TRUCKS: Harvick Wins, Hornaday Clinches Written by: Tom Jensen Avondale, AZ
Kevin Harvick won the battle Friday night, and Ron Hornaday Jr. won the war.
Harvick won Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix International Raceway, while Hornaday, who drives a Kevin Harvick Inc.-owned truck, clinched his record fourth Truck Series championship with a fourth-place finish behind his boss, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola.
As evenings go, this one couldn’t have gone better for Harvick, though it sure didn’t seem like it would be early on.
Johnny Sauter started from the pole in his Fun Sand Chevrolet Silverado, and was immediately challenged by Harvick’s Longhorn Chevy. But Harvick got loose and quickly fell back, spinning in oil coming out of Turn 4 and hitting the No. 15 Graceway Toyota Tundra of Aric Almirola to bring out a caution on Lap 8.
Soon after the Lap 13 restart, a familiar face was out front — Kyle Busch’s No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota, winner the last five times Busch has raced it.
On Lap 34, Brad Sweet spun his Great Clips Toyota at the entrance of Turn 3 to bring out the second caution of the evening. That sent the field down pit road, Hornaday earning a penalty for refueling before the catchcan was installed on the truck. Hornaday, who had been running third behind Busch and Sauter, rejoined the race in 21st place, as Busch, Colin Braun and Stacy Compton led.
Shortly after the green flag flew on Lap 39, Almirola was back up to second to make it 1-2 for truck owner Billy Ballew. And on Lap 44, it was Almirola’s turn to lead as he blew by Busch, who took only fuel on his stop while Almirola took fuel and tires.
At Lap 50, the one-third mark in the race, the top five was Almirola, Busch, Harvick, Sauter and Braun, with Hornaday 16th. Twenty laps later, Harvick and Sauter both went past Busch to take second and third, respectively.
The top three remained unchanged at the halfway point, with Almirola 3.952 seconds ahead of Harvick. Championship protagonists Matt Crafton and Hornaday were fifth and 14th, respectively.
By Lap 88, though, Hornaday was up to 10th, putting himself in a better position to clinch the championship.
Wheeler Boys stalled on Lap 90 to bring out the third caution of the evening and setting up what was expected to be the final pit stop of the evening for most of the leaders. Almirola held the lead through two rounds of pit stops, followed by Harvick, Busch, Mike Bliss and Mike Skinner.
But the key was that Hornaday moved up to seventh, one spot ahead of Crafton, who had a dropped lugnut on his second pit stop.
The green flew on Lap 96, and a lap later, it was Harvick to the lead ahead of the two Billy Ballew Toyotas. On Lap 98, Busch moved by his teammate for second place behind Harvick. But three laps later, Almirola retook second.
With 30 laps to go, Tim George Jr. crashed to bring out another caution.
On the Lap 127 restart, Harvick led Almirola, Busch, Hornaday and Bliss, with Crafton in eighth. Busch quickly moved up to second, but Hornaday already was easing well ahead.
Then, Kevin Conway cracked the wall on Lap 134 after contact from Crafton, bringing out the fifth caution of the evening. Crafton was seventh at this point, but still behind Harvick.
The track went green with 11 laps to go, Busch putting the pressure on Harvick immediately.
With five laps to go, James Buescher crashed in between Turns 3 and 4, setting up a green-white-checkered finish and another chance for Busch to get past Hornaday.
But although Busch got close to Harvick on the restart, he could not get past, as Harvick drove to victory and Hornaday drove to a spot in history with his fourth series championship.
TRUCKS: Hornaday A Worthy Champion Written by: Tom Jensen
Hornaday became just the fourth four-time champion in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions Friday night, with a fourth-place finish in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. In the process, at the ripe old age of 51, he also become the oldest champion in a top NASCAR division.
It was a moment of supreme triumph for Hornaday, who previously won Truck Series titles in 1996, ’98 and 2007 and narrowly missed last season, when he lost by a mere 7 points to Johnny Benson.
In 24 races this season, Hornaday has amassed impressive numbers, with four poles, six victories, 15 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes.
More than that, though, the 51-year-old California native has created a body of work over his career that’s earned him a place with NASCAR’s greats and the respect of his fellow drivers.
There are 45 Truck Series victories in 249 starts on Hornaday’s resume, and now, of course, the four titles.
“I think if you look at just the Truck Series alone, he'll go down in history as probably the best, the greatest ever,” said Jimmie Johnson, who himself is pursuing a fourth NASCAR championship. “When you look at what he has done in the sport in general, from Winston West racing and the late models on the West Coast all the way through Truck, Cup and Nationwide, he has done it all and was very competitive in all of those series.”
But as much as he’s accomplished on the track, what Hornaday’s accomplished off the track is equally impressive.
