finished 18^th on the speed chart, due to the car bottoming out getting into turn one.  The No. 2 crew raised up the car to keep it from hitting the ground going into the corners. 

But when Hornaday made his qualifying attempt, the car again bottomed out, which cost the car as much as two-tenths of a second.  Hornaday finished the lap at 30.107 seconds- good enough for 11^th position.  Casey Mears won the Bud Pole at a time of 29.710 seconds.

On the morning of the race, Hornaday and the ACDelco team discussed what changes to make to the car in attempt to free the car up.  At the drop of the green flag to start the Twister 300, it looked like the changes helped.  Hornaday immediately picked up two spots in the first two laps.

On lap three, the yellow flag flew for the first time as Kerry Earnhardt and Ashton Lewis, Jr. crashed off of turn two.  Earnhardt had to be cut out of his car, but once free, waved to the crowd to show that he was not injured.  Hornaday was ninth.

The race restarted on lap nine, but again, the caution flew just two laps later.  Paul Menard’s Chevrolet slipped getting into turn one and hit the wall hard.  As his car came to a complete stop, Larry Gunselman got tagged from behind and slammed into the parked car of Menard.  It was a spectacular crash and neither driver was injured.

The track was finally cleared and the race saw a nice run of green flag racing.  Hornaday got by the No. 17 car of Matt Kenseth on lap 25 and moved into eighth position.  Three laps later, Kenseth passed the No. 2 ACDelco Monte Carlo back.  Hornaday told the crew that the car was tight and that he could not get back in the gas off the corners.  The condition never got any better on the run and Hornaday began to fall back.  By lap 65, Hornaday dropped to 15^th.  On lap 65, the ACDelco Chevrolet made a pit stop and the crew pulled two spring rubbers out of the left rear in an attempt to free the car off the corner.

It was apparent that the No. 2 Monte Carlo would not be a factor for the win.  Hornaday struggled as the car never loosened up.  On lap 115, Hornaday went one lap down to leader Bobby Hamilton, Jr.  He was running 18^th and the outcome did not look good.  The ACDelco team knew now that the only game they could play would be the gas mileage game.  As the leaders stopped on laps 133 and 134, Hornaday stayed out and got back on the lead lap.  The team had figured out that with the lap times they were running, Hornaday could go to lap 156 on fuel.

On lap 150, ACDelco crew chief Rick Viers told Hornaday to keep an eye on the fuel gauge.  Team owner Richard Childress radioed to the team, to be careful and not run the car out of gas.  Viers took the advice and told Hornaday to pit on the next lap.  As Hornaday hit his pit stall and the crew started changing right side tires, the yellow flag flew for a crash in turn four.  Hornaday had gone back one lap down.  The crew completed service on the Chevy, but the look on the crew’s faces said it all.  Had they gone just one more lap, they would have stayed on the lead lap and finished no worse than sixth.  (Note- Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 Goodwrench Chevy ran out of gas the next day with two laps to go and cost the team a second place finish.  In the fuel mileage game, most times it is better to be safe than sorry.)

The final 50 laps were a struggle for the No. 2 ACDelco car.  The front nose of the Monte Carlo would not plant and Hornaday was well off the pace.  He managed to keep the car out of trouble and finished a respectable 12^th.  Hamilton, Jr. was the class of the field and won his second race of the year. 

The weekend wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been for the ACDelco Chevrolet.  Point’s leader Scott Riggs struggled as well, finishing seventh.  Hornaday dropped only 15 points to Riggs.  The ACDelco Chevy remained in third place in points, just 57 markers out of first.  

The next race for Ron Hornaday and the ACDelco Chevrolet Monte Carlo is Saturday, July 19^h, at New Hampshire International Speedway.