No. 4 Longhorn Chevrolet Silverado

“It is pretty awesome to have a vehicle like this Longhorn Chevy,” said Harvick following the win Friday night. “I mean, from the time we unloaded it, it was just flat awesome. I just want to thank everybody from Longhorn and KHI, Chevrolet, VFW, Rheem and all of the fans for coming out and supporting everything that we do. This Truck Series is a lot of fun to race in. I got to have a little bit of fun with Kyle (Busch) there at the end head to head. That is always fun. So a great truck and a great night for KHI.”

With the race in full speed Friday night under the lights at PIR, Harvick quickly looked for the lead taking over the top spot on lap two of the scheduled 150-lap event. After only five laps, Harvick began voicing concern that something was being laid down on the track by another competitor’s truck and suspected it was oil. Unsure, Harvick continued to run fast laps while also battling a loose-handling truck. Three laps after voicing concern, Harvick lost control of the truck in turn four and spun without collecting any damage to the No. 4 Chevy. Following the spin, Harvick brought his truck to pit road to top off with fuel and to check the truck for damage. Returning to the track, Harvick restarted the race on lap 12 from the 31st position.

Shuffled back in the field, Harvick patiently worked his way toward to the front, taking over the 20th position on lap 22. Continuing to fight a loose-handling truck, Harvick was able to bring the No. 4 Silverado back to pit road from the 18th position on lap 33 under caution for four fresh tires with an air-pressure adjustment and the next lap for fuel and a track-bar adjustment. With a fast, clean stop, the team gained six positions to restart the race on lap 38 from the 12th spot. Crew chief Ernie Cope and Harvick both complemented the team on a great pit stop, telling them they were back in the hunt for the win.

Kevin Harvick wins the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway

Quickly taking over the lead on lap 96, Harvick was able to pull away from the field, hold off a hard-charging Busch and survive several late-race cautions to score his second Truck Series win of the 2009 season. Busch finished the race second followed by Almirola, Hornaday and Johnny Sauter.

Hornaday, Harvick’s KHI teammate, becomes the oldest champion in NASCAR history at age 51, the first driver in Truck Series history to win four titles and only the second driver to clinch the Truck Series championship before the season finale (Greg Biffle was the first in 2000).

Next on the Truck Series Schedule:

Date: November 20, 2009

Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway

Event Name: Ford 200

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Broadcast Time: SPEED 7:30 p.m. EST

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Photo Credit: NASCARMedia.com / Christian Peterson and Jason Smith of Getty Images

Ron Hornaday Jr., driver of the No. 33 VFW.org Chevrolet Silverado, celebrates with the series championship trophy after clinching the title with a fourth place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 13, 2009 in Avondale, Arizona.

“I couldn’t think of a better track to clinch the championship, I love Phoenix” said the newly-crowned champion. “This is a compliment to the team. It takes a lot of people to accomplish something like this, all these team guys and everyone back at the shop. But, we aren’t done yet. We still have to get the owner’s title too. Kyle (Busch) is pretty close to us. I can’t say enough for Kevin and DeLana (Harvick) and the whole KHI organization. These trucks are awesome. I don’t know what happened during the pit stop, or how we rallied back, but Rick Ren (crew chief) and the entire team did a great job. It is so much fun to drive for Kevin and DeLana, I just can’t believe it. I just want to thank everyone who has been apart of making this happen this year, VFW, Copart, Longhorn, Turtle Wax, Georgia Boots, Rheem, Hungry-Man, Wiley X, Indian Motorcycles, Miller Welders, Merit Pro everyone. It is unbelievable. This is a lot of fun.”

Hornaday started the Lucas Oil 150 from the third position, immediately behind boss Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Longhorn Chevrolet. With only eight laps complete, a lap truck began to lay down liquid on the racing surface. Harvick brought out the first caution of the night when he hit the moisture and spun off of turn four to the entrance of pit road sustaining no damage. Hornaday emerged from the smoke unscathed for the restart on lap 13 after NASCAR cleaned the racing groove. Hornaday battled with Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch for the race lead, but settled comfortably in the third position until the second caution of the race on lap 35.

