucky Speedway

Press Release — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:19:28 +0000

Todd Bodine

Mooresville, N.C. (July 4, 2011) - Germain Racing finally gets to show off the No. 30 Georgia Boot Tundra to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fans on Thursday night at Kentucky Speedway. Todd Bodine, last year’s Kentucky Speedway race winner and the defending Truck Series champion will be behind the wheel of the Toyota which proudly bears the branding of America’s Hardest Working Boot.

“This first race with Georgia Boot is one we’ve been looking forward to on the schedule for quite some time. Georgia Boot is America’s Hardest Working Boot, and I truly believe they are with the best team in the Truck Series. Germain Racing’s crew guys work their guts out each and every week, so Georgia Boot is a natural fit here. We’re looking forward to having a long relationship with Georgia Boot,” said Bodine.

Announced earlier in the season, the Georgia Boot primary sponsorship event is finally here and everyone from Rocky Brands in Nelsonville, OH, is looking forward to Thursday.

“Everybody at Rocky Brands is very excited about our upcoming primary at Kentucky Speedway! We can’t wait to see Todd race around the track in the #30 Georgia Boot Racing truck! Hopefully our truck will bring Todd a little bit of luck and he’ll be able to bring home the checkered flag to victory lane! Georgia Boot has always been “America’s Hardest Working Boot” and this year we were lucky enough to join forces with “America’s Hardest Working Team” in Germain Racing. We really couldn’t have picked a better team to sponsor,” said Jordan Gottke, Marketing Manager for Georgia Boot at Rocky Brands, Inc.

Being the defending race winner gives Bodine and the No. 30 Georgia Boot Tundra team some extra confidence heading into Kentucky.

“It’s definitely a better state of mind heading to Kentucky Speedway after our win there last year. We know we can get it done. We already knew that because we’d always run well there in the past. But, getting the win last year proves it. We have high hopes for the Georgia Boot Tundra this week at Kentucky,” said Bodine, who will race chassis GR-016 on Thursday.

Thursday’s race will be broadcast on SPEED at 8:00 PM Eastern. Watch it live, or tune your radio dial to your local MRN affiliate.

Germain Racing is only the second team in Truck Series history to earn multiple wins in seven consecutive seasons. Germain Racing has 22 wins, nine pole awards and two championships. Follow the team on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.

Georgia Boot is a manufacturer and marketer of quality work and outdoor footwear. It is a division of Rocky Brands, a publicly traded company on NASDAQ® under the symbol: RCKY. For more information, visit www.georgiaboot.com.

Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/GeorgiaBoot

- Germain Racing Press Release

Germain Racing Brings in Jamey Slawter to Lead Marketing Efforts

Press Release — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:33:35 +0000

Germain Racing

Mooresville, NC (06-14-2011) – Germain Racing has hired Jamey Slawter as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Slawter. A senior executive in the motorsports industry, Slawter brings more than 13 years of experience selling sponsorships to championship-caliber race teams. He will lead all marketing, sales, account management and licensing endeavors.

“We are excited to have Jamey join our race team. He brings years of experience and a proven track record of success in NASCAR sales and marketing. I am looking forward to working with him,” said Bob Germain Jr., president of Germain Racing.

Germain Racing began in 2004 as a single-truck organization competing solely in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team has since earned two Truck Series championship titles and Germain Racing’s 22 victories have played a key role in Toyota’s five-year reign on the manufacturer’s championship in NCWTS.

Currently Germain Racing competes under the Toyota brand in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with sponsorship from GEICO, South Point Hotel & Casino, Valvoline, Tire Kingdom, Georgia Boot, Lofton Cattle, Lincoln Welders, Samoa Artesian Waters and Big Red. For information on how your company can join the lineup of sponsors at Germain Racing visit www.GermainRacing.com

- Germain Racing Press Release

Germain Racing Confirms Ownership Change

Press Release — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:31:48 +0000

Germain Racing

Mooresville, NC (May 23, 2011) – As has been reported in the media, Germain Racing has had a change in ownership. The change comes about as part of an ongoing Germain-family estate plan. Steve Germain and Rick Germain have effectively transferred their ownership interests in Germain Racing to their brother Bob Germain Jr. Bob Germain will continue his active role in the management of Germain Racing, LLC.

“Being able to share the wins and championships we’ve earned to date with my brothers has been very special. Steve and Rick’s support of the team over the last seven years has helped us build a very strong foundation at Germain Racing. I am looking forward to the continued growth and success of this race team,” stated Bob Germain, President of Germain Racing.

- Germain Racing Press Release

Ron Hornaday Finishes Second at Homestead

Press Release — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:03:07 +0000

“Four-Time Truck Series champion battles Kyle Busch for win”

Georgia Boot

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 20, 2010) — Ron Hornaday wanted to end 2010 on a high note. The No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Georgia Boot team had gone through much adversity in 2010 and entered Homestead with a goal of leaving those memories behind. Hornaday qualified ninth for the Ford 200 and battled his way to the front, leading 15 laps before succumbing to a hard-charging Kyle Busch on the final restart to finish the race in the second position.

