(St. Louis, MO.) – Ron Hornaday and the ACDelco team continued their charge for the NASCAR Busch Series championship with a second place finish in the Charter 250 at Gateway International Raceway.

It wasn’t a perfect weekend for the “blue deuce.”  Hornaday got spun at the end of the first practice by Gus Wasson, which forced the crew to repair the left rear portion of the car.  Being “Real Car Guys” the fender was as good as new for the second practice.

 The second practice saw the ACDelco Chevy 12^th fastest.  For most drivers that would be good.  But Hornaday was very unhappy with the car.  He told crew chief Butch Hylton that they would be no better than a 15^th place car in the race with the current setup.  Hylton and head engineer Paul Flurry put their heads together and even used computer simulation in an attempt to find a faster setup.  With no “happy hour” practice after qualifying, there was no room for error.

Hornaday made his qualifying attempt late in the afternoon and the combination of cooler temperatures and the new setup paid dividends.  Hornaday qualified sixth fastest and radioed to the crew that he left a ton on the track.  “The car was way better than that,” said Hornaday.  “It turned so well.  I just wasn’t ready for that.  Great work guys…we’re going to be good tonight.”  Martin Truex, Jr. won the Busch pole.

The lights came on at Gateway and the green flag waved to start the Charter 250.  Hornaday moved into fifth position on lap one when he passed Jason Keller in turn one.  The yellow flag waved on lap three for a crash between Billy Parker, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer.  Parker’s car was done for the day.  Bowyer and Menard were able to return to the action.

On the restart, Hornaday got by Greg Biffle and was now fourth.  On lap 10, the ACDelco Monte Carlo drove under Kyle Busch in turn four and picked up the third position.  By lap 13, Hornaday was second and charging the leader.  The car was perfect.  The caution flag waved for Kenny Hendrick on lap 23, setting up Hornaday for another “masterful” restart.

At the drop of the green flag, Hornaday charged underneath Truex, Jr. in turn one.  The two drove side-by-side down the backstretch.  Truex tried to keep up his speed on the outside in turn three, but Hornaday was too fast and the ACDelco Chevy took over the lead.  Hornaday led the next 33 laps, before the yellow flag was displayed for Robert Pressley’s blown motor.

On lap 63, the ACDelco Monte Carlo pitted.  The team changed four tires and made a small air pressure adjustment to the left side tires to allow the car turn better in the middle.  They kept the lead with a 16.74 second pit stop.

Hornaday and Truex battled for the next five laps.  On lap 80, Truex gave Hornaday a bump in the back and that allowed him to get underneath the ACDelco car and into the lead.  Hornaday pulled right back on Truex’s bumper and kept pace.

On lap 82, the caution lights flashed for a crash involving Shane Hall.  Hornaday told the crew he was still a little tight in the middle, but was also a tick loose off the corner.  The restart took place on lap 89 and Hornaday and Truex began their battle once again.  Hornaday raced door-to-door handle for the lead, but just couldn’t get back in the throttle as quickly as Truex.  Hornaday settled into second, while Truex drove off to a 2.5-second lead.

Once in the lead with no pressure from Hornaday, Truex checked out to a 6-second lead and took the win.  Hornaday felt no pressure from behind and finished the Charter 250 with a solid second place finish.  Keller was third.  “We just were too tight in the center,” said Hornaday.  “I can’t thank Butch Hylton and all the Real Car Guys on this ACDelco team.  We didn’t have a second place car in practice, but they kept working and it paid off tonight.”  The strong finish moved Hornaday into seventh place in the championship point’s battle.  Hornaday trails Truex by 213 points.

The next race for the NASCAR Busch Series is Friday night, May 14 at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia.