Hornaday joins Joe Denette for 2012

Joe Denette Motorsports announced on Friday that Ron Hornaday will join the team in 2012 to drive a No. 9 truck in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to work with JDM next season," Hornaday said. "This is a young team, and they have put a lot of the right people in place to win races and compete for a championship in 2012."

JDM is wrapping up its first season of Truck Series competition in 2011 with Jason White as its one full-time driver. The organization plans to field the No. 9 for Hornaday full-time next year and field a second truck for select races.

Hornaday is a four-time Camping World Truck Series champion with 54 wins, most of any driver in the series in both categories.

"We are proud to have a champion like Ron Hornaday joining our team," truck owner Joe Denette said. "It's not every day that a young organization gets the opportunity to bring a veteran driver like Hornaday on board. He will bring a lot of experience and an entirely new dimension to our team."

Jeff Hensley will be Hornaday's crew chief at JDM.

"We are dedicated to winning races and contending for a championship in 2012, and we think our decision to bring Hornaday and Hensley to JDM shows that commitment," Denette said.

For the past several seasons, Hornaday has driven a truck for Kevin Harvick Inc. That organization will shut down and its assets will be sold to Eddie Sharp Racing after the 2011 race season concludes Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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Photo of Ron Hornaday courtesy of NASCAR Media