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Food City 250 - Ron Hornaday Notes
RON HORNADAY
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (August 24, 2004) - Bristol Motor Speedway has been called many things. The track claims that it is "racin' the way it ought to be". Drivers have said that racing at Bristol is like flying a fighter jet in a gymnasium. ACDelco Chevrolet driver Ron Hornaday has another word for it. One in which every person who has ever entered the facility has uttered..."Awesome."
Hornaday first came to Bristol Motor Speedway in 1995 to run the All-Pro Series race. The competitors laughed at the Palmdale, Ca., native when he unloaded his NASCAR Southwest Tour car. The car was perfectly legal for the race, but even the officials told Hornaday he had brought a slingshot to a gunfight. After qualifying 23rd, it looked like the other drivers might have been right. But once the race started, they were proved wrong. Hornaday charged through the field and took the lead just 50 laps into the race. He pulled away to a three-quarter of a lap lead and was on his way to the win. But on this night there would be no happy ending. Hornaday broke an oil line and after repairs finished deep in the field.
From that early race, Bristol has been a favorite track of Hornaday. And when the lights are turned on, the former "slingshot" racer from California feels something extra. "There is just something about night racing at Bristol," said Hornaday. "It's very hard to explain. I get goose bumps. I have to try to calm myself down because the excitement and the adrenaline rush is overwhelming. I love this race."
Points of Interest...
No. 2 ACDelco driver Ron Hornaday on Bristol Motor Speedway...
After your last two races (28th at IRP and 18th at MIS) are you happy to be racing at Bristol this weekend?
"I love racing at Bristol and so I am happy to be here. But this isn't one of those safe races you look for on the schedule to turn things around. As much as I like the track, it can bite you in a hurry. This is probably the only track where even if you're leading you can get caught up in a crash. Everything happens so fast."
"Butch (Hylton, crew chief) and the guys have been working hard on this car. It was the car we crashed at Dover. It was also raced at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. But they rebuilt it and made it a short track car and they are very excited to unload it. That kind of enthusiasm carries over to a driver. I think this is going to be a great race for us."
Last year you finished second in this race. What can you do different to get the win?
"Nothing. We had a great car. Waltrip just had fresher tires. But he had to race through a lot of traffic to get to me and pass me. In most races at Bristol, you can't do that. You end up in a wreck. But the cautions weren't around him and he caught us without incident. I was surprised that we could stay with him despite our older tires. That's a tribute to RCR and all the work that goes into the cars. If the race plays out the same as it did last year, I think we can get the win. We are a lot better than we were last year."
You are 536 points out of first place. Have you finally given in to the fact that the championship is unlikely?
"In this sport you never know what can happen. We are always racing for wins. That's goal number one. But in every race, you have to score as many points as you can. We know we are way behind in the championship chase. But there are plenty of goals that we want to achieve. Some teams may have given up on 2004 and started working on research for 2005. But that's not what this ACDelco team is about."
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