The No. 33 team decided to come to pit road for their first scheduled pit stop of the night. Initially the plan was to take on four tires on the first stop and come back the following lap for fuel. However, with the leaders taking fuel only, the team made a quick change to fuel only. A lap later the team was called back down pit road by NASCAR for a pit-road violation and decided to make the most of the penalty which put them at the tail end of the longest line. On lap 37, the team took on four fresh tires and restarted the race in the 23rd position on lap 38. Hornaday began to work his way back through the field, but it was slow going on the one-mile track. By lap 60, the point’s leader had moved his way back into the top 15, but his truck had become too loose through the center of the corners to be able to get back to the gas when he wanted. As Hornaday battled Todd Bodine for the 15th position and worked his way back toward the front of the field, his KHI teammate Harvick ran in the second position chasing Almirola for the top spot.

The third caution of the evening waved on lap 91 and the No. 33 team took full advantage, giving up the 10th position to bring the truck down pit road for four tires and the following lap for fuel. Two quick stops gained Hornaday three positions on pit road placing him in the seventh position for the restart on lap 96. The “restart king” was able to use his four fresh tires to move back into the top five as Harvick took the lead from Almirola. Hornaday gained one more spot before the checkered flag waved to finish in the fourth position. Harvick held off a hard charging Kyle Busch through four late-race cautions and a green-white-checkered finish recording his second Truck Series victory of 2009 followed by Busch, Almirola, Hornaday and Johnny Sauter.

Hornaday was crowned the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion with one race remaining in the 2009 season next weekend at the Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. The owner’s championship will be decided next weekend as DeLana Harvick continues to hold a 60-point advantage over Billy Ballew.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

LUCAS OIL 150

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES

NOVEMBER 13, 2009

Ron Hornaday Jr. celebrates winning his fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. Hornaday is the oldest driver to win a championship in NASCAR's three national series. (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

RON HORNADAY, JR., NO. 33 VFW SILVERADO, KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 LONGHORN SILVERADO, DELANA HARVICK, TEAM OWNER AND ERNIE COPE, CREW CHIEF, POST RACE AND POST CHAMPIONSHIP TRANSCRIPT –

RON HORNADAY, JR:
CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS FOURTH TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP: “Thank you. I couldn’t think of a better track. I love Phoenix. It looked pretty grim for a while, but it’s not over by far. We’re racing Kyle Busch for the owner’s points — that’s the true goal. That shows how great our team is and Kyle (Busch) has really been running strong. He’s got six or seven wins this year. We’re going to do everything we can to hold him off down there. At least we can go down there and have a little fun and race a little different now — we can have some fun.”

IS YOUR STRATEGY TO RACE SMART AND NOT MAKE ANY MISTAKES?:

“I guess you didn’t watch the race because we tried to race smart. We left the gas can out in the back and that put us pretty far back. I was sweating it out because I got behind the 11 (TJ Bell) and I just started pushing real bad and I thought my right front tire started blistering. I put about five turns of rear brake in it and started sliding it in. I learned something a little bit. Third to the last restart I got in there and the thing wouldn’t turn and it just started shoving the tires. I had to put more rear brake in it then. Luckily, that all happened that run because that put us in the top-five and Johnny Sauter was really coming strong. To come home in the top-five, that’s what we needed to do to keep Matt (Crafton) behind us.

Matt (Crafton) is a heck of a racer, I’m glad they turned their program around. They gave us a run for our money all year long. There’s just so many people to thank. You guys have been following all year what it takes to go racing with Copart, Longhorn, VFW, Georgia Boots, hold on one more, one more — Turtle Wax. It takes a lot and having all them sponsors work together and do what they’ve done, it works great. Mark Smith with the motor program, what he’s done with Chevrolet and everything that they do — the wind tunnel and what they do with all their support — it just take a bunch of people and I’m just fortunate enough and my wife and I are old enough to where the kids are growing up and now we’re coming to the race track and having fun.”

HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THIS CHAMPIONSHIP IN NASCAR HISTORY? HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS IT TO YOU TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM JACK SPRAGUE AND BE THE FIRST GUY TO WIN FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS?:

“You said it, I got one up on (Jack) Sprague and that’s all that counts. I said it on my interview out there, I told him that now he has to come back and try to get a fourth one and just keep me racing. Jack (Sprague) and I have been fighting for wins and championships back and forth and Jack (Sprague) kind of quit and gave me a little head start so I don’t know how many he’s won — he’s got 27 or 28 wins and I think we’re back and forth.

