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Hornaday Makes Strong Run Despite Late-Race Mishap
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 18, 2008) – Ron Hornaday started the 2008 NASCAR Truck Series season off on the right foot. The defending Truck Series champion showed the racing world that he and the No. 33 Camping World/VFW Chevrolet Silverado team were ready for the new season to begin by making a strong showing in the first race of the season, the Chevy Silverado 250. Hornaday ran in the top five for most of the night and led a lap before an unfortunate leak in the oil pump forced the crew to make repairs to the truck midway through the race. Hornaday was able to go back on the track and salvage a 25th-place finish.
The week began on Wednesday afternoon for the Truck Series teams with the first of two scheduled practice sessions. Hornaday was 15th fastest in the first session with a lap time of 48.886 seconds (184.102 mph). Hornaday and crew chief Rick Ren knew after the first practice session that they had a good-handling race truck that had a chance of being in victory lane.
On Thursday morning, the teams returned to the track for the second practice session. Hornaday was 12th with a lap time of 48.913 seconds (184.000 mph). After the final practice had ended, the team made some minor adjustments to the truck to get it ready for qualifying later that night.
Hornaday was the third driver to take his two laps around the 2.5-mile track. With a qualifying lap time of 51.318 seconds (175.377 mph), Hornaday would start the race on Friday night in the fifth position.
The sun had set into the Florida sky on Friday night as the 36-truck field was coming to take the green flag for the first time in 2008 to start the 100-lap race. Hornaday was on the move to the front of the pack and slid into the third spot by lap five. He continued to run solidly in the top five until the first caution of the race came out on lap 10 after an accident in turn four involving the No. 29 truck of Scott Lynch.
Hornaday made his first scheduled pit stop of the night on lap 11 when he brought the truck down pit road for a fuel-only pit stop. Hornaday retained the third position after the pit stop and the race was restarted on lap 14. After having a great restart, Hornaday quickly jumped up into the second position.
Just two laps later, on lap 16, Hornaday put the No. 33 Camping World/VFW Chevrolet Silverado out in front of the field and gained five championship bonus points by leading a lap. Hornaday then settled into fourth spot before the second caution of the race came out on lap 19. This caution came after an accident involving 10 trucks occurred on the backstretch. Hornaday came down pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. NASCAR officials decided to wave the red flag for clean-up efforts, stopping the field for almost 18 minutes.
The drivers re-fired their engines and Hornaday restarted the race on lap 23 running in the ninth position. The next time he came around and crossed the start-finish line, he had gained four spots and moved into to the fifth position.
On lap 33, Hornaday worked his way into the fourth position away and looked to continue his march to the front before the fourth caution of the night came out on lap 36. Ren had made the decision to call Hornaday down pit road to fill the truck up with fuel. Hornaday restarted on lap 39 in the fifth position.
Just as Hornaday began to make another run to the front, an unfortunate leak in the oil pump on lap 44 forced him to the garage area for repairs. Ren and the crew hurried to the garage to meet Hornaday and went to work repairing the oil pump. Hornaday returned to the track on lap 91 and finished the race in the 25th position.
"This is just unfortunate. I don’t know if I ran over something or what,” Hornaday said following the race. “I have to thank Kevin and DeLana Harvick, Rick Ren and all these guys on the Camping World/VFW Chevrolet Silverado crew. This truck was so fun to come down here and drive.”
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