The end of the 2011 season is drawing near, and it seems we hear every week about another team that is preparing to lay off employees. The U.S. economy has still not rebounded, and even though some signs are better for NASCAR (like TV ratings), it would appear that we haven’t yet found the bottom. It all adds up to what will be another tough winter for many employed in and around the sport.
Thanks to North Carolina’s WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Act, we’ve had several public notifications within the last few weeks about impending race team layoffs. The state requires a 60 day notice if more than 50 workers will be laid off because of a company shutdown. Red Bull Racing, Kevin Harvick Inc., and Germain Racing have all filed with the state.
Red Bull and KHI are organizations that will be shut down completely at season’s end. We’ve obviously known about Red Bull for several months, and we learned within the last month about KHI. The Nationwide Series teams that were housed at KHI will be absorbed by Richard Childress Racing, so there is some hope for a few. But that still leaves several hundred people looking for work.
Germain, while still a bad situation, isn’t quite as dire as Red Bull and KHI. Germain knows for certain they have funding for 22 races for their Cup Series program for next season, but their Truck teams are in limbo. Brendan Gaughan may not return, GEICO won’t sponsor Max Papis, and they’ve been piecing together sponsorship for Todd Bodine for the last several seasons. With so much still to figure out, they didn’t have any other choice but to file their notice.
Besides these teams, we know there is a good chance RCR will cut back down to three Cup teams with the departure of Clint Bowyer. Roush Fenway Racing could be facing cuts, as sponsorship remains a big question for their #6 and #17 Cup teams. There is also word that their Nationwide Series program could be significantly smaller next season. And while we are talking about NNS teams, Turner Motorsports might be cutting back both their NNS and Truck programs because of lack of sponsorship. There are also questions at Rusty Wallace Racing, as it appears they need a replacement for 5 Hour Energy.
It isn’t all bad though. If Bowyer does end up at Michael Waltrip Racing like it has been rumored, that team would go from two cars to three. Also, Stewart Haas is adding at least a partial third Cup car with the addition of Danica Patrick. We also know that Eddie Sharp Racing will expand significantly next season, as the team has purchased the #8 and #33 trucks from KHI to add to their already existing #6 truck. Possible drivers for those seats include Cale Gale and Tim George, Jr. And besides adding KHI’s #8 and #33 NNS teams, RCR will start a third NNS team for Austin Dillon.
With eight weeks remaining, there are still a lot of unfinished plans. Drivers like Brian Vickers and Mark Martin still haven’t locked down seats for 2012, and there are plenty of other free agent drivers in the lower series. We also continue to hear that Red Bull’s involvement in NASCAR may not completely end. The chance still exists for that team to continue in some form or another. Either way, here’s to hoping everyone lands on their feet following Homestead.
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It was announced on Wednesday that starting in 2012, Kevin Harvick Inc.’s Nationwide Series program would be “merged” with Richard Childress Racing. Effectively, what this “merger” means, is that KHI’s #2 and #33 NNS teams will now be run out of RCR’s shop in Welcome, NC. Elliott Sadler will continue piloting the #2 and a round robin of Cup drivers will drive the #33. This announcement, combined with the recent rumors of the demise of KHI’s Truck Series program, really make me wonder if after ten years in existence we aren’t seeing the end of what Kevin and Delana built.
If you might remember, it hasn’t quite been a year since RCR announced it would no longer field it’s own NNS entries, and that it would combine it’s efforts with KHI. Now the move is being reversed.
Why Kevin and Delana are getting out now is unclear, but what is certain is why RCR is interested in having a Nationwide program back under it’s roof: Richard’s grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon. Austin is currently in his second season behind the wheel of RCR’s #3 truck, and appears set to join the Nationwide Series full time for 2012. Taking control of two established teams gives RCR a leg up in giving Austin what he needs to be successful next season and beyond.
Brother Ty, who is currently rolling over the competition in ARCA (he currently has a 405 point lead in the standings), would be in line to take over the #3 truck from Austin. And it won’t be long before Ty is himself running NNS races.
Something else to consider, is if this move might be an indication that Clint Bowyer could actually be departing RCR at season’s end. We’ve heard that if Bowyer does leave, there is a good chance that the #33 Cup team will be shut down. Taking on multiple NNS entries would be a replacement for that team, and would allow RCR to hang on to employees they might otherwise let go.