I would win 23 and he would be 24 and then I was 24 and he was 25. It’s been a fun battle with Jack (Sprague) and I wish he was still out here. He’s a heck of a little racer. I don’t know — I don’t look it — I have to build another trophy case I guess. I only have five so I’ll have to move one over and put two together. This has been a long week, Lindy’s (Hornaday) Mom went through surgery, she came out of that real well. They only gave her a 35 percent chance of surviving it and she came out of it real well. She’s at home today so we can’t wait to get home and see her tomorrow.”

HOW COOL IS IT TO THINK ABOUT THE DRIVERS THAT HAVE SLEPT ON YOUR COUCH — JIMMIE JOHNSON, KEVIN HARVICK? COULD YOU HAVE IMAGINED THAT GUYS SLEEPING ON YOUR COUCH COULD HAVE AS MANY CHAMPIONSHIPS AS THEY HAVE AND YOU WOULD HAVE THIS MANY?:

“My wife made me sleep on the couch last week. It’s kind of cool and I think this is the payback — what Kevin and Delana (Harvick) have given me. It’s not over, we have to go win that owner’s points for them. They definitely deserve it, they give me great trucks all year. The truck Kevin (Harvick) drove tonight was a 2010 — what we’re going to run next year. A lot of help from Chevrolet and Kevin (Harvick) never quits. I went in the shop like two weeks ago and we had 14 trucks, I got down there and there’s only five trucks left. I said, ‘Where’s all the trucks?’ They said, ‘Kevin sold them all — you’re getting all new ones again next year.’ I think we won five races in a row and they were all brand new trucks so my hats off to the boss man right here — he knows what it takes to win. Here’s the boss lady, I forgot. It’s been fun and we’re not done. As long as Kevin and Delana (Harvick) will still have me, we’re going to win some more.”

ARE YOU GOING TO DONATE THE COUCH TO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME?:

“You know what’s funny is that it don’t work no more. We had a good friend, Blake Feese slept on it and he went back that Monday morning and got fired from Hendrick. Or he didn’t sleep the whole night on it and he left in the middle of the night. Kevin (Harvick) slept there for months. We got rid of the biggest part and we’ve got the smallest part. I really can’t tell you the real story as to why they slept on the couch — they just couldn’t make it upstairs.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PEOPLE SAYING THAT NASCAR IS A ‘YOUNG MAN’S GAME’ WHEN YOU ARE A CHAMPION AND MARK MARTIN IS BATTLING FOR THE SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP?:

“When you drive Kevin and Delana’s (Harvick) equipment, you feel like you’re 18 years old. If you want to watch the race from here last year, Kyle Busch was 22 back then or whatever, I tried to out drive him going into turn three. You feel young, the trucks they give me, it just makes me feel like a hero. It didn’t show how good my truck was tonight. We were points racing and we did what we had to do. Kevin (Harvick) said he was going to win the race. Only one more week, he promises. I don’t know how it feels. Next week when we try to win that owner’s championship, then it will all come into play. Jimmie (Johnson) slept on the couch so I would like to see him win four (championships) too, but they’ve got their game together just like we do over at KHI (Kevin Harvick Incorporated). It’s fun to drive the trucks and I’m sure Jimmie (Johnson) and Mark (Martin) and all them are having fun driving over there too.”

HOW BIG OF A LUXURY IS IT TO WRAP UP THE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH ONE RACE REMAINING?:

“If you look at the whole year, we’ve had a pretty good points lead then we ended up blowing the tire at Dover and Matt (Crafton) caught us. Then we had another bad race where we ran out of fuel and Matt (Crafton) passed us. We’re not even done racing — we have to go down and race Kyle Busch. Those owner’s points mean more to me than that trophy because it says that whole team worked hard and we beat everybody. Kyle Busch comes in and pulls an upset, then it’s going to be terrible. We’re going to go out and do what we have to do and Kyle’s (Busch) on a roll. He almost won three last weekend. We’re going to try to go out there and get the owner’s championship and we’re not done racing.”

HOW NICE IS IT TO CLINCH THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN PHOENIX?:

“I already said how nice it is — I think Kevin (Harvick) was telling (Ricky) Carmichael that I raced it when it was dirt before they even started it. It was fresh asphalt. It’s cool, I’m not talking about the championship, it’s cool to win it for me, but it’s not over yet and it’s not even close. Kevin and Delana (Harvick) deserve a lot more because of the equipment that they give me, the people that they put in places — it takes a lot. To get all our sponsors to work together, the program that they put together to make it happen, this is what it’s all about.”