“We had a great Georgia Boot Chevrolet,” said Hornaday after the race. “I’m just so proud of this team for sticking with it this year. I know we have had some really hard times, but we have battled through and our run this weekend really showed the strength of this team. We started off the weekend not great in practice, but we put our heads together and came up with a great plan. I just got too tight at the end of the race to have anything for Kyle [Busch]. However, this is a great run for our team and just a great way to end 2010. I can’t wait to get to Daytona.”

Hornaday began the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway from the ninth position. Mired in a large group of trucks early in the event, Hornaday radioed crew chief Butch Hylton that he was too tight in traffic. Hornaday settled into the ninth position until the first caution of the night waved on lap 30. The No. 33 team brought Hornaday down pit road for the first scheduled pit stop of the race for four tires, fuel, and an air-pressure and chassis adjustment. The No. 33 team performed a solid stop gaining Hornaday two positions, moving him to seventh for the restart on lap 35. Hornaday jumped up to the third position on the restart, battling Aric Almirola for second by lap 40. Hornaday took the second position briefly on lap 44 before falling back to fourth on lap 52.

The second caution of the night was displayed on lap 74. Under the caution, Hornaday reported to the team that the truck was still too tight, but the previous adjustment had helped. The team brought the No. 33 truck to pit road for the second scheduled pit stop of the night for four tires, fuel and another air-pressure and chassis adjustment. Another solid stop from the No. 33 team gained Hornaday two additional positions, placing him second when the race restarted on lap 80. Hornaday was informed prior to the restart that the caution had fallen right on the edge of the No. 33 truck’s fuel window, and was encouraged to save fuel when he had the opportunity.

Falling to fourth on the restart, Hornaday quickly radioed the team that there was not a problem with the truck, but that he had messed up the restart and would get the spots back. As the No. 33 truck moved back into the third position, Hornaday asked spotter Rick Carelli to keep him updated on the lines the leaders were running so he could work to catch them. The caution waved for the third time on lap 88. The leaders chose to stay out under the caution period and Hornaday restarted the race on lap 93 in third position. The top six trucks battled fervently for the top positions swapping spots back and fourth until the caution was displayed once again on lap 104 as leaders Busch and Johnny Sauter both made contact with the wall.

Hornaday came to pit road for the last scheduled pit stop of the evening for four tires, fuel and a final air-pressure adjustment. With several trucks either staying on the track or taking two tires, the No. 33 truck restarted the race on lap 110 from the 12th position. Due to the differing strategies, trucks were four wide across Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hornaday rode the outside lane gaining six positions before the caution was once again displayed on lap 111 when the No. 72 truck took down four of the safety sand barrels at the end of pit road.

The red flag was displayed for cleanup efforts at the end of pit road. The race restarted on lap 114 with Hornaday in the third position. Hornaday quickly made his way to the front, taking the lead on lap 116. With 10 laps to go Hornaday paced the field, but a hard-charging Busch appeared in his mirror. The caution came out for the final time of the evening on lap 126 when Hornaday’s KHI teammate Elliott Sadler spun in turn four. Hornaday took the outside lane for the restart on lap 130. Doing all he could to hold off Busch, the No. 18 was able to get a powerful side draft and get around the No. 33. Hornaday was unable to make it back to Busch to battle for the win. Hornaday ended the race in the second position and capped off the 2010 season seventh in the Truck Series point standings.

The victory marked Busch’s eighth Truck Series win of 2010. The remainder of the top five included Hornaday, Sauter, Todd Bodine and Almirola. The Truck Series now takes a two-month hiatus returning to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for the season opener on February 18, 2011.

ABOUT GEORGIA BOOT:

Since 1937, Georgia Boot has been a manufacturer and marketer of quality work and outdoor footwear. It is a division of Rocky Brands, a publicly traded company on Nasdaq® under the symbol: RCKY. For more information, visit www.georgiaboot.com.

About Kevin Harvick Inc.:

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Bad Luck Continues to Plague Ron Hornaday at Phoenix

Press Release — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 00:28:03 +0000

“Four-Time Truck Series champion’s night ends early with on-track incident”

Ron Hornaday Jr – Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 13, 2010) — The gremlins continued to plague Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) E-Z-GO Chevrolet team. With two weeks of bad luck behind them the team came to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) looking for a turnaround. However, the second practice session brought trouble to the team when they had problems making all the changes they wanted to make due to a mechanical glitch. As a result, Hornaday was unable to make a mock qualifying run and was not sure what he had when he went to make his qualifying lap on Friday. The No. 33 truck turned much more freely than Hornaday expected, resulting in a 14th-place qualifying effort. Despite a strong run toward the front, the No. 33 E-Z-GO Chevrolet was unable to get any higher than third on the leader board. With 36 laps remaining, Hornaday appeared to be on his way to a top-five finish, the No. 3 of Austin Dillon made contact with the No. 33 truck sending Hornaday hard into the turn-one wall. The truck sustained heavy rear-end damage and the team was unable to make repairs. Hornaday recorded his third DNF (did not finish) in a row finishing in the 29th position.

