Ronnie Hornaday III to Drive Summer Bay Resort #63 Ford Truck

MB Motorsports and marketing partners, Summer Bay Resort and Dave Porter Truck Sales, are pleased to announce that Ronnie Hornaday III will drive the #63 Ford F-150 Truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona next week.

"I was so excited last night when I got the call from Mike Mittler, I couldn't sit still," exclaimed Ronnie Hornaday III. "This is the opportunity I have been hoping for. Things are turning in my favor finally. I recently got engaged and now I get to drive for a competitive truck team. I'm really looking forward to working with all the guys at MB Motorsports. They have helped a lot of drivers get started in NASCAR and know what it takes to be competitive."

Ronnie Hornaday III is a third generation driver looking to follow in the footsteps of his father, Ron Hornaday Jr., and his grandfather. Ronnie III has competed in several NASCAR Truck, Busch Grand National, and ARCA races since 1999. He started racing in southern California at the age of 15. Ronnie III isn’t just a driver he can build the car/truck from the ground up including engine assembly.

"We are looking forward to Ronnie Hornaday III driving our #63 Ford F-150 Truck," stated Mike Mittler, owner and crew chief. "Ronnie III is a young talented driver who brings Daytona experience to our team. We were contacted by 60 + interested drivers over a 2-day period once the word got out that we needed a driver. It was a tough decision that came down to 3 qualified drivers, Ronnie Hornaday III, Jason Small, and Trent Owens. We consulted with our marketing partners and gave the call to Ronnie III."

"We had to scramble when our former driver Carl Edwards decided to move on one week before Daytona," continued Mike Mittler. "We are very proud to have had the opportunity to work with Carl. He gave our team its best qualifying and finishing efforts in just seven races. Carl has a bright future ahead of him and we wish him the best throughout his NASCAR career."

"We worked closely with MB Motorsports to get everything finalized and then the driver moved on," stated Phil Colwell, Summer Bay Resort spokesman. "Mike Mittler and Bill Politsch kept us fully informed the last few days and included us in the final decision. We had faith in MB Motorsports and knew they were very honorable. They kept their word to us."   

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck season will start at 1:00 PM (est) February 14, 2003 at Daytona International Speedway. The race will be broadcast live on Speed Channel television and MRN radio.