IS THERE AN ADDED SPECIAL SENSE OF WINNING THIS CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SAME WEEK AS VETERAN’S DAY AND SO SOON AFTER THE TRAGEDY AT FORT HOOD?:

“I appreciate that. We’ve been VFW for the past couple races and its hard to go out there and see all them soldiers, men and women and see the tragedy up there at Fort Hood. A lot of support from VFW and you can’t say enough about them. I’ve got an opportunity to go to Iraq and see what those men and women do first hand and TV, newspapers and everything don’t do it justice. I brought pictures home and I can’t explain them to my wife, you have to smell and everything else. My hats off to all the men and women and its pretty cool and it’s special and I never even thought about it, but thanks for bringing it up.”

HOW UNIQUE IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU BEING A VETERAN DRIVER AND A YOUNG DRIVER, OWNER?:

“I’m mad because I couldn’t go up there and race him for the win. I had to play it smart and I did what I had to do, we overcome our pit stop failure. Rick Ren (crew chief) made a great call by only putting one can of fuel in just to beat the 88 (Matt Crafton) out and it worked out great. It always fun to race Kevin (Harvick) because you know he’s going to race 120 mph faster than you are. The first time I ran his Nationwide car and he was running two of them and he turned me sideways and passed me, I thought, ‘Does he know he owns this car?’ I couldn’t go run into the back of him because he did that. That was the first experience that I really had with Kevin (Harvick), he don’t really care whose car it is, he’s going to move you out of the way to race it. You would be amazed for him being my good friend and now being my boss, the things that I don’t do in front of him no more. Yes sir, no sir, yes mam, no mam. And I’ll see you tomorrow or Monday morning.”

(L-R) DeLana Harvick, team owner Kevin Harvick, Ron Hornaday Jr. (C), driver of the No. 33 VFW.org Chevrolet, Linda Hornaday, and crew chief Rick Ren, celebrate after Hornaday clinched the series title with a fourth place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 13, 2009 in Avondale, Arizona

“In 2005, we put Ron (Hornaday) in the truck and we really didn’t have our stuff together and we knew from that point that we had what we needed from the driver’s side of it and we finally in 2007 built a team that was capable of keeping up with the driver. From that point on, it’s been a lot of fun to watch and from an owner’s standpoint, it’s one of those things where you really don’t have to do a whole lot because these guys, when they’re off, they know it and they go to work and try to fix it. If they do something wrong, you don’t even have to tell them and they fix it.

From an owner’s standpoint, that makes life easy. It’s been a long year to say the least. With the economy and everything and everybody has really chipped in to make sure the team is where it needs to be from a performance standpoint. Been a lot of challenges and to see it finish with Ron (Hornaday) winning the championship is something that’s really neat. I know it’s very rewarding for Delana (Harvick) and I, but it’s more rewarding to watch theses guys as a team and Ron (Hornaday) as a person, as a friend, as an employee, there’s a lot of things that go with it and come into the equation. It’s just a lot of fun to see it all evolve and come together.”

CAN YOU SPEAK TO JIMMIE JOHNSON TALKING ABOUT RON HORNADAY BEING KNOWN FOR HELPING YOUNG RACERS?:

“I don’t think that’s it, you go over there and there’s still a lot of people and their house is always open. It’s always been that way. What you see is what you get with Ron and Lindy (Hornaday) and the whole family. It’s always been one big family and if you want to be a part of it then come on over. That’s just the way that they’ve always been. Always been the same is what you can say. I know his hair has changed colors a couple times, but that’s about it. To lock up the championship here for us is extra special too just for the fact that a lot of us spent a lot of time here growing up and racing here. It’s pretty cool, he’s got a great following here and I know we’ve got a lot of fans here. It’s fun to be able to win the race and win the championship and I know there’s a lot of fans that appreciate that in this particular area.”

HOW UNIQUE IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU BEING A VETERAN DRIVER AND A YOUNG DRIVER, OWNER?:

“I think for me, I think its just really neat for me just for the fact of the whole scenario as I came up through my career and I always think back to races at Mesa Marin and the nights that he and Rick Carelli and Mike Chase and all the guys that used to race in the open comp days back then and at the start of the Southwest Tour. I was sitting in the grandstands and now I have Ron (Hornaday) and Rick (Carelli) and Ernie Cope and a couple kids from the West Coast. We have Andy Houston who came up through the Truck Series so its just a lot of us that have raced together. I know from our standpoint, we don’t go in the shop — when they see me coming in the shop they think, ‘Oh no, what is he going to make us build this week.’ Its all about the race vehicles. There’s a time and a place for the stuff on the other side of the wall from the marketing side of it, but I really enjoy the fact that we go in and we’re very aggressive on how we build stuff. These guys go out and drive it and I really enjoy all different aspects of it so that makes it a lot of fun.”