“We had a great truck,” said Hornaday after the wreck. “The E-Z-GO Chevrolet was awesome. We were really good during the second run, but I guess this set of tires was just a little looser. I was waiting on the pressures to build up in this set and I guess Austin [Dillon] just got down in there and got loose. I was going to let him go but I knew the No. 51 was right there with him. It’s a real shame for E-Z-GO, VFW, Rheem, Georgia Boot, just everybody. It takes a lot of people to make this thing work and this is another new truck that I have wrecked. We just have to get some luck going.”

Hornaday began the Lucas Oil 150 from the 14th position, marking only the fourth time Hornaday has started outside the top 10 at PIR. Wasting little time, Hornaday quickly made his way up through the field being scored in the ninth position when the first caution waved on lap 16. Hornaday reported to the team that he was too loose getting into the corner and was way too loose trying to drive off the corners. Hornaday made adjustments inside the cockpit of the No. 33 truck by tinkering with the front brake bias. The race restarted on lap 23, as Hornaday moved into the seventh position. On lap 26, Hornaday flipped to the opposite feedback, telling crew chief Butch Hylton that he was too tight while trying to navigate through traffic. Working to adapt to the feeling of his truck, Hornaday began to try different lines and strategies to get around the one-mile oval.

As the caution waved for the second time, the No. 33 truck had moved into the fifth position. The team decided to bring Hornaday down pit road for the first scheduled pit stop of the evening. The team changed four tires, added fuel and made a slight air-pressure adjustment. Hornaday restarted the race on lap 59 from the fifth position. Without even completing one lap of green-flag competition, the caution waved again for a multi-truck incident involving Ricky Carmichael and Tayler Malsam. The race restarted on lap 63 with Hornaday still in the fifth position.

The longer the run went, the faster the No. 33 truck became, moving into the third position on lap 80 and chasing his KHI teammate Clint Bowyer for second. The caution flew again on lap 89 and the No. 33 team came down pit road for the second and final scheduled pit stop of the evening. Hornaday had reported the No. 33 truck was “pretty good,” so the team changed four tires and added fuel, making no chassis adjustments. A few trucks chose different strategies, but a solid stop by the No. 33 pit crew allowed Hornaday to restart the race with 55 laps remaining in the fifth spot.

After the restart, Hornaday jumped into the third position, however, on this run, the truck became looser the longer the run went. By lap 100, Hornaday had slipped back into a race with Austin Dillon and Aric Almirola for the fourth and fifth positions. With few laps remaining in the race, Hornaday fought to keep his track position. On lap 114, the No. 3 of Dillon drove down hard into turn one, underneath Hornaday. Dillon’s truck snapped sideways, as he made every effort to save the truck, but Hornaday became the innocent victim as Dillon lost the nose of the truck, hooking Hornaday in the right-rear quarter panel. The contact sent the No. 33 truck backwards into the outside retaining wall and the No. 33 truck sustained heavy rear-end damage. The team brought the truck to pit road to survey the damage, but it was decided that the damage was too great to fix with less than 30 laps remaining, ending the night early for the No. 33 team for the third week in a row. Hornaday was credited with a 29th-place finish.

Hornaday’s KHI teammate Clint Bowyer went on to win the Lucas Oil 150 followed by Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Aric Almirola.

Todd Bodine was crowned the 2010 Truck Series champion with a 202 point lead over Almirola. The Truck Series travels to Homestead-Miami Speedway next Friday night for the season finale Ford 200 which can be seen live on SPEED at 7:30 p.m., EST.

About E-Z-GO

E-Z-GO, a Textron Inc. company, is a leading manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, ST personal utility vehicles, Shuttle personnel carriers, and MPT turf-maintenance vehicles. E-Z-GO also produces the Cushman® line of heavy-duty material carriers.

E-Z-GO is the preferred golf car fleet provider for many of the world’s most revered golf courses, clubs and resorts. E-Z-GO is also the golf car of choice of nine of the nation’s ten largest course-management companies. E-Z-GO boasts the largest sales and service network in the industry, with more factory branch locations and independent distributors than any other manufacturer of golf cars and utility vehicles.

Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960.

About Textron

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron in known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.

About Kevin Harvick Inc.:

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

On-Track Incident Ends Night Early for Ron Hornaday at Texas Motor Speedway

Press Release — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:21:41 +0000

Kevin Harvick Inc.

FT. WORTH, Texas (November 6, 2010) — Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Georgia Boot team had a promising run going when a fuel issue on the first scheduled pit stop forced the No. 33 team to return to pit road for an unscheduled fuel stop. Hornaday restarted at the back of the pack, putting him in a dangerous position which would ultimately ruin his night. As slower trucks in front of the No. 33 truck became tangled together, Hornaday slowed to miss the wreck. Unfortunately, the No. 25 truck of Tayler Malsam did not stop and ran into the No. 33 truck from behind, turning Hornaday hard into the outside wall. The No. 33 truck sustained heavy right-front damage. Hornaday took the truck to the garage area, but the damage was too great to return to the track ending the night for the No. 33 team.

