Conversation: 2007 NCTS champion Ron Hornaday (cont'd)

Q: Is all the banquet preparation, the rehearsals, fun, a pain in the butt or just part of it -- and part you don't mind putting up with?

Hornaday: It's out of my element. You give me a helmet and a steering wheel and I'd rather be doing that. A lot of people are comfortable, sitting behind a desk and pushing buttons on computers and doing those kinds of things.

My element is sitting behind the wheel. I don't like standing in front of my peers and trying to tell them how good I am. Because I'm not -- I'm only as good as my team.

I'm going to go up there and thank my sponsors and ditto what Rick Ren and Kevin Harvick said. I don't write speeches -- I speak from my heart. I write down names of people that have helped me in my career -- hopefully I can wing it and it sounds halfway decent.

If it don't, it don't. I don't get paid to stand up in front of those people and talk -- I get paid to drive and I think I do a decent job with that; and hopefully I can get Kevin and DeLana another championship next year.

Q: You've run Busch and Cup, but it really seems like the Truck Series was made for Ron Hornaday -- so what is it about the trucks that you and Skinner and Johnny Benson fit so well in this series?

Hornaday: Why don't you talk to Kevin Harvick and have him build a Busch car and have Rick Ren crew chief it and I'll drive it and we'll show you that we can still do it.

The trucks are fun. I mean, these things got a lot of downforce. Rick Ren is very, very sharp about what he does. It's an honor to have Rick Ren for your crew chief. Ten years ago, we couldn't work together. He was really strong-headed and I'm really strong-headed; but we understand that now.

That's why, when we're all said and done, Rick Carelli is probably the worst guy that takes a beating. He's probably learned more words from me [this season] than he's ever heard in his life.

That's what it takes for a great team and Rick Ren has put a great team together that has big shoulders, and when we leave that shop they leave their feelings at home because we're there to do one thing and that's to win races.

Q: How did the opportunity with Kevin come about?

Hornaday: I got offered more money to go other places, but when Kevin asked me to do it we never talked about price. I just said, 'yes, I'll do it.' He asked me to do Busch races, I don't ask him how much he pays me, I'm just going to do it because we win races, he'll take care of me and that's what I always felt. Money will fall where it falls.

If I get an opportunity to win, I know Kevin Harvick, what he's done with his dad and what they've done in their racing career when Kevin Harvick was 'The Kid' for seven years at Bakersfield -- they've had classes of equipment.

When Kevin built that shop and he came down to Phoenix and whipped everybody's butt in a truck, I knew it was going to run good. When he gave me that phone call, him personally, and I got hired over the phone, I didn't even have to go see him.