KEVIN HARVICK ON RACE WIN
HOW WAS YOUR RUN TONIGHT?:

“We made it entertaining in the beginning, that’s for sure. I don’t really know what happened other than I spun out. I went into (turns) one and two and pushed the front tires like there was something on the race track and go to (turns) three and four and just lost it. We came in and we left that set of tires on and Ernie (Cope, crew chief) said that they were down to the cords on the right rear. We overcame that and we didn’t hit anything and they did a great job on pit road. It took me a little while to get my confidence back up to dive the thing in and get up underneath another truck and know that it was going to stay underneath me. The truck was great the rest of the night and we made up spots on pit road, we made up spots on the track and once we finally got track position back and from there it was good.”

HOW WAS THE TRUCK HANDLING TONIGHT AS THE TEMPERATURE CHANGED?:

“The handling was really loose in the beginning, much looser than what we had at any point during practice. We came back in and changed the tires after we ran the first 35 laps or whatever it was and the truck was right back to where it was. The characteristics of the race track seemed to stay pretty much consistent through the night. Our truck didn’t change a lot from practice until tonight except for the first little bit of run there. All in all I think the track stayed pretty good.”

DOES IT STILL MAKE IT SPECIAL FOR YOU WHEN YOU BEAT KYLE BUSCH?:

“Yeah, I think we’ve run like five races and it seems like we’re racing Kyle (Busch) every time we’re on the track. That makes it a lot of fun and its cool that it came down to a couple green-white-checkers, I think that was the biggest chance that he had to make up some ground there and we were able to hold him off. It makes it fun. Kyle (Busch) and I get along really good and I like the way he races. I like the way he goes about things, I like his attitude. Even though sometimes you get mad, he gets frustrated, I get frustrated the same way too. Both of us aren’t very good about keeping our tempers to where it needs to be so it’s fun. I just like the fact that he likes to race so that makes it a lot of fun. He says a lot of dumb things sometimes, but we all say dumb things, right?”

DID YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE TONIGHT WITH RON HORNADAY RACING TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?:

“I felt like those guys are pretty much in control of their own destiny, they just need to go out and be smart. Obviously, anything can happen and we came in pretty focused on going out and trying to win the race and I felt like they could handle what they needed to from their standpoint.”

HOW MUCH AS YOUR TRUCK AND NATIONWIDE TEAM BOOSTED YOUR SPIRITS THIS SEASON?:

“Every time we get in the truck, we have a chance to win the race. Nationwide car runs in the top-five and won races all year. I tell people all the time that if it wasn’t for these two things and being competitive that I feel like I would put a hole in my head or feel like it anyway. Its just one of those things where it hasn’t been fun on Sunday and this is a lot of fun to come over and win races, run in the top-five every week and it makes you still know that you remember how to do it from the driver’s seat. Those guys have done a great job on Sunday, we were absolutely terrible at the beginning of the year and the last eight to 10 weeks, our cars have been very competitive. It hasn’t been a small project for Sunday. When you start off the year and build 30 or 40 cars that you think it’s the right road to go down and you have to start over in the middle of the year, I can respect that from an owner’s standpoint. You don’t like it from a driver’s standpoint, but they’ve done a good job in getting it turned around.”

ERNIE COPE, CREW CHIEF
WHAT WAS YOUR VIEW OF THE RACE TONIGHT?:

“The biggest thing was that we never give up there when we spun out on lap three there. We knew those tires were worn out from spinning, but we couldn’t put a set on at that time. He just had to tough it out and ride it out — didn’t have no grip. Might have over-adjusted on it, but came back for that last set and took another shot at it. Then pretty much had a dominant truck.”

DELANA HARVICK

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE RON HORNADAY WIN THE DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP?:

“I actually wasn’t even going to come, I’ve been battling the flu and had the flu for the past week. I gave it to Ron (Hornaday) apparently. This is quite honestly the best medicine for anything that ales you. Just to watch Ron (Hornaday) go out and do what he does. I told him back in 2007 that he had a job forever — I didn’t tell him that he was going to get paid forever, but as long as he keeps winning championships we’ll work on something. I’m just so impressed with everybody at KHI (Kevin Harvick Incorporated) and like Kevin (Harvick) said, this year was pretty hard to come together. The challenges that we faced with the economy, but everybody at KHI pulled together and we worked toward a common goal. To see Ron (Hornaday) win his fourth championship is unbelievable.”

