Ron Hornaday – Max Gresham Texas Preview

Ron Hornaday

No. 9 Joe Denette Motorsports Chevrolet
Fast & Fun Facts…
Hornaday two-steps into Texas as the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) June event winner of the WinStar World Casino 350k
Still looking for his first win of 2012, Hornaday heads to TMS with confidence. The 1.5-mile quad-oval is the site of Hornaday’s first win of 2011
Hornaday is one of only three active NCWTS drivers who have been to victory lane at TMS. The other two previous winners are Brendan Gaughan and Todd Bodine
Eye In the Sky…Ted Musgrave, a 2007 NCWTS winner at TMS will serve as Hornaday’s spotter

Welcome Aboard… Hornaday and the No. 9 Joe Denette Motorsports team welcome SWM International Inc. for this weekend’s WinStar World Casino 400 at TMS. SWM, a custom design and manufacturing company, develops and builds the highest quality oil field completion tools including oil well perforating guns. SWM is also proud to announce the purchase of the Red Bull Racing machine shop and its move to Texas to continue manufacturing suspension and frame parts for the NASCAR market. The Pampa, Texas company will adorn the hood of Hornaday’s Chevrolet Silverado as the defending winner of the June 2011 NCWTS race at TMS. For more information on SWM International please visit www.SWMTX.com.

Lone Star State Stats… In 18 NCWTS starts at Texas, Hornaday has three wins, including a sweep of the June and October races in 2008, six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. The four-time series champion has led 681 laps, has an average start of 8.5, average finish of 12.6 and has completed 88.8 percent of laps attempted (2532 of 2851). In 2011 Hornaday started 13th, leading 18 laps en route to his third victory at TMS. 

In The Loop… According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Hornaday has the following stats at TMS:

·         Hornaday has a driver rating of 113.3 ranking him third overall, but first among active NCWTS drivers
·         Seventh among average running position (8.46), third among active NCWTS drivers
·         First among fastest laps run with 268
·         First among laps in the top-15 with 1849
·         First among laps led with 493  

This Week’s No. 9 Chevrolet… The No. 9 Joe Denette Motorsports team will unload chassis No. 03 for this weekend’s NCWTS event at TMS. This particular Chevrolet Silverado was utilized in 2011 at Phoenix, Charlotte, Kansas, Michigan and Vegas and will make its debut this season with a new body.

Rearview Mirror-Dover… After a strong start to the weekend a Dover International Speedway, the No. 9 Joe Denette Motorsports team would like to put the “Monster Mile” in their rearview mirror. Following a season-best start of third, Hornaday got loose coming out of turn-two which ultimately led to the team’s first DNF of the season and a 27th-place finish in the Lucas Oil 200. 

Get to the Point… Hornaday is down two positions to eighth in the 2012 NCWTS driver point standings, 27 points outside the top-five and 49 points outside the lead. Joe Denette, owner of the No. 9 entry, is down three positions to ninth in the 2012 NCWTS owner point standings.  

A Penny For Your Thoughts…

From the driver, Ron Hornaday... “I love Texas, all three shapes of it. Its current configuration is fast, you are three-wide and it’s just unbelievable what the trucks can do there. We will practice in the day, qualify in the evening and race at night so the track will go through a lot of changes throughout the weekend. There is a lot of grip and a lot of action. We have a lot of ground to make up following Dover and I’ve got a great group of guys behind me at Joe Denette Motorsports. I believe Texas is a track where we can rebound. We are bringing a new truck with all the updates that the guys have found in the wind tunnel and I’m looking forward to a successful weekend.”

From the crew chief, Jeff Hensley… “I’ve had some success at Texas over the years; winning there with Hornaday last year was big for our team. With Dover behind us, I hope to accomplish that same goal, a win, with Joe Denette Motorsports. I’m bringing a chassis with a new body build to Texas this weekend which showed good numbers in the wind tunnel. Every week we are getting better and hopefully this is a step in the right direction.”

Follow Me… Follow Ron on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/RonHornaday (@RonHornaday) or log-on to www.JoeDenetteMotorsports.com for all the latest news and updates on the No. 9 Chevrolet.

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Max Gresham

No. 24 Made In USA Brand Chevrolet

Fast & Fun Facts:
Max Gresham will make his debut at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in this weekend’s WinStar World Casino 400 on Friday night, June 8
Gresham is currently eighth in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle.

This Week’s No. 24 Made In USA Brand Chevrolet… The Made In USA Brand team will unload chassis No. 05 for this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at TMS. Although, this is the same Joe Denette Motorsports chassis that Ron Hornaday piloted to a 12th-place finish in the Inaugural NCWTS event at Rockingham Speedway, the Chevrolet Silverado will have a new body on it for this weekend’s 29th Annual WinStar World Casino 400. 

Rearview Mirror-Dover… Gresham lost his battle with the “Monster Mile” in last Friday night’s Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway. Following a season-best start of 14th, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender’s day went from good to bad on lap 29, when Gresham found himself a victim of an accident coming out of turn four. Things later went from bad to worse when the Griffin, GA native tagged the outside safer barrier and found himself behind the wall to repair a broken radiator. After more than 30 laps, Gresham returned to the track to suffer his final indignity, as Miles the Monster claimed yet another victim. Extensive damage due to a cut right-front tire on the No. 24 Made In USA Brand Chevrolet resulted in a DNF and a 30th-place finish in just his first NCWTS start at the 1-mile oval. 

Get to the Points… Gresham is currently 20th in the 2012 NCWTS driver point standings, 22 points outside the top-15.

A Penny For Your Thoughts… 

From the driver, Max Gresham… “NASCAR is a very demanding sport; it’s a constant test of me as a driver, my team and our equipment. All the elements have to be there. Our results don’t show how strong we are, we have run better than our finishes show. I think, if we didn’t have bad luck, I’m not sure we would have much luck at all. I do have Dover behind me and I’m focused on Texas. I’m learning every week as a driver and growing. I’m looking forward to Texas.”

From the crew chief, Terry “Richie” Snyder… “Texas is a fast, multi-groove track so it’s turned into a place where you can run the high side or the low line, which is a recipe for great racing. It’s a challenging track, with relatively flat straightaways and high-banked turns. Max has never been here, but I’m confident that he will run well here. We are bringing a new chassis this week and have spent some time with it in the wind tunnel. We are getting things figured out and I’m looking forward to rebounding from the plague of luck we have been dealing with this year.”

Tune In… The 29th Annual WinStar World Casino 400 will air live on SPEED at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 8. For even more coverage of practice and qualifying you can tune into SiriusXM NASCAR channel 90 or follow us on twitter: www.Twitter.com/TeamJDM924

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