4x NASCAR champion added to the 75 Greatest Drivers list

NASCAR Hall of Famer and former Craftsman Truck Series ace Ron Hornaday Jr. has become the latest addition to the sport's 75 Greatest Drivers list this week.

The governing body announced the news a day after Carl Edwards' was named to the list to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the sport, with the nationwide series drivers also being recognized alongside Cup Series drivers.

A native of Palmdale, California, Ron Hornaday Jr.'s exceptional career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series over the years led to the now 64-year-old receiving the honor.

Hornaday Jr., to this day, remains the only driver to have won four Craftsman Truck Series titles in NASCAR. With 51 victories to his name ever since his debut in 1995, Hornaday Jr. also had the most number of wins to his name before the record was broken by Kyle Busch in 2019.

The 2014 season saw Hornaday Jr.'s last full-time appearance in all three series of the sport. He managed to amass 158 top-5 finishes as well as 234 top-10s over his years racing stock cars. Hornaday Jr.'s 184 starts in the Xfinity Series also saw him visit Victory Lane four times in the Series.

The 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee's achievements as a driver have once again been honored by the sport, as he is the latest driver to feature on the illustrious 75 Greatest Drivers list.

Ron Hornaday Jr. helped 7x NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson buy his first house

Ron Hornaday Jr. was a character on and off the race track, long after his official retirement from the sport. The California native, who relocated with his wife Lindy to Mooresville, North Carolina, to pursue his stock car racing dream, has also been a major force behind young drivers making a name in the sport.

Opening his home to drivers to live in, Hornaday Jr.'s residence has seen drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Ross Chastain stop by, with Johnson having stayed for 6 months. Elaborating on what he was like as a person and how he helped Johnson buy his first house, the former Hendrick Motorsport driver said:

"I needed a couch to sleep on. I moved in. They wouldn’t let me move out. I stayed there for six months until Ron, on one of his Harley rides, found a home that he thought I could afford and seemed like a good buy, and I bought my first house. They have been amazing to me and to many others in the sport, not just drivers."