In the Hornaday household, the family’s well worn black leather couch doubled as a bed for many an aspiring racer.
Johnson, of course, is a California native like Hornaday and Hornaday’s boss, Kevin Harvick, who won Friday night’s race. According to Johnson, Hornaday’s generosity and willingness to help young racers is well known to other drivers.
“I think his legacy is going to be better defined as time goes on, but he's going to be known for more than just what he has done in the Truck Series,” Johnson said of Hornaday. “I see guys today that talk about late models that he built for them. … There are so many people that you affect and touch and work with over time, that I think Ron ... Ron will be known as the greatest ever … but he has done so much more. I think people that are close to him respect him more for the man he is than just what he has accomplished in a car.”
Harvick said that Hornaday is still active helping other drivers. “I don’t think that’s quit,” said Harvick of Hornaday and Hornaday’s wife, Lindy. “You go over there and there’s still a lot of people that they nurture and their house is always open. It’s always been that way. What you see is what you get with Ron and Lindy 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 they’ve always been.”
As for Hornaday, he was typically modest about his accomplishment. Asked how he felt, the first thing he said was that he was still racing hard for the owner’s championship in the Truck Series, where the Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado is 60 points ahead of Billy Ballew’s No. 51 Toyota that Kyle Busch has driven for much of the season.
“It’s not over by far,” Hornaday said. “We’re racing Kyle Busch for owner’s points and that’s the true goal. It shows how great our team is and Kyle’s been really running strong. He’s got what, six, seven wins this year? So we’re going to do everything we can to hold him off.”
And thing that Hornaday seemed happiest about with his fourth championship was that it broke a tie with his old nemesis and friend Jack Sprague, as three-time champions. But more than that, Hornaday said he hoped to see Sprague back racing one day.
“I’ve got one up on Sprague, that’s all that counts,” laughed Hornaday. “ … I told Sprague, ‘Now you’ve got to come back and try to get a fourth one and keep me racing. … It’s been a fun battle with Jack and I wish he was still out here.”
But on this night, and for the foreseeable future, Hornaday’s accomplishments stand alone, as they should.
“It’s been fun,” said Hornaday. “And we’re not done. As long as Kevin and Delana will still have me, we’re going to win some more.”
Danica Sue -- how will she do? by Darrell Waltrip Legendary stock car driver Darrell Waltrip, winner of 84 career NASCAR Cup Series races and three-time champion, serves as lead analyst for NASCAR on FOX. Updated: November 13, 2009,
Folks, you have to admit that the news of Danica Patrick running some NASCAR races is pretty darn exciting. This young lady creates a stir wherever she goes and whatever she does. At this point in her career she probably could have landed a ride in Formula One if she so desired because of how popular she is.
In today's economy it is all about putting fans in the stands, and she can do that in spades. So you tell me, what sanctioning body wouldn't be thrilled to have her? The Indy Racing League has really capitalized on her popularity. She is clearly the biggest star in that series.
I'll admit, when the news broke that she had a real interest in NASCAR, it made me skeptical. She was in the midst of contract negotiations with Andretti Racing, so I figured from a business standpoint she was using the possibility of coming to NASCAR as leverage within those negotiations.
I get asked every day now from folks how I think she will do over here. I have to be a realist, just like she obviously has to as well. Now back in his hey-day, Dean Martin had a song called "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue." Now the opening lyric goes Five foot two, eyes of blue; But oh what those five foot could do.
Now I have been around NASCAR most of my life and I have never driven an Indy car, but have a pretty good understanding of them. The dry weight of an IndyCar is 1,525 lbs. That does not include the driver or the fuel. They have onboard telemetry. They live by that telemetry. They are agile and quick. The driver and the team have the ability to make adjustments to the car while it is actually racing.
Those are all things we don't have in NASCAR. The driver is the on-board telemetry. That's part of the learning curve she is facing. Our cars are big and heavy. They are 3,500 lbs. They have a limited amount of downforce with pretty small tires for a car that heavy. With the speeds they hit at all the tracks we go to, they are simply a handful.
Our top stars in NASCAR today will tell you the Car of Tomorrow is the hardest car ever to drive. It's the hardest car for a crew chief to figure out. So when I hear stock car guys saying how difficult this car is to drive, well it makes me wonder how Danica at 5-foot-2 and 100 lbs will handle one of our big old heavy tanks. Now that's not a slam at her, it is just a fact. Our cars take a lot of effort and anticipation.
It's just such a transition and learning curve. Look at Sam Hornish Jr. He's had some good races, but frankly he's had some pretty darn bad ones too. Folks, he is a former IRL IndyCar Series champion. Look at my neighbor Dario Franchitti. When he came over to NASCAR, I figured he had as good a chance of anybody to make it. But he couldn't unfortunately. He struggled and then got hurt in a Nationwide Series race that put him even further behind. So he went back to the IRL. Well look what happened this year? He's the new IRL champion.