- GM Racing Communications Press Release

No. 33 VFW Chevrolet Silverado

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Last year in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 team were involved in a lap one incident, but were able to rebound and finish the race in the 25th position to salvage a three point deficit to Johnny Benson going into the final race at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. Hornaday looks at the race at PIR as a turning point in last year’s season.

“When you look back and think of why we didn’t win the championship in 2008, a lot of people point to Homestead,” said Hornaday. “I look at the season as a whole, running out of gas at Martinsville, getting taken out in Mansfield, and then wrecking on lap one in Phoenix. Even though this year our circumstances are different, we can’t look only at Homestead for the final call as to why we will or will not win the championship. Titles are won during a season, not in one race. I would really like to have last year’s Phoenix race to do over, but we don’t and now we are in a similar situation this year with just a different point margin. This year maybe I can keep the truck going in the right direction for more than a lap.”

LUCKY NUMBER 22: In order to wrap up the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver’s championship, Hornaday has to finish 22nd or better in the final two races at PIR and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW: According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics Hornaday leads all Truck Series driver’s at PIR in making passes down the straight-a-ways. In the last four races at PIR Hornaday has made 22 quality passes down the short straight-a-ways.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS HEADING TO PHOENIX?

“I have been pretty successful at Phoenix International Raceway over the years. I have had a lot of great races there and have two wins there in 1998 and 1999. It’s a flat race track for the most part. It has a little more banking in turns one and two than in turns three and four. We have been really good this year on the flatter, shorter tracks. Phoenix is a place that I have been running for a number of years and I really like going back to one of the roots of the Truck Series.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING INTO PHOENIX WITH A 197 POINT ADVANTAGE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE?

“To me right now we are just focused on two more races. I don’t look at the championship until Homestead. The No. 33 team is not only racing for the driver’s championship, we want to make sure Kevin and DeLana win the owner’s championship as well. I don’t go into it looking at how many points we are ahead. I know that we just need to win the last two races. That’s what I want to go do and then the points will take care of themselves.”

CHASSIS HISTORY:

The No. 33 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) team will take chassis No.037 to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. Chassis No. 037 was last on track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Hornaday drove the then new chassis to a second-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP:

Last week at Texas Motor Speedway, Hornaday and the No. 33 team recorded their 10th top-three finish of the 2009 season. Hornaday battled leaders Kyle Busch and Matt Crafton for the win but his truck became too loose in the closing laps to challenge for the win.

ABOUT VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS (VFW):

Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United State) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the sacrifice and ensuring the rights of America’s veterans through advocacy, support and community service, while promoting patriotism. The VFW offers a wide array of services to support veterans and their families throughout their military career, from active duty to honorably discharged. For more information, visit: www.vfw.org or call (816) 756-3390.

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 is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, 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 and Ron Hornaday. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.

Ron Hornaday

“We weren’t points racing,” said Hornaday following the race. “Todd (Bodine) was a little slower right in the center. I went up after the race and told him I didn’t mean to run in to him every time, but I had just burned my brakes up behind him. There at the end Colin (Braun) was able to get by me. I am sure glad Colin ran in to the side of my door, it straightened me back up or I might have been in trouble there. It was just an awesome day for the VFW Chevrolet. This was one hurdle we had to jump and we jumped it. When those other guys came and got tires, I thought we were a sitting duck but it was a good call. It was a good day. We waited until 47 or 50 laps to pit and guys were coming on new tires but we did what we needed to do.”

Hornaday started the Kroger 200 from the outside position and on the first lap made a move to get around pole sitter Mike Skinner to lead lap one. Hornaday set the pace until the first caution of the race waved on lap 32. Crew chief Rick Ren made the call to leave the No. 33 on the race track because it was too early in the race for the team to be able to make it to the end on fuel. The majority of the field came down for four tires and fuel. Hornaday continued to lead over KHI teammate Kevin Harvick on the lap 38 restart. Hornaday pulled out to a one second advantage over second place when the second caution waved on lap 52.