“We just can’t get a break this season it seems,” said Hornaday after surveying the damage in the Truck Series garage area. “I just really hate this for Georgia Boot, E-Z-GO and all of our great sponsors. We just have had terrible luck this year. We had a malfunction with a part on our gas can which did not allow fuel to flow from the first can on our pit stop. We all made the call to come back down pit road and take fuel, but once we got mired back there with the slower trucks, I just couldn’t move because no one would pick a lane. I saw a few trucks starting to wreck in front of me, so I backed off and the 25 ran us over. It’s so unfortunate.”

Hornaday began the WinStar World Casino 350K from the fourth position and quickly moved into the third position before the first caution of the evening waved on lap one. The race restarted on lap five with Hornaday scored third. He made the move to the outside to challenge leader Kyle Busch. On lap six, Hornaday took the lead from Busch at the line, but the No. 18 battled back retaking the lead. The pair swapped the lead several times before Busch prevailed on lap nine. Hornaday settled into the second position trying different lines as other trucks moved around the track.

With green-flag runs on the horizon, the No. 33 team prepared to make their first scheduled stop of the evening, but on lap 40 the caution waved for the second time after the No. 3 truck careened into the wall when the right-front tire let go. Crew chief Butch Hylton brought the No. 33 truck down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. The team’s stop looked flawless, but the gas man reported that the first can of fuel failed to depress and let fuel into the truck’s fuel cell.

After some discussion, the No. 33 team decided to bring Hornaday back down pit road on lap 47 for fuel. The additional stop mired Hornaday deep in the field restarting the race on lap 48 in the 20th position. Hornaday began to make his way back up to the front of the field. However, Hornaday noticed that the trucks in front of him were sideways, so he slowed slightly, trying to anticipate an incident. He signaled to the truck behind him he was slowing down but apparently the signal was not received and the No. 25 truck of Tayler Malsam got into the No. 33 truck, sending him hard into the outside wall.

The No. 33 team quickly met the truck in the garage area to survey the damage. After trying to make repairs, it was determined there were essential internal parts that could not be fixed. Hornaday’s night was over resulting in a 32nd-place finish.

Busch went on to win the race, followed by Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, Todd Bodine and KHI teammate, Elliott Sadler. The Truck Series returns to action on Friday November 12th at Phoenix International Raceway, coverage begins live on SPEED Channel at 7:30 p.m., EST.

ABOUT GEORGIA BOOT:

About Kevin Harvick Inc.:

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Ron Hornaday Advance: Texas Motor Speedway Advance

Press Release — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:43:20 +0000

Georgia Boot

Ron Hornaday Advance: Texas Motor Speedway Advance

No. 33 Georgia Boot Chevrolet Silverado

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race 23 of 25

WinStar World Casino 350K

BACK-TO-BACK TEXAS TWO STEP: Ron Hornaday is one of three Truck Series drivers to win back-to-back races at Texas Motor Speedway. Hornaday swept the year in Texas in 2008, winning both the spring and fall events. Hornaday has only won back-to-back races at four venues on the current Truck Series schedule: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (1997 and 1998), O’Reilly (Ind.) Raceway Park (2009 and 2010), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2007 and 2008) and the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway (2008 Spring and Fall races).

CREEPING UP ON A MILESTONE: Following his last weekend’s win at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway two weeks ago, Hornaday now has 47 career Truck Series wins. Should Hornaday collect three more wins, he would join an elite group of drivers who have accumulated 50 wins in their racing careers. No driver in the Truck or Nationwide Series has yet to collect 50 career victories, and only 12 drivers in the Cup series drivers (Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Lee Petty, Jimmie Johnson, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson) can claim this feat.

DIVERSE DRIVER: Hornaday has now won at over 30 different race tracks in his Truck Series career. He has a diverse résumé of wins at short tracks, intermediate tracks and superspeedways.

MOVE TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS: Hornaday has led more laps than any other driver at Texas Motor Speedway in the last 11 races. He has led 474 of 1750 laps completed.

CAVENDARS CHOSE TO RUN WITH A LEGEND IN TEXAS: The Run with the Legend contest continues as Hornaday makes an appearance at Cavenders in Arlington, Texas on November 3rd. Hornaday will be on site from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CT, to sign autographs and will present lucky fans from each of the eight Dallas / Ft. Worth Cavender’s locations with two VIP Tickets (includes Pit tour and hospitality tent access), Georgia Boot Racing apparel and a die-cast of the No. 33 Georgia Boot Racing Truck.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:

AFTER RACING ON A SHORT TRACK AND A SUPERSPEEDWAY, ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HEADING BACK TO A 1.5-MILE TRACK?

