Ron Hornaday

The four-time champion is coming off his worst season in quite a long time. Hornaday slogged through a winless campaign in 2012, his first shutout since the 2004 season. It all added up to a lowly 13th-place finish in the standings. This is due largely to the newness of the JDM No. 9 team. The off-season has brought new ownership (now NTS Motorsports) and a new crew chief, Bruce Cook. Hopefully the changes will bear immediate results, but it’s difficult to get overly optimistic in a series that is becoming increasingly young. Hornaday still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and a very aggressive driving style for a 55-year-old. A return to excellence should be the result for this veteran driver.