On lap 53, the No. 33 team pitted for four tires and a slight air-pressure adjustment, as they were barely in their pit window to make it to the end of the race on fuel. The following lap the team came back down for fuel. However, the top three trucks of Hornaday, Harvick and Skinner were caught speeding and were forced to the tail end of the longest line for the restart. Hornaday found himself going from the lead to 18th position during the sequence of pit stops.

Hornaday tucked himself behind teammate Harvick on the restart on lap 58 to try and follow the No. 4 through traffic. However, on lap 64, the No. 4 cut down a left-rear tire and was forced to pit. Hornaday then followed Bodine to the front of the field. Scored in the 13th position as the caution waved for the third time on lap 71, Hornaday radioed his crew and told them he was beginning to have trouble with the brakes and was having to pump them several times in order to stop the No. 33 truck. By lap 83, Hornaday had moved back into the top 10, methodically working his way back through traffic.

By lap 100 Hornaday had worked his way up to the sixth position. Trying to make it a one pit stop race Hornaday was asked to conserve as much fuel as possible. Under the sixth caution on lap 122, the team told Hornaday that he could definitely make it to the end on fuel. On the restart on lap 125, Hornaday was scored in the third position. He continued to battle Bodine for the second spot but could not make the pass. As the laps wound down Hornaday continued to battle Bodine for second. However, his brakes continued to fade and finally had to give way to the advances of Colin Braun for third with only 25 laps remaining. Hornaday would remain in the fourth position when the checkered flag flew.

Hornaday’s teammate Harvick battled back to regain both laps he lost under green when he was forced to pit for the flat left-rear tire. Harvick came back to finish behind Hornaday in fifth. Timothy Peters scored his first Truck Series victory followed by Bodine, Braun, Hornaday and Harvick. Hornaday remains the championship point’s leader by 224 makers over Matt Crafton with four races remaining in the 2009 season.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release

Kevin Harvick Inc. Logo

ONE OF THE FEW: Ron Hornaday heads to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this weekend with a mission to check the 0.526-mile track off the list. There are currently eight tracks on the Truck Series schedule where the veteran has yet to tally a win and Martinsville Speedway tops that list. In 14 starts (the most of any track on the circuit) Hornaday has yet to visit victory lane and collect the famous Grandfather clock trophy. Earlier this season, Hornaday came ever so close finishing second to “the boss” Kevin Harvick.

“Martinsville is a place that I really would like to get a win at,” Hornaday said. “I’ve said it a lot this year but I’m after trophies. My wife will spend the money but when racing is over for me those are the things that I can show my grandkids. Martinsville is definitely a place that’s on my radar. I’m excited to get back to racing after this break and finish out what has been a dream season.”

THE ONES TO BEAT: Over the last nine races at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, the trucks coming out of the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) stables have been the ones to beat. In 2008, KHI swept the pole positions with Jack Sprague and the No. 2 truck team setting a new track record in the spring followed by Hornaday and the No. 33 team winning the pole for the fall race.

KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick leads NASCAR’s loop data statistics for average running position (6.0), average finish (8.0), percentage of laps spent in the top 15 (93.1) and driver rating of 112.0 out of 150 possible points earned. Hornaday is not far behind. He is the driver that has spent the most laps in the top 15 (1,737) as well as gaining the most points (1,271).

KEVIN HARVICK FAN CLUB GATHERING: Following the Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway, KHI will host the seventh annual Kevin Harvick Fan Club Gathering. The event runs from 5p.m. to 9p.m. at the KHI facility in Kernersville N.C. The event is open to the public, admission is free. This year’s gathering will feature a classic car and specialty vehicle show, the Rheem Extreme Cake Challenge as well as autograph sessions with Ron Hornaday, Ricky Carmichael and DeLana Harvick for selected Fan Club member and attendees. Kevin Harvick will sign autographs for Fan Club members only.

Notes from the Professor: Quotes from Ron Hornaday:

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU TO FINALLY BREAK THROUGH AND GET A WIN AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY?

“I’ve been coming here for awhile now and for some reason we just can’t seem to break through and get the checkers. It would mean a lot to me to win at Martinsville. It is one of the tracks that we’ve been coming to since the Truck Series started and to finally add my name to the list of legends who have won there would mean a lot to me.”

AS YOU BEGIN THE FINAL FIVE RACE STREATCH TO THE END OF THE TRUCK SERIES SEASON, HOW IMPORTANT IS SURVIVIING MARTINSVILLE?