“I love Texas. We were really dominant there in 2008. We have a great package for that track and I am really comfortable with the line I run there. It is very similar to Charlotte for me. I like the fact that there are multiple grooves that you can lean on if your truck is not exactly right. I love racing in general so what type of track we go to really doesn’t matter to me I look forward to every race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. I’m a little sad to see this year draw to and end, but I’m really looking forward to gaining in the off season and making another run at the championship in 2011.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Georgia Boot team will take chassis No. 044 to Texas Motor Speedway. The last time chassis No. 044 competed with Hornaday behind the wheel was in June at Michigan International Speedway where Hornaday recorded his career best finish of fourth at the 2.0-mile venue. Shelby Howard was the last driver to pilot this chassis utilizing it at Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Speedway.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Hornaday recorded his first career Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway pole last weekend and led the most laps (49) before getting caught up in the “big one” with three laps remaining. Hornaday was hit by Mike Skinner who had been tapped by Todd Bodine after the rookie Grant Enfinger had bump drafted him in the wrong spot on the straight-a-way. The impact from Skinner sent Hornaday flipping down the frontstretch. The No. 33 truck caught the apron and barrel rolled to a stop in turn one. Hornaday walked away unharmed, but the No. 33 was unable to return to competition ending the day in the 21st position.

ABOUT GEORGIA BOOT:

About Kevin Harvick Inc.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

NASCAR Crowns Ron Hornaday 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion

Press Release — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:52:07 +0000

Ron Hornaday Jr. and team owner Kevin Harvick celebrate Hornaday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship and Harvick's Ford 200 win at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The championship is Hornaday's fourth in the series and the second for Kevin Harvick Inc. (Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 25, 2009)— Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Longhorn team went to Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway as the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champions. The race prior to that at Phoenix International Raceway, Hornaday became only the second driver in Truck Series history to clinch the championship before the final race, Greg Biffle clinched at Phoenix in 2000. Ironically, both Biffle and Hornaday clinched on Friday the 13th in their respective seasons. Even though the driver’s championship had been decided the No. 33 team still had some unfinished business to complete as they raced Kyle Busch and the No. 51 truck team for the owner’s championship. With a solid eighth-place finish Hornaday was able to hold off Busch who had tire trouble late in the race to win the driver and owner’s championship and become the first four-time Truck Series champion.

“I just can’t believe it,” said Hornaday following the race. “This has been a dream season. To win five races in a row, then win the championship not only for myself but for KHI as a whole is pretty awesome. There are so many people to thank, Longhorn, Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW), Turtle Wax, Copart for coming on board, Georgia Boot, Rheem, Hungry Man, Miller Welders, Merit Pro, Wiley X, all of our great partners who made this year happen. I can’t think Kevin and DeLana (Harvick) enough for all that they have done. They give me the best equipment to drive hands down. I’m really lucky to be able to be apart of it all. It’s so cool for me to be standing here as the champion and Kevin to be in victory lane. It says a lot about the team work and effort everyone puts into this truck program at KHI. Wow, I just can’t believe it this is awesome.”

Hornaday started the Ford 200 from the fourth position, immediately behind boss Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Georgia Boot Chevrolet. As the race started Hornaday battled a loose-handling truck and tried to find a line his truck would work well in as he battled Matt Crafton for the fifth position. While Hornaday fought with his truck, his KHI teammate Harvick moved into the lead and began to pull away from the field. The first caution of the race waved on lap 31. The No. 33 team brought the truck to pit road on lap 33 for four tires and an air-pressure adjustment. The team had a problem with the jack on the right side resulting in a slow stop. The following lap the team came back down pit road for fuel and was able to gain back a few positions lost on pit road during the previous stop. On the restart on lap 36 Hornaday was scored in the eighth position.

The air-pressure adjustment helped the No. 33 truck as another caution waved on lap 38; Hornaday had gained two positions on the restart moving him to sixth. Hornaday tried multiple lines on the race track, but as the tires wore, the No. 33 truck continued to turn to the loose side. The third caution waved on lap 59. The No. 33 team brought the truck down pit road for four tires, another air-pressure adjustment and came back the following lap for fuel. Several of the leaders chose different pit strategies taking two tires, fuel only and some stayed on the race track, miring Hornaday back in the 11th position for the restart on lap 63. By lap 72, Hornaday had moved back into the seventh position and Harvick had made his way back to the lead.

On lap 86, Busch cut down a tire and was forced to pit road. Three laps later he was back on pit road for a tire violation. Hornaday continued to struggle with the handling of his truck as it would go from loose to tight and back to loose all around the track. On lap 115, the No. 33 truck came to pit road during a round of scheduled green-flag pit stops for fuel only. The last caution of the race waved on lap 129 forcing the season finale for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to end with a green-white-checkered finish. The No. 33 was scored in the 10th position at the time of the caution and made the decision to come down pit road for four tires. The tires paid off as Hornaday moved up two positions to take the checkered flag in the eighth position to solidify the 2009 NASCAR Camping World championship for himself and KHI, while Harvick went on to win his second consecutive Truck Series race in as many weeks.

