Mooresville, N.C. (May 4, 2022) — Kris Wright pays tribute to Ron Hornaday Jr. with a throwback paint scheme that will appear on the Niece Motorsports No. 44 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Dead On Tools 200 at the Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Friday, May 6.
For the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, Wright will honor the four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. In 2022 Wright joined Team Hornaday Development, mentored by Hornaday, as a member of the driver development program.
The Niece Motorsports No. 44 VFW Chevrolet Silverado will feature the iconic red, white, and blue of the Kevin Harvick, Inc., (KHI) No. 33 VFW Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Representing the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the VFW paint scheme boasted victories at Texas Motor Speedway (2008) and at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park.
In 2009, Hornaday won five straight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, a feat matched only three other times in NASCAR national series history. Hornaday’s fourth win came at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, July 24, 2009 in the No. 33 VFW Chevrolet Silverado.
Wright sought the approval from former team owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States for the paint scheme.
“The VFW is honored to be represented on the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado as part of NASCAR’s ‘Throwback Weekend,’” Kevin Jones, adjutant general of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, said. “We fondly remember our marks emblazoned on KHI’s No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado driven by champion driver Ron Hornaday Jr., and while we recall the many wins and broken records, we were most grateful for the opportunity to keep the service and sacrifice of veterans at the forefront of America’s minds.”
Jones is one of the original developers of the VFW NASCAR program.
In the month of May, the entire NASCAR community unites for a collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who served and continue to defend the country through NASCAR Salutes Together with Coca-Cola. Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece, a Vietnam War veteran. Wright Automotive is a supporter of various military support groups through dealership programs in Pennsylvania.
Kris Wright
No. 44 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Chevrolet Silverado
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News and Notes
Event: Dead On Tools 200
Date: Friday, May 6, 2022
Venue: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
Track Description: 1.366 mile(s)
Race: 147 laps / 200.8 miles
Darlington Raceway Best in Show Throwback Paint Scheme Fan Vote … Fans have the opportunity to make their voices heard by casting their votes to determine the ‘Best in Show’ throwback paint scheme at the Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Fans are able to cast their votes via https://www.darlingtonraceway.com/ncwtsthrowbackfanvote/ until 5:00 p.m. (ET) on May 5, and the winner will be announced during the pre-race ceremonies of the Dead On Tools 200 on Friday, May 6.
The Track Too Tough to Tame Statistics ... This weekend marks Kris Wright’s third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appearance at the Darlington Raceway, one of the oldest and most historic racetracks. The Wexford, Pa.,- native has two starts at the Darlington Raceway, collecting an average finish of 33.5 with a career-best finish of 28th-place (September 2021). Wright made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series track debut at the Darlington Raceway on May 7, 2021.
Speedway Stats: Kris Wright has 12 combined NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on speedways (tracks 1 to 2-miles in length).
Kris Wright Darlington Raceway Performance Profile
|
Date
|
Event
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Laps
|
Status
|
Led
|
|
May 7, 2021
|
Liftkits4Less.com 200
|
30
|
39
|
25/147
|
DNF
|
0
|
|
September 5, 2021
|
In It To Win It 200
|
23
|
28
|
144/147
|
Running
|
0
|
Kris Wright Statistics
Quote Worthy
Kris Wright, driver of the No. 44 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports
On the Darlington Raceway:
“I am really excited to get back to Darlington (Raceway), especially with the Ron Hornaday Jr. VFW throwback paint scheme. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks and events on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule.
“It will be interesting to see how the race progresses and how aggressive the racing will be, with the schedule starting to pick-up with back-to-back weekends for the next two months.”
Kris Wright on Social Media ... To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, visit KrisWrightMotorsports.com or connect with Kris Wright on Facebook (/KrisWrightRacing), Twitter (@KrisOnNASCAR) or Instagram (@krisonnascar).
Niece Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History ... Since entering the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in 2016, the Mooresville, N.C.,-based organization has logged 305 starts with 40 drivers, including NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) drivers Trevor Bayne, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson. Niece Motorsports has collected three victories (Ross Chastain, 2019: Kansas, Gateway and Pocono), 20 top-five finishes and 57 top-10 finishes, and has logged an average starting position of 19.6 and an average finishing position of 19.1.
Niece Motorsports Statistics
Niece Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History at the Darlington Raceway ... The organization posted a team best third-place finish at the track on May 7, 2021 with driver Carson Hocevar. The 10 previous starts at the Darlington Raceway, nicknamed ‘The Lady in Black’, have earned Niece Motorsports one top-five finish and one top-10 finish with an overall average starting position of 21.4 and an average finish of 17.5.
Catch the Action … The Dead On Tools 200 at the Darlington Raceway will be broadcast live on FS1 on Friday, May 6, starting with NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS at Darlington at 6:30 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Qualifying for the seventh event of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will air on Friday at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on FS1.
ABOUT THE VFW:
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation's largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.5 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information, or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.
The above release has been reposted with permission from Team Hornaday Development.