(Charlotte, N.C.) - Ron Hornaday and the No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet continued their march towards the NASCAR Busch Series championship with a seventh place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

The weekend was good for the "Real Car Guys" from the start.  Hornaday was fifth fastest in the morning practice and said the car had a perfect balance.  With the race setup working well, the RCR team switched over to qualifying mode.  Hornaday put down the third fastest time of the day.  The ACDelco team had a shot at the Busch pole.  In qualifying, Hornaday went for the pole position.  He got a tick loose in turn three, which hurt his time.  He took the checkered flag with the eighth fastest speed.

In happy hour, Hornaday continued to blister the field.  He told ACDelco crew chief Butch Hylton, "this is the best car I have ever had here."  At the end of practice, Hornaday sat sixth on the speed chart.  All signs pointed to a strong run at Lowe's.

The race saw short green flag runs and long cautions.  It was not what Hornaday was looking for.  On lap 15, Billy Parker hit the wall in turn two bringing out the first caution of the day.  "I'm a little free in and tight off," said Hornaday.  "I think we may have too much gear as well.  I'm turning 9400 rpm and the light is coming on."  Hylton told Hornaday the gear might be causing his loose in condition and that a long green flag run would help.

But the team never did get the long run it needed.  On lap 24, Timmy Fedewa hit the wall in turn two bringing out another caution.  The ACDelco team decided to pit on lap 26 and took four fresh tires and took a round of wedge out of the right rear.  He would restart 11^th.

On the restart, Hornaday showed why he is the master.  On lap 30, he passed Kyle Busch and David Green on the outside to move into eighth.  Just a few laps later, Hornaday raced past Ashton Lewis, jr. for seventh.  All the ACDelco team needed now was a long green flag run.  Once again, it was not to be.  On lap 40, Steve Grissom got loose and crashed off turn two bringing out the yellow flag.  Hornaday was in sixth at the time of the caution.

The race went back to green on lap 45 and Hornaday quickly made his way into the top-five.  He was beginning to run down the top-four, when the yellow flag waved for the fourth time for a spin involving Kasey Kahne.  On lap 75, Hornaday brought the "blue deuce" down pit road.  The team took on four tires and went another half out of the right rear.  They nailed the stop in 14.6- seconds and Hornaday left pit road in third.

The ACDelco team needed long green flag runs and unfortunately they never got them.  Hornaday stayed in the top-five for most of the afternoon.  On lap 131, Hornaday came down pit road for a gas and go to insure he had fuel to the finish.  Late in the race, several cars ran out of gas and it looked like Hornaday might have a chance to snag a top-five finish.  And he would have, until lap 198 when Tony Raines was tagged off turn four bringing out the yellow.  With the field at slower speeds, the gas mileage went up.  Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle both ran out of gas with one to go, but had enough momentum to make it to the finish.  Had the race stayed green, they would not have made it.  Hornaday crossed the line in seventh place.  It was his best finish ever at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The next race for the No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet in next Saturday, June 5 in Dover, DE.