Harvick is scheduled to address the media on Friday at Richmond, where he will hopefully shed some more light on what the future looks like for KHI. But after it appeared he could be on the road to being the next owner/driver in the Cup Series, it now looks like KHI is being dismantled.
I fully understand the idea behind putting the best face on something. It’s in the best interest of companies, and in our case race teams, to make sure they’re portrayed in the best light possible. With the uptick of “funded drivers” in recent years though this desire to put the best light on things has taken a turn toward the laughable.
Consider the announcement this week that Nelson Piquet Jr. is joining Kevin Harvick Inc. to run the full truck schedule in 2011. In this case it wasn’t the team – their release was actually pretty moderated – but the driver himself that left me shaking my head.
Piquet said, talking about where he was at and where he wanted to be in the future:
“I want to get there because I deserve it and because of wins and because teams want me to be there, not because I’m going to bring a sponsor.”
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s great he wants to move through the ranks of NASCAR based on merit, not on money. That said, I have a hard time believing his hire at KHI is a purely charitable move on the team’s part.
Coincidentally, Piquet settled a libel suit with Renault just last week regarding comments they made about Piquet following his involvement in the now infamous “Crashgate”. No figure was announced, but it was said to be “substantial damages.” I honestly don’t think the two are directly connected – you don’t generally get a contract worked out in seven days. I digress.
This rosy picture people like to paint though gets to be a little much. Remember last season when Richard Childress said at a press conference John Wes Townley had a lot of “talent”? He then cut Townley after five races – like he didn’t know what he was getting into. Apparently by talent, he meant money.
Or how about Brian Scott? After signing the young driver to run for his family owned team in 2011, J.D. Gibbs said:
We’ve done this enough to know we’re never going to do a deal just to do a deal. We learned in the past the hard way. Unless you have a guy there that you think can win races, win championships and compete week in and week out, it’s not worth doing. So, our guys really kind of got together a while ago and figured, ‘Hey, Brian is one of those guys when you see what he’s done in just a really kind of a short career span,’ and I think that’s really going to bode well for us.
Overly optimistic and rosy? Perhaps. I think the truth is, he’s a pretty competent driver and he brings with him a lot of money. Did they sign him because he was the best candidate to bring Gibbs another Nationwide Series championship? I doubt it.
I write this not to bring any of these guys down. I really do hope for their sake, and the sake of the sport they’re successful in their endeavors. I just wish we could come to a point when we can call an orange an orange, and not try to make it the apple that it will never be.
While most of the big dominoes have fallen for the 2011 season, there are still plenty of holes to fill. And along with those holes, come plenty of rumors. Here are a few we’ve been hearing lately.
Expect Kevin Harvick Inc. to add a second Nationwide car to their team next season. While we haven’t heard definitively who will drive it, don’t be surprised if Elliott Sadler gets some races. We know for sure that KHI is working on putting the personnel together, including filling the available pit crew positions. Also, the recent hiring of former Wood Bros. crew chief David Hyder most likely means they’ve found the team’s second NNS boss for 2011. FoxSports.com even quoted Rick Carelli as saying that Hyder would be the crew chief for the #4 to be driven by Tony Stewart at Daytona in February.
While we are on the subject of KHI, there have been rumors that Ron Hornaday may be shopping for a new ride for next season. Word is that he’s had conversations with a few teams about a possible seat for 2011. Hornaday’s performance has been off this season after winning two of the last three Truck Series titles. He currently sits seventh in the standings, and only has one win after winning six races in each of the last two years. Sponsorship has also been an issue this year, as Hornaday has had eight different companies on the hood in 20 races. The #33 team started 2010 sponsored by Longhorn Smokeless Tobacco, but KHI was another victim of the law banning tobacco advertising. The team lost Longhorn following the Michigan race in June.
Some good news could be coming for Truck Series entry lists for 2011. Roush Fenway Racing is rumored to be putting their truck program back together after leaving the series a year ago. The team last competed in the CWTS in 2009 with Colin Braun, but ended their program after Ford pulled their factory support for the series. Word is RFR may run as many as two trucks next season.
As always, we will keep you posted as we hear more.
If what Kyle Busch told Bob Pockrass is true, it sounds like the answer is yes.
In an article Thursday on SceneDaily.com Busch said if sponsorship doesn’t materialize for his Truck Series team for the 2011 season, he would have to shut it down. It’s quite a turn around from the beginning of the season when KBM was supposed to run two full time teams, and possibly a third part time, out of a new state-of-the art shop in Mooresville.