Maybe our cars, since they are such a handful to drive, teach them even better finesse and car control. So maybe it is easier to go from a stock car to an Indy Car instead of vice versa.
The other thing to remember is that Danica can't simply show up at Daytona next February and drive a Cup car in the 500. It's a NASCAR rule that you have to run the superspeedways of Daytona or Talladega in another series first and be observed by NASCAR officials. Now she could go to Daytona and run an ARCA race or even a Nationwide race but she can't run the 500 until she is observed by NASCAR. They simply want to verify that she is qualified to handle our style of cars at those speeds before they allow her in a Cup car at those tracks.
Being the star she is and the following she has, it would be interesting to see her run an ARCA or Nationwide race. Think about what that does to shine light on either or both of those series if she were to do that.
The thing that has to bring her comfort is that Rick Hendrick will be around. When he's around and looking over everyone's shoulder, well things tend to go smoother. That is about the best insurance policy anyone can have. He has a way of making sure you have all the right equipment and even more so, the right people around you. If you don't believe me, go ask Tony Stewart.
At the end of the day, I still believe coming over here is going to be a physical and mental test for her. The pressure of her running both the IRL and NASCAR events is going to be tough. The demands on her time over here from the media and more importantly the fans are going to take its toll.
This isn't a slam at the IRL but the pressure on a NASCAR driver is much great. We run 36 points races plus a handful of non-point events while the IRL runs 17 events. Our races are much longer too. Granted, she hasn't gotten to the Cup level yet, but sure the anticipation is there and these longer races will factor in.
I just keep doing the math and I keep looking at the challenges she is facing. It's simply going to be difficult at best for her to get comfortable, go through the learning curve and have success over here. It is one thing to be a big fish in a big pond, but it's another to be little fish in a big pond.
You always have to remember that you have to perform in NASCAR, get results and put numbers up on the board. In the IRL, Danica has done OK. To come over here and not be able to deliver the results is a risk/reward she is going to have to seriously consider. There's also the danger of being over-exposed attempting to run both series'.
She and her management team have to take a long, hard look at this because let's face it, there is a lot more at stake here than just money. Obviously if all goes well, her marketability can go even higher than it is now, but what if it doesn't go well? If trying to do both series' is too much and she is only mediocre doing both, then was the risk worth it?
There's simply going to be a lot of challenges, but I for one would like to see her pull it off. I would like to see her be successful because it would be good not only for her, but for our sport as well. But again, if I was 5-foot-2 and 100lbs, well it sure sounds like someone that could slide right down into an IndyCar pretty darn easy but to climb through the window of one of our big ol' tanks, well not so much.
Danica Patrick 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Is it possible that Danica Patrick just keeps getting hotter with every Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue spread? Quite possibly. But if not, I choose to believe it anyway, and just go with it. Yes, I’m delusional that way. Speaking of delusional, what are the chances that I’ll bump into Danica Patrick in a crowded bar and she comes over to hit on me? I say it’s about 50-50. I’m really dashing and junk in a dark room. Or at least, that’s what Ed tells me, and Ed never lies about such things. Anyhoo. Here’s Danica Patrick back in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. I know the whole draped over the car in a bikini is to associate her with her professional of car racing, although I don’t know why, cause the woman is just flat out hot, car racing or not.
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Danica Patrick to team with Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Danica Patrick's NASCAR future could be linked up with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s, according to Sports Illustrated. SI.com quotes NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick as saying that Patrick is in discussions with Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports to run a series of NASCAR Nationwide Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series races for the team. JR Motorsports recently concluded a sponsorship arrangement with Patrick's longtime personal sponsor, GoDaddy.com. "We have no deal but she has spoke with Kelley Earnhardt [Dale Jr.'s sister, who handles that teams business affairs] about a limited number of NASCAR races in that car," Hendrick told SI.com. "I have had some conversation and Kelley Earnhardt has had some conversation with that, but Kelly is heading that up." Late last month, Patrick reportedly signed a new three-year contract with Andretti Green Racing to remain in the IndyCar Series, although neither she nor the team has yet confirmed that.
JRM exploring limited deal with Danica
By David Newton ESPN.com Archive CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The darling of the IndyCar Series and NASCAR's most popular driver could be joining forces in 2010.
Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, the president of JR Motorsports that is co-owned by Sprint Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr., said on Monday she is exploring options that could put Danica Patrick in a limited number of Nationwide Series races next year.
"There is a natural fit at JRM with Dale Jr. and Danica both serving as spokespersons for GoDaddy.com," Elledge said. "As a female managing one of the top Nationwide Series teams in the sport, I would be excited to have Danica within the JR Motorsports fold if she decides to enter the world of NASCAR."