“Martinsville has been one of those tracks we have circled on our calendar. Martinsville and Talladega are the two tracks that are very important to just get out of there with a good finish. We have been very fortunate that we have had really good trucks at Martinsville the past few times we have gone there, but it’s more important now than ever to keep all four fenders off the tires and race as clean as we can to get a good finish.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) team will take chassis No.033 to Martinsville Speedway. Chassis No. 033 was last on track at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (BMS) where Hornaday’s five race win steak came to a close, but he was able to record a third-place finish, his best finish at BMS since 1999.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Four weeks ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hornaday and the No. 33 team recorded their 16th top-10 finish of 2009 with a sixth-place finish at the 1.5-mile track. Hornaday led 34 laps, but took on four tires late in the race while some of the other leaders took on two tires or stayed out. Johnny Sauter went on to win his first career Truck Series race. Hornaday remains the point’s leader by 197 markers over Matt Crafton with five races remaining in the 2009 season.

ABOUT VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS (VFW):

Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United State) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the sacrifice and ensuring the rights of America’s veterans through advocacy, support and community service, while promoting patriotism. The VFW offers a wide array of services to support veterans and their families throughout their military career, from active duty to honorably discharged. For more information, visit: www.vfw.org or call (816) 756-3390.

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 is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, 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 and Ron Hornaday. 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

Kevin Harvick Inc. Logo

This year’s event will feature an autograph session, for 2009 Fan Club members only, with 2007 Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick. Three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, the most successful motocross racer in history, Ricky Carmichael and KHI team co-owner DeLana Harvick will also participate in autograph sessions. A limited number of tickets are available for these sessions for Fan Club members only and attendees will be selected through a random ticket draw.

The Kevin Harvick Inc. race shop will be open for viewing, showcasing all three of KHI’s race teams. Fans can sample, view and collect information from a variety of displays including exhibits by: Longhorn Smokeless Tobacco, Rheem Manufacturing, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Shell, Reese’s, Coca Cola, Pinnacle Food Group, Charter Communications, Kroger/Procter & Gamble, Monster Energy drink, Nationwide Insurance, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, as well as a Victory Junction collection station for such items as paper plates, paper towels, blankets, and arts and craft items.

This year’s Fan Club Gathering festivities will include a Car and Specialty vehicle show featuring some of Harvick’s own commemorative collection, as well as a silent auction where fans can bid on authentic one-of-a-kind memorabilia.

The evening will be capped off with the Rheem Extreme Cake Challenge, a cake decorating competition, sponsored by Rheem Manufacturing. Audrey’s Specialty Cakes of Cornelius N.C. (www.specialtycakesonline.com) and Katiebelle’s of Charlotte N.C. (www.katiebelles.com) will face off to see who can build the most extreme cake inspired by KHI’s No. 33 Rheem Nationwide Series entry within the given time allotment. At the end of the evening each cake will be judged by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, a representative from Rheem and selected Fan Club Gathering attendees, with Rheem presenting the winner a check for $1,000. The cakes will then be cut for all attendees to enjoy.

Two hundred randomly selected Fan Club members will receive a coupon for a free sample of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches in their complimentary Fan Club goody bag. Other food products will be available for purchase including CiCi’s pizza, Starbucks coffee and hot chocolate and popcorn.

The Kevin Harvick Inc. souvenir trailer will also be on hand for fans to purchase merchandise to add to their Kevin Harvick and KHI collections.

The 2009 Kevin Harvick Fan Club Gathering is free for Fan Club members as well as the general public and will take place rain or shine! Parking for all attendees will be located at Dudley Cosmetology University Campus (Inn and Conference center, Cafeteria, Administration, Yeates Center and 1080 Building) between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. The campus is located at 900 A-B East Mountain Street, Kernersville, N.C. 27284. There will be buses, including a handicapped accessible transporter, which will run every 15 to 20 minutes from the Dudley Cosmetology University Campus shuttling fans to the KHI facility.

Only Kevin Harvick Fan Club members will be able to attend Kevin’s autograph session. KHI will not be accepting new members for the 2009 Kevin Harvick Fan Club on site; however 2010 Fan Club memberships will be available for purchase at www.kevinharvick.com in November.

For more information about the seventh annual Kevin Harvick Fan Club Gathering please call 336-992-2998 or visit www.kevinharvickinc.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 is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, 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 and Ron Hornaday. 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