Ron Hornaday Sr. (January 13, 1931 – December 21, 2008) was an American racer from
San Fernando, California. He was the father of
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
champion
Ron Hornaday Jr. and the grandfather of
Ronnie Hornaday
Ron Hornaday III (born August 1, 1979) is a NASCAR driver and the son of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. On May 12, 2001, he earned a career best finish of 11th at Darlington Raceway, his best out of 12 starts.
Motors ...
. Hornaday was inducted in the
West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in its first class in 2002.
He made 17
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...
starts between 1955 and 1973; mainly on the West Coast.
NASCAR Cup statistics
Retrieved December 7, 2007
Racing career
He began racing at Saugus Speedway and later Ascot Park
Ascot Park can refer to:
* Ascot Park (speedway) – dirt racing track in Gardena, California
* Ascot Park, New Zealand – suburb in Porirua, New Zealand
* Ascot Park, South Australia
Ascot Park is a suburb in the south-western part of Adelaid ...
, driving the No. 97 Galpin Motors Ford. His weekly occupation was working as the parts and service manager for Galpin Motors, and he received sponsorship from his employer throughout his career. Hornaday made his first NASCAR Grand National start in 1955 at the Arizona State Fairgrounds
The Arizona State Fairgrounds is a permanent fairgrounds on McDowell Road, Encanto Village, within the city of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is currently used yearly to host the Arizona State Fair and the Maricopa County Fair, as well as f ...
. He finished 14th in a 29 car field to earn $25. He started racing in the Pacific Coast Late Model series (now the NASCAR Camping World West Series) in 1956. He began winning races a few years later, and he finished second in the 1962 season championship behind Eddie Gray.
He won the season points championship in 1963, and he repeated as champion in 1964. In his Pacific Coast Late Model career he had 13 victories.[Ron Hornaday Sr. Biography](_blank)
at the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, Retrieved December 7, 2007
Death
Hornaday died in California from cancer on December 21, 2008. His son Ron commented on his website, "Our father was the inspiration to all of us and was a true champion to the very end. We will miss him so very much but it is a comfort to know that he is now with his beloved wife and our mother, Helen, where he wanted to be."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornaday, Ron Sr.
1931 births
2008 deaths
Deaths from cancer in California
NASCAR drivers
People from San Fernando, California
Racing drivers from California
Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California
Place of death missing