The championship marks Hornaday’s fourth title recording championship wins in 1996, 1998, 2007 and 2009. This is the second championship for Kevin and DeLana Harvick and KHI. Over the course of the 2009 season the No. 33 team recorded six wins, 15 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. Hornaday also recorded four poles and set a record for consecutive wins with five in a row joining Richard Petty and Bobby Allison as only the third driver to achieve this benchmark.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Chevrolet NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Homestead-Miami Speedway Post Race Notes & Quotes

Press Release — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:03:36 +0000

Chevrolet Logo

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
FORD 200
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
NOVEMBER 20, 2009

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 GEORGIA BOOT SILVERADO, RACE WINNER: LAST WEEKEND A DOUBLE CELEBRATION, DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE WIN, THIS WEEKEND THE OWNER CHAMPIONSHIP AND A WIN:
>“I just have to thank everybody at KHI. We knew we needed to go out and beat Kyle (Busch). We knew (Ron) Hornaday needed to race safe and do what he needed to do to win the owners championship. Obviously, he won the drivers championship last week. Our goal was to go out and lead the most laps and win the races. They built me trucks and everything I needed to do what I needed to do on the race track. They were flawless in the pits. Just a lot of hard work from all the guys at the shop. Like I said, everybody in this program from Georgia Boot, to Chevrolet, to Rheem, Copart, VFW, Longhorn, all the people who make this program go around.”

WHEN THAT LAST CAUTION CAME WERE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE CALL TO COME DOWN PIT ROAD FOR FOUR TIRES?

“Well, I think you know, when we had to pit under green there and nobody put tires on, everybody was a little concerned about their tires. There was only, not very many trucks left on the lead lap so they came down and put four tires on. We knew we would have a cushion with all the lapped trucks in between. I knew the No. 17 (Timothy Peters) was going to be a sitting duck. It all worked out.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GET THAT CHAMPIONSHIP AT A TRUCK OWNER?

“First thing I want to say is congratulations to Billy Ballew and Kyle (Busch) and all the guys that have driven the No. 51 truck. That is a lot of fun to race with those guys. Ron means a lot to me as a person. To see him in that truck and winning races and winning championships is something special personally. As a company, it is something that is a lot of fun to have raced for the last three championships. But to see what they have done is something that I am really proud of.”

YOU COULDN’T HAVE WRITTEN A BETTER SCRIPT TO END THIS SEASON.

“Yeah, I’ve just got to thank everybody at KHI. They built me two brand new trucks. A lot of different things that we wanted to do. Ernie Cope and all these guys for putting a lot of extra effort into this Georgia Boot Chevrolet. Gotta thank Rheem, Copart, Longhorn, VFW, all the people who have helped us with this program and year Hornaday has had. To close out the season like this is really what we wanted to do. We had to guard against Kyle (Busch) leading the most laps and winning the race. We accomplished that with these two trucks. Going to be a lot changed on these two teams over the next month. Danny Stockman is moving on to be Austin Dillon’s crew chief on the No. 3 truck so that makes me proud that a lot of these guys are able to move up in their careers. Really looking forward to making these things better than they were this year and I promise you we will.”

YOU WERE DRIVING AWAY TONIGHT AND THEN A LATE CAUTION MADE THINGS REALLY CONFUSING, TALK ABOUT THE CALL TO COME TO PIT ROAD.

“I just wanted to know how many guys were on the lead lap. I knew we had a big cushion with all the lap trucks in between us so we just put four tires on. I knew the No. 17 was a sitting duck there with four tires on our truck. It was a lot of fun. Just gotta thank everybody from Georgia Boot again, Chevrolet and everybody at KHI for all their hard work. There’s not a whole lot you can say about Hornaday. He’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s meant a lot to me and to race for championships three years in a row says a lot about the team. We’re going to work hard over the off season to make it better. Thank the fans for everything you guys do for us and we’ll keep racing hard.”

YOU GUYS WERE EXPECTED TO WIN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, TALK ABOUT HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS AND WIN IT SO CONVINCINGLY.

“I think obviously the middle of the year was really good. I didn’t think we started that good. I think that the end of the year we didn’t run as good as we did in the middle of the year with the No. 33. I think there was a little bit of lost focus on that particular team with some of the things going on. The guy behind the wheel makes up for a lot of it. These guys do a great job in the shop but without Ron Hornaday none of us are racing for three championships and he’ll race for another one next year.”

YOU BUILT SOMETHING SPECIAL, CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER ONE.

“Thank you guys. Thanks everybody from SPEED too and all you do for our sport.”

MATT CRAFTON, NO. 88 AUSTRALIAN GOLD SILVERADO, FINISHED 2ND: KNOW YOU WANTED THE CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT YOU HAD A GREAT SEASON:

“I wanted that championship bad, but gosh darnit, I wanted to win. I can’t thank these guys enough. This truck was good all night and we worked on this thing so much from when it rolled off the trailer. We knew we had a really good race truck going in to tonight. It qualified seventh, I was pretty happy with that, but I knew I had a pretty good race truck. I just wish we would have been able to run four or five laps there at the end instead of just one.”

