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Hornaday Survives the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”, Comes away with Clean Third-Place Finish

08/21/09

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 21, 2009)—- Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Georgia Boot Chevrolet team rolled into Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway vying for their sixth win in a row.  Even though they were unable to attain the historic mark, the team was able to come out of Bristol with their 10th top-five finish of 2009 and without a mark or dent on the No. 33 Georgia Boot truck.

“I told Kevin (Harvick) a top-five here at Bristol would be great,” said Hornaday following the race.  “We have had such bad luck here the past few years. We have had some good runs, but just have had weird things happen to us that have resulted in poor finishes. Rick Ren (crew chief) made a great call on our only stop for this Georgia Boot truck. Kyle (Busch) was just so dominate up top. He had his truck free enough at the beginning to be able to use that high groove. I learned that and some other things throughout the night that I used to my advantage near the end, but it wasn’t enough to catch him. When Kyle pitted and then came right back in for fuel, that is what we should have done. I messed up and went an entire lap around the track, then came back in. That is what hurt us. We lost a lot of track position right there. It was my own fault; I should have been paying attention instead of following the guy in front of me. All in all, it was a good night for our team.  I had a lot of fun and have learned a lot for when we come back next year.  Overall, winning five races in a row was amazing. We knew it had to stop sometime. I have to thank all of these fans and everything that has been written. It has been a lot of fun. We will just start all over again.”

Hornaday began the O’Reilly 200 from the third starting position.  Early in the race, the top 10 trucks remained single file.  The No. 51 of Kyle Busch began making passes on the high side of the track and Hornaday followed making the high lane work for him as well.  By lap 32, Busch had assumed the lead from Mike Skinner and the leaders began to weave their way through lap traffic.  The first caution of the night waved on lap 35 for two trucks spinning off turn two.  Hornaday followed the leaders down pit road on lap 36 for four tires and a left-rear air-pressure adjustment.  Crew chief Rick Ren called Hornaday back in the following lap for fuel.  However, Hornaday returned to the track instead of following the pit road apron around.  After the team fueled the truck, Hornaday found himself mired back in the pack in the 17th position. 

Methodically working his way back through the field, Hornaday managed to move into the 13th position by the second caution on lap 50.  With the only pit stop of the night already complete, the only thing Hornaday could do to adjust the handling of the truck was work with break fans to adjust air pressures in the tires, trying to help it turn better.  As the fuel load burned off, the No. 33 truck’s handling began to improve.  By lap 65, Hornaday had moved back into the top 10.  As trucks on different pit strategies near the front began to fade, Hornaday continued to work his way back into the top five.  Able to avoid on-track mishaps, Hornaday was scored in the fifth position on lap 129.  The truck continued to get better and better, but lap traffic and a tough racing surface made it difficult to gain positions.  Hornaday took over the third position on lap 150 and was able to hold off his KHI teammate Ryan Newman for his 10th top-five finish of 2009. 

Kyle Bush went on to win his 12th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, followed by Matt Crafton, Hornaday, Newman and Brian Scott.  Hornaday continues to hold the points lead by 211 markers over Crafton. 

STATS RECAP
Race Info

August 19, 2009
Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
Race: 15 of 25
Driver: Ron Hornaday
Started:  3rd
Finished: 3rd
Truck Series Point Standings: 1st (+211)
Race length: 200 Laps/ 106.6 Miles
Track layout: 0.533-mile
Shape: Oval
Number of Race Cautions: 5 for 32 Laps
First Practice: First (16.014 seconds; 119.820 mph)
Final Practice: Fifth (16.057 seconds; 119.499 mph)
Qualifying: Third (22.537 seconds; 109.531 mph)

Next on the Schedule for the No. 33:
Date: August 28, 2009
Track: Chicagoland Speedway
Event Name: Chicagoland 225
Driver: Ron Hornaday
Sponsor: Turtle Wax
Broadcast Time: SPEED 8:30 p.m., EST MRN 8:30 p.m., EST

 


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