When Busch started up his team, no expense was spared in putting together a top flight organization. He hired championship winning crew chief Rick Ren away from Kevin Harvick Inc. to lead his effort as Director of Competition, and brought in veteran crew chief Eric Phillips to call the shots from the pit box. Busch also opened up his wallet to build a modern 60,000 sq ft race shop to house his new operation. And then the problems began.
When it was announced that Miccosukee would not be sponsoring Busch’s team for the 2010 season like they initially thought, the countdown started. It was only a few short months later that KBM’s second team with Tayler Malsam was shut down due to lack of funding. And without Miccosukee, KBM has been left stringing together as many one off sponsorship deals as they can find to get the #18 team through the season.
It’s interesting to note that through all of this, the team has been able to have a great deal of success. Through 18 races this season, the team has amassed four poles, four wins, and sits only 82 points out of the lead in the owners points.
Knowing the little bit that I do about the situation, I’ve got to wonder how Busch’s business people allowed this team to be mismanaged as it appears it was. With all of the resources that were available to him (like boss Joe Gibbs) one would think that some better decisions would have been made along the way. I also have to think that the issues surrounding KBM probably helped lead to the demise of Busch and agent/spotter Jeff Dickerson’s relationship.
Besides JGR, if Kyle needed a good example of how to start and run a team the right way, he needed to look no further then fellow Cup and Truck driver Kevin Harvick and his operation. Harvick started small, running partial Truck schedules in 2002 and 2003 before going full time with Matt Crafton in 2004. When he started his NNS program, Harvick again started small, running only a few races in 2004 before having a full time team in 2005. And in most cases, Harvick was only putting out cars and trucks that were sponsored. Today, KHI not only has a successful CWTS and NNS program, but they also build chassis and hang bodies for other teams, which provides much needed revenue to keep the doors open and the lights on. There is no reason why KBM, if run properly, couldn’t have turned into the Toyota version of KHI.
Hopefully the combination of Busch’s star power and the continued success of his team will lead to a full time sponsor. It would certainly be a shame to lose another team, especially one so young in it’s existence.
Over the last several seasons, the Camping World Truck Series has been dominated by the old guard. Names like Ron Hornaday, Johnny Benson, Todd Bodine, Ted Musgrave, and Bobby Hamilton have been inscribed on the championship trophy at years end. This season however, the landscape of the Truck Series may be changing.
I want to start off by giving you an interesting stat. Through the first ten races of the 2010 season, Ron Hornaday is winless. It’s the longest opening stretch of races he’s ever gone in his CWTS career without winning a race. For Hornaday and KHI, that’s a very big deal. While Hornaday still sits third in the points standings, this winless streak appears to have taken its first victim. Jayski is reporting that crew chief Doug George has left KHI. Harvick expects the #33 Chevy to be competing for wins every week, so this move doesn’t come as a shock. No word yet on who might replace George.
The other moderate surprise this season has been the struggles of Mike Skinner. After winning three races in 2009, Skinner currently sits sixth in the standings and his best finish was fourth at Texas. On top of that, he hasn’t been a real threat to win in any race this season. I say moderate with Skinner, because on some level his performance isn’t surprising. His #5 Randy Moss Motorsports team has been in disarray since it lost crew chief Eric Phillipsto Kyle Busch Motorsports before the season started.
So who has been winning races while Hornaday and Skinner struggle? Besides at least one win by Todd Bodine, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch, the story of 2010 has been the new faces. Aric Almirola, Timothy Peters, Austin Dillon, and Johnny Sauter have all scored at least one victory, and any of these guys could legitimately challenge for the championship.
Starting last weekend at Iowa Speedway, the Truck Series now starts into a summer stretch of races that will go nine straight weeks. With only ten races currently in the books, a lot can and will change over the next nine weekends. While you can never count the veterans out, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Truck Series had a first time champion in 2010.
Isn’t it funny how things work out? Just a few short days after Shell announces it is leaving Richard Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick following this season for Penske Racing and Kurt Busch, Harvick goes out and wins in dramatic fashion at Talladega. I swear, sometimes truth is stranger then fiction. The win will no doubt add fuel to the debate about where Harvick will end up next season. During a press conference on Friday at Talladega, Harvick said he’d be with a Chevrolet team next season, but didn’t go any further. So the question remains, where will he drive in 2011?