A GREAT YEAR FOR THORSPORT RACING ALL AROUND:

“Yes, definitely. That says a lot for ThorSport and what they have done. We just keep making stuff better and better. Duke and Rhonda Thorson, they just keep giving us what we need to win races and win a championship. We are proving to them we can.”

TALK ABOUT THAT MOVE YOU MADE ON THE LAST RESTART FOR THE GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED:

“This thing was really good. I pumped those tires up on that last run. The run before that we got behind, just caught some lapped traffic, just wrong position and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) and the No. 17 (Timothy Peters) got out on us so far. We could slowly run them down but they had so much distance on us. Right there, the crew chief made a great call to take four tires right there at the end. I said I would rather go down swinging and we did. I hate it what happened when the No. 5 ran in to me and killed my left front fender on that last deal too. But we got to second. I don’t know how many second places that is this year, but we have had a lot of them. I have got to thank these guys. We had an awesome race truck right here.”

SECOND TONIGHT AND SECOND IN THE STANDINGS, THAT REALLY EXPLAINS THE KIND OF YEAR YOU GUYS HAVE HAD GOOD BUT NEVER QUITE GREAT ENOUGH.

“I would say we were the bridesmaids a lot this year. There’s been plenty of times when we had the best truck and didn’t win races. We got beat on fuel mileage. All I can say is I can’t wait until we have normal pit stops again where we take four tires and fuel at the same time because I know we’ve lost two races because of that pit strategy. All in all a pretty good year. Not ecstatic about it but definitely happy about it because we keep making progress. Duke and Ronda Thorson, Menards, Australian Gold and Chevy and we keep getting better and better and that’s what we’re out here to do. Building new trucks this winter and we’re going to be tough for next year.”

YOU’VE GOT TO CRAWL BEFORE YOU CAN WALK, DID THIS YEAR LAY THE FOUNDATION SO YOU CAN GO OUT AND WIN THAT CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT YEAR?

“Yeah. I mean we know we can. We’ve got a great group of guys. I know I can do it and they know they can do it now. Like you said crawl before you can walk and run, really. We’ve proved that we can do that. We’ve got the consistency and like I said its so tough to win these races these days. We had two taken away from us and could have been a lot different if those weren’t taken away from us but all in all a pretty good year.”

CONGRATULATIONS ON A GREAT SEASON.

“Thank you. Thank all the fans for coming out and supporting us and everything you guys do for us.”

AS FAR AS TONIGHT’S RACE, WAS IT AS MUCH FUN AS IT WAS TO WATCH?

“I love this race track. The last two or three years, it hasn’t been the best to me. But, we brought this truck that has been real good to us all year. They keep working on it and making it better and better. We are building some new stuff for next year and I can promise you we are going to make one heck of a run for that championship.”

RON HORNADAY, NO. 33 LONGHORN SILVERADO, FINISHED 8TH AND CLAIMED FOURTH NCWTS CHAMPIONSHIP: “IT WAS OFFICIAL A WEEK AGO BUT TONIGHT YOU GUYS CAN REALLY START THE CELEBRATION.

“No its not. Kevin and DeLana have been giving us truck all year. To win the owner’s you’ve got to do that. It’s everything. You can’t just win the driver’s it takes a whole team. These guys do it all and like I said when Kyle (Busch) comes over here and runs he just steps up the program and makes us run that much harder. A lot of sponsors to thank. Definitely have to thank Longhorn tonight and Chevrolet. All the fans who stick it out with these guys. We’ve got Georgia Boots, VFW, I’m so sick I’m out of breath. I didn’t even want to run the last 10 laps. Turtle Wax, Wylie-X and just a lot of people have been helping me out especially Indian Motorcycles.”

HAVE YOU GOTTEN THE GRAVITY OF WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A FOURTH CHAMPIONSHIP IN NASCAR, IT’S QUITE A FEAT?

“Well I appreciate that. If it wasn’t for getting this owners too it wouldn’t have been that good but to come here and win them both. You don’t think about that, to come down here and win four championships you don’t think about the owners. Busch ran us hard and we had to go out there and try to beat him. Good night for KHI all the way around.”

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 4TH NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP:

“Thank you. Well first of all I have to thank Camping World for sponsoring this great series that NASCAR’s got. But Kevin and Delana have just given me a chance to drive their rocketships. Got to thank Longhorn, VFW, Georgia Boots, Turtle Wax……everybody. It just takes everybody including Rheem and it just takes everybody. Its just so fun to come out here and do this.
“Being as sick as I was I didn’t even want to drive the truck and was hoping Kevin would switch the numbers but it worked out for the best and we are going to take this one and go on.”

