Harvick Is Tracking Hornaday

The relationship between Ron Hornaday Jr. and Kevin Harvick, NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division rookie of the year contenders, extends well beyond touching fenders at 180 mph.

Palmdale native Hornaday, who is one week shy of his 42nd birthday, and Bakersfield native Harvick, 24, have been fast friends since Harvick was a 16-year-old regular in the super late model class at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield and Hornaday was a regular in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest series.

Hornaday who is fourth in the points standings with 1,852, refers to Harvick, fifth with 1,815, as “The Kid,” and Harvick calls Hornaday “The Old Man,” or “Grandpa.”

Harvick even moved onto the same block as Hornaday in Mooresville, N.C., when his career took off.

Said Brooke Mitchell, who handles publicity for Harvick: “Kevin acts about 16, and Ron acts about 20, so they are both in the same ballpark.”

Harvick followed Hornaday’s tire tracks to reach NASCAR’s second highest series.

Both moved from track championships to the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series to the NASCAR Winston West series to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.

Harvick drove the Spears Manufacturing Craftsman Truck 1999, which was the same truck Hornaday got his start in at Saugus Speedway.

Hornaday was quickly hired away from Spears by NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, who is still his employer. Harvick was hired away from Spears to drive in the Busch series by Richard Childress, who owns Earnhardt’s Winston Cup car.

Childress and Earnhardt own three Winston Cup cars and three Busch cars between them and information flows freely between the teams, which also includes Winston Cup drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his father’s car and Mike Skinner in a second Childress-owned car.

“If you can help somebody out who is coming up and will be around after I am out of racing, further down the road, it’s just that much better for me,” Hornaday said.

In Harvick’s case, it’s not a question of what Hornaday has done for him, but more a question of if there is anything Hornaday hasn’t done.

“When I was racing the Spears truck, I slept on Ron’s couch for three months,” Harvick said.

Said Hornaday: “I tried to help him get that truck ride with Spears. Of course you have to have some type of talent for them to notice him. When Richard called, he was still under contract to Spears so I was his spokesman.”

Hornaday, who leads Harvick, 182-177, in the rookie of the year points standings, has his sights set higher.

“Being fifth, sixth or seventh in points as a rookie is neat, but it is not what we are after,” Hornaday said. “I don’t really need that rookie of the year, we need a championship.”

Harvick said his team’s goal was to finish consistently in the top 10 and put themselves in a position to win a few races.

“If we win rookie of the year, it’s nice on the resume, but that’s about it,” said Harvick.

Hornaday and Harvick have not been able to spend as much time together this year because the Busch series involves more testing and personal appearances than the Craftsman Truck series.

But the relationship flourishes regardless.

“We do a lot of skeet shooting together, and water skiing, and dragging each other around on a tube and try to hurt each other,” Hornaday joked.

Said Harvick: “If Ron runs into me while we are racing, or I run into him, we will get together Monday morning and barbecue and nothing will be said about it.

“That’s what makes our relationship special.”