Late in 2009, it appeared that Harvick was attempting to get out of his contract with RCR so he could bolt for Stewart-Haas Racing. The thought was that he would leave and take long time sponsor Shell/Pennzoil with him to SHR, allowing Tony Stewart and Co. to start a third team. No such situation ever materialized though, and Childress held Harvick and Shell to their deals through 2010.
Between Harvick’s relationship with Stewart and the possible defection last season, many people have been left wondering if Harvick might still end up at SHR. The major road block for Harvick at SHR might now come in the form of Kasey Kahne. After he announced his deal to drive for Hendrick Motorsports starting in 2012, many have speculated that either he or Mark Martin could drive a third car for SHR next season. SHR has strong ties to Hendrick, and this deal would allow Stewart and Gene Haas to start their third team on Mr. H’s dime. Harvick now appears to not have a sponsor in his back pocket, and even if he did, Stewart may still be hesitant about bringing him on. SHR Competition Director Bobby Hutchens told Yahoo! Sports’ Jay Hart last week that their chances of expanding to a third team for 2011 are 50-50. So if that’s true, the chances of expanding to a fourth team for Harvick are probably even worse.
The only other major Chevrolet player in the garage area that could take on another team is Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. EGR presents an interesting opportunity, but considering they may have sponsor trouble for the #1 team after this season, they may not be looking to add a third team.
The only other option for Harvick that has been floated, is for him to take his current Nationwide/Truck team, Kevin Harvick Inc., and expand into the Cup Series. With the infrastructure in place at KHI, this could certainly be feasible, but it would be very difficult for Harvick to remain competitive against the super teams as a one car operation. An alignment with Childress or Hendrick would help considerably, but it wouldn’t guarantee success.
All of these reasons lead me to believe that Harvick’s options for 2011 might be very limited. In fact, he may only have once or two choices. The major hurdles that Harvick faces in trying to find a ride and/or sponsor for the future are his age, and his performance. Harvick is 34 years old and he’s not getting any younger. He’s trying to compete against kids that are much younger then he is, and who are often more appealing to sponsors. On top of that, Sunday’s win at Talladega was the first points paying win for Harvick in over two years, going back to the 2007 Daytona 500. His performance this season has been much improved over 2009, but he must continue to improve to be valuable.
So what is my prediction for Harvick and his future? I honestly think he finds a way to stay at RCR. It’s his best chance for success, and he will have both the Childress folks and his own working hard to find sponsorship. It would be a surprise to me to see him drive for anyone other then the only owner he’s every known.
We’re Kind Of A Big Deal… I just wanted to take a quick second to point out a big moment for us that happened on Sunday during the Cup race. Mike Joy, from the NASCAR on FOX team, mentioned our site and a post I did last week about double duty crews during the race broadcast. I wanted to give a HUGE thanks to Mike for doing that, as we know he’s been a reader of ours for some time. You’re the man! I also wanted to say welcome to any new folks that may have stopped by because of the mention. Take a look around the site and feel free to comment, ask questions, and hang out!
After the 2008 season, we decided to look back over the season and see how we did in terms of reporting on rumors and breaking some news. In the end, we got eight correct, had two pushes, screwed one up, and had three rumors outstanding. With 2009 behind us, I thought it would be fun to again do the same thing. I’m going to start with the three bits we had outstanding, and then we’ll move into 2009.
Fastenal to RCR: After the info we heard, we thought this one was in the books. Even Jayski reported at one point that this was going to happen, even mentioning a driver lineup. But in the end, Fastenal ended up at JR Motorsports for the ‘09 season. Scratch this one.
Rule Changes Coming to the Truck Series: NASCAR did indeed make changes to the Truck Series rules for 2009, and we were close. We first reported they were only going to allow only four crew members over the wall and that they would initiate a hard card limit. They did indeed limit both, but we missed the crew limit by one. It was five members over the wall and not four. I’m still giving us the point here. Plus one for the Insiders.
BDR Employees Laid Off: This indeed was true, and what was left of BDR was turned into Triad Racing Technologies. TRT supplies teams with Toyota engines, chassis, and some other services. Plus one for the Insiders.
First Crew Member Tests Positive: In my post following the Daytona 500, I let you know that I’d heard NASCAR had caught it’s first offender of the new substance abuse policy. We found out a short time later that it was a Mayfield Motorsports employee, and he was suspended indefinitely from NASCAR. It was strange foreshadowing for the summer to come and drug testing. Plus one for the Insiders.