15 – 20 YEARS AGO YOU WERE SLUGGING IT OUT BUILDING RACE CARS FOR A LIVING, UNTIL A CALL FROM DALE EARNHARDT. DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD BE HERE MULTIPLE TIMES AS YOU HAVE?

“Its your dream. And I lost my father a year ago and he gave me a token deal before he passed away he said he has left a lot of room for three or four more championships. And he said don’t quit until you fill that up and as long as Kevin and Delana will have me I will keep putting engravements on that and grandma I hope you are doing better we will see you here in a couple of days. Bill and all the family and grandkids back at home we will be home soon.”

TALK ABOUT THE RACE TRUCKS YOU HAVE HAD, AND RICK REN AS THE CREW CHIEF, AND THE JOB THAT HE AND EVERYONE HAS DONE. “It just shows you what Kevin and Delana have done, letting these guys build new trucks and its not because of……………….Kevin just keeps selling them and they just keep building new trucks week in and week out. Kevin drove a brand new truck tonight and one last week and those are my trucks for next year so that is pretty cool.

“It was so fun and I don’t even know how to explain it. Mark Smith thank you for your motors and what you do for us. Congratulations on that championship for him to. PME motors – they have been with us all year and I really got to thank them because they go through thick and thin and give us some great horsepower. So Mark’s happy and thank you very much.”

About General Motors:

General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

- GM Racing Communications Press Release

Ron Hornaday Bristol Motor Speedway Advance

Press Release — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:39:48 +0000

Ron Hornaday

No. 33 Georgia Boot Chevrolet Silverado Team Race Preview

NASCAR Truck Series Race 15 of 25 — Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway

BEATING THE BOSS: Following his win at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway two weeks ago, Ron Hornaday brought his NASCAR career win record total to 49 across all three of NASCAR’s elite series. Hornaday has 45 Truck Series wins, coupled with four Nationwide Series victories. With the win at Nashville, he surpassed boss and Kevin Harvick Inc.(KHI) co-owner Kevin Harvick who currently has 48 victories across NASCAR’s three premier national touring divisions. Harvick has recorded 11 Sprint Cup, 33 Nationwide and four Truck Series wins.

ALL-TIME CREW CHIEF: Rick Ren is now the all-time winningest crew chief in Truck Series history. Ren has a total of 27 career Truck Series victories with five different drivers (Ron Hornaday (16), Rick Carelli (1), Andy Houston (3), Travis Kvapil (2), and Johnny Benson (5)).

TWO TIME WINNER: Hornaday is the only two-time Truck series winner at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. He scored back-to-back wins in 1997 and 1998 at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

HISTORY BOOKS: Hornaday will continue to try and add to the Truck Series history books as he goes for his sixth win in a row this week at Bristol Motor Speedway. Following Nashville, Hornaday joined NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Bobby Allison in a tie for second on the all-time consecutive win list. Petty holds the record for all-time consecutive wins with 10 straight wins in 1967.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:

CAN YOU PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE WINNING FIVE RACES IN A ROW?

“I have to keep pinching myself. In one sense I really cannot believe the run were having, but at the same time I know how hard this team works and how much effort they put in to each race. We are just fortunate that luck, the racing Gods or whatever it is, stays on our side. I’m just really thankful for everything we’ve been blessed with so far this season. We will continue to work hard and try to be consistent and ride it out as long as it will go.”

WHAT IS THE KEY TO WINNING AT BRISTOL?

“Before they ground the track it was all about keeping your truck on the bottom of the race track. Now, it is about passing. If you can get your truck to work in the upper groove then you will probably leave the majority of the competition behind. I still like running the bottom, but you have to make your bumper pretty wide if you are going to do that. You just have to make sure the truck turns really well through each turn and the main thing at Bristol is to keep your eyes open at all times and be very aware of what is happening around you. Having a good spotter at Bristol makes all the difference. Rick Carelli (spotter) and I have worked together for many years and I’m confident he is watching every move that each truck is making, he keeps me pretty well informed.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Georgia Boot team will bring chassis No.033 to Bristol Motor Speedway. Chassis 033 was last on track at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis where Hornaday and the No. 33 team made history winning their fourth consecutive race. The win marked the team’s fifth victory of 2009.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Two weeks ago at Nashville Superspeedway, Hornaday and the No. 33 Longhorn team continued to make Truck Series history by winning their fifth race in a row, their sixth victory in 2009. The win marked Hornaday’s 45th career victory and extended his points lead to 216 points over Matt Crafton.

ABOUT GEORGIA BOOT:

Since 1937, Georgia Boot has been a manufacturer and marketer of quality work and outdoor footwear. It is a division of Rocky Brands, a publicly traded company on Nasdaq® under the symbol: RCKY. For more information, visit www.georgiaboot.com.

ABOUT KEVIN HARVICK INC.:

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full-time Truck Series teams, including the 2007 series champions. The No. 33 team is led by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars team is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, J.R. Fitzpatrick and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Nationwide Series team competing full-time with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman, Ron Hornaday, Cale Gale and Kelly Bires. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release