RMM Cuts Salaries: Early in the season, we heard that Randy Moss Motorsports had cut it’s employees salaries by as much as 35%. While no official announcement was ever put out, this was indeed true. The budget for the #5 Tundra for Mike Skinner was limited at best, which led to the cuts. Plus one for the Insiders.
Trouble At Trail: 2009 was supposed to be the first season for minority owned Trail Motorsport. But what started off with much fan fare and press, fizzled before it ever got started. We first told you in April about the problems internally at Trail. On it’s own, the team never fielded a race car at a Truck Series, Nationwide Series, or Cup Series event. Plus one for the Insiders.
Kyle Busch, Team Owner in 2010: We were the first to tell you about Kyle Busch’s plans to start his own NASCAR team for the 2010 season. In July, we reported that construction was ongoing on a new race shop for Kyle and that he, Johnny Benson, and Brian Ickler may drive for the new team. Busch will indeed have a team in 2010, with two full time trucks. One for himself and Brian Ickler, and another for Tayler Malsam. If sponsorship can be found, Benson may run a third truck. Plus one for the Insiders.
Parker Kligerman, Wyler Racing, & Michael McDowell: In September we told you that ARCA driver Parker Kligerman would run some NNS races for Penske, that Wyler Racing may be closing up shop, and that Michael McDowell would run at New Hampshire for Thorsport Racing. Kligerman ended up running at Kansas and Homestead for Penske Racing. Wyler did make it to the end of the season, but from what we know just barely. As of today, there is no word on Wyler Racing’s 2010 plans. And finally, McDowell did run at NHMS for Thorsport. He ran the #98 truck, that was painted up like a police car. We will call that plus two and minus one for the Insiders.
Your Favorite Team and a Funded Driver: While we did write a post mentioning a rumor, we wrote the post more as commentary then actually reporting the rumor. The post itself was about John Wes Townley and his impending move to Richard Childress Racing. Townley will indeed race for RCR in 2010, and will compete full time in the NNS in the #21 Zaxbys Chevrolet. Since we didn’t call the driver out, nor did we get anything wrong, I’ll give us a push.
Rick Ren Gone from KHI: We told you before Homestead that Kevin Harvick Inc. crew chief Rick Ren was leaving at the end of the season, possibly to take a managerial role at Kyle Busch’s new team. This rumor was actually denied publicly by Kevin Harvick, but in the end turned out to be true. Ren will serve as the Director of Operations for KBM this season. Plus one for the Insiders.
Eric Phillips to KBM: To add to this stout lineup for 2010, we were the first to tell you about Eric Phillips leaving Randy Moss Motorsports for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Phillips will serve as crew chief for the #18 truck piloted by Busch and Brian Ickler for this season. We were certainly all over the KBM stuff in ‘09. Plus one for the Insiders.
Biffle and Baker Curb: And last but not least, after it was reported by SceneDaily.com that Baker Curb was working on a deal with a Cup driver for the 2010 NNS season, we told you that Cup driver was Greg Biffle. Biffle will pilot the #27 Red Man Ford Fusion for Baker Curb this season in an undetermined number of races. Plus one for the Insiders.
Looking back over all the rumors, I think we had another pretty good year. We got eleven right, missed two calls, and had one push. So over the last two years, that makes us 19-3-3 on the scoreboard. We certainly don’t know it all or hear it all, and we also won’t report every rumor we hear. But I think this shows that when you hear a rumor from TNI, odds are pretty good it’s true. What do you think?
This year has been a particularly brutal one for car counts in the Camping World Truck Series. While there usually is a full field, many teams choose to start and park. Looking at 2010 though things are looking up for the truck series.
Richard Childress Racing is expected to field at least one team in 2010 for team owner Richard Childress’ grandson Austin Dillon. The last time RCR fielded a full time truck series team was 1999. There have also been rumblings that Tim George Jr. will drive a second truck for RCR. As the original championship team in the series, it is exciting to see RCR make a return.
Newcomer organization Turner Motorsports (they will make their debut this weekend) also has plans to run one full time and one part time team in 2010. Ricky Carmichael has said he will jump from Kevin Harvick Inc. to the team to run the full season. In addition to running the #1 car in the Nationwide Series, James Buescher is also expected to run at least 19 races for the team.
And then there’s Kyle Busch Racing (or whatever it’ll be called). While nothing has been announced they are rumored to be running at least two teams in 2010. We’ve heard they might also field a third part time truck for Kyle. With some of the talent they are rumored to be bringing in, this team could be a force very quickly.
In addition to the above teams, Mario Gosselin has said he will run the full 2010 schedule with sponsorship from MyTireMonkey.com. Gosselin’s a two time USAR Pro Cup Champion. This year’s ARCA Re/Max champion Justin Lofton has also said he will go truck racing full time next season with primary sponsorship from his father’s cattle company.It’s uncertain where he’ll end up.
Most existing organizations while not necessarily locked up for 2010, are expected to maintain their truck counts. Just to name a few, Randy Moss Motorsports has said they will be back with Mike Skinner in 2010 and they hope to continue fielding a second truck. Kevin Harvick Inc. has said they will return next season with one full time and one part time truck. And Thorsport has re-signed Johnny Sauter for 2010 and will return with Matt Crafton as well.
Uncertainty does still remain with a few regulars though. Wyler Racing needs to find sponsorship to run the full 2010 schedule; something Stacy Compton says they’re still $500,000 short of. Circle Bar, which will lose James Buescher this year, may be down to just one team next season if a funded driver is not found. At Red Horse Racing the number of teams also looks heavily dependent on sponsorship. Team owner Tom DeLoach has said Timothy Peters will be back though.
Obviously the loss of Roush Fenway is difficult for the series. 2010 will be the first time since its’ inception that Roush won’t compete. Their scaled back efforts this season though made the loss, less difficult to deal with.
Perhaps this post is coming a little too early because there are still quite a few guys who don’t have anything locked up yet, but I’m optimistic 2010 will be a strong year for the series. With ratings up and competition consistently good, I’m looking forward to next season.
Rick Ren Leaving KHI?
We’ve been hearing quite regularly for the last few weeks that crew chief Rick Ren will leave Kevin Harvick Inc. at the end of the season. He’s rumored to be heading to Kyle Busch’s new team to serve in a general manager type role.
As we first reported in July Kyle Busch is expected to start a team fielding two or more Camping World Truck Series teams and possibly a Nationwide Series team in 2010.
Rick Ren joined KHI in 2007 after a stint with Johnny Benson at the now defunct Bill Davis Racing. Since joining the team, he and Ron Hornaday Jr. have racked up 16 wins and one championship (a second looks inevitable this season). He has more than 30 years experience in NASCAR.
What started out as a tension filled weekend between the likes of Kevin Harvick Inc. and Thorsport Racing ended up turning into a bizarre display of teammate on teammate crime. Hey Harvick, if there is one driver that you can be damn sure isn’t going to pull over for you, it’s Ron Hornaday.
After Thorsport driver Matt Crafton was involved in an incident at Gateway the weekend before that ended with point leader Hornaday in the garage with a destroyed truck, rumors began to circulate about possible payback at New Hampshire. Harvick entered himself into the race in a third truck and proceeded to harass Crafton in both practice and the race. But the big hit never came.
Instead, Harvick and Hornaday battled over the final laps while Kyle Busch ran away with the win. After the race, Harvick expressed his anger over Hornaday not letting him by. Harvick’s rationale was that his truck was faster, as he was on fresher tires, and if he could get by Hornaday he might have something for Busch. But Hornaday stood his ground and Harvick was not able to complete the pass. Harvick couldn’t understand why Hornaday’s spotter (Rick Carelli) and crew chief (Rick Ren) didn’t inform the veteran driver that Harvick wanted by.
You want to know why they didn’t say anything Kevin? Because Hornaday is racing for a championship. Isn’t that what you hired him to do? Win championships? You certainly don’t do that by letting people by.
Team orders don’t normally bear their ugly head in NASCAR, and are more often seen as part of the strategy in series such as Formula One (see Renault). In those cases though, teams have a clear number one driver. In this case, one would think that Hornaday is the number one driver for KHI. Apparently Harvick doesn’t see things that way.
What really shocks me about this whole situation though, is that Harvick really thought Hornaday should pull over for him. But if you know anything about Hornaday, you know that isn’t going to happen. This is a guy that has built his career on rootin’ and gougin’ his way to the front. He would just as soon wreck you as let you pass. He came up on the short tracks of the west and isn’t the most successful Truck Series driver ever for nothing. And Harvick, who followed a very similar path, should understand that better then anyone.
I’m sure the weekend recap meeting at KHI this week was probably an interesting affair. Hopefully though Harvick realized his error in judgement and apologized to Hornaday. But if he didn’t, and I was Ron Hornaday, I would politely (or not so politely) tell my boss to go pound sand.