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Huntersville, N.C. (May 31, 2005) –
The GM
Goodwrench team has had June 3rd marked on
their calendar since the beginning of the season. It is
an important date because now crew chief Wally Rogers
can loosen up and get his plan in motion. He told his
team that if they could get through the race in
Charlotte and still be in contention that they would be
in good shape for the rest of the year.
“There are some tracks that we race at early in the
season that I am not completely comfortable with,”
explained Rogers. “We have gotten past those, and now
are looking pretty good as far as points go. We feel
like we have caught some bad brakes early, and to only
be 158 points off the lead just proves how hard this
team has been working. It is now time for everyone to
see what we have. Hornaday has bailed me out a few times
already this season when we have not had things set up
correctly. I told everyone that after we get through
Charlotte we will be turning it up a notch.”
The team will be looking to turn things around this
weekend at Dover International Speedway after coming off
of back to back 11th place finishes. “Some
teams would be happy with finishes like that,” said
Rogers. “But we are not one of them. I am content, but
not happy. We expect to win, or at least finish in the
top-five and we haven’t done that in several races. I
think that Dover will be where we get it going again.”
Points of Interest…
Off the Hauler…
Team GM Goodwrench will take chassis No. 008 to Dover
International Speedway this weekend. This is the first
time 008 has run this season, but last year the team
used it five times with a best finish of seventh at
Nashville Superspeedway on August 14, 2004.
Track Stat…
This will be first time
Hornaday has run at Dover in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series. It is not his first time ever racing there. He
has run there in both Busch and Cup with a best finish
of 6th place in 2002 and again in 2003.
NCTS Points…
After 7 races in the
2005 season, Hornaday sits sixth in points, with one
win, two top-fives and three top-10 finishes. Hornaday
now sits 158 markers out of first.
Start time…
Friday afternoon’s MBNA 200 is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
EDT. TV coverage of the 200-lap event on SPEED Channel
begins at 4:00 pm., with live radio coverage also
beginning at 4:00 p.m. EDT on your local MRN Radio
affiliate and on XM Satellite Radio – channel 144.
Remember times and dates of the race may change so check
your local listings.
Ron Hornaday on Dover
International Speedway…
How is Dover?
“I like Dover. It’s a cool track. It has concrete high
banks and fast corner speeds. It’s one of those tracks
that is self cleaning and stays consistent all day long.
If there is a wreck, everything slides to the bottom.
You see someone every year get loose and run up the
track, hit the wall and then slide down and collect
someone who is right in the racing groove at the bottom.
But unlike some tracks it is near impossible to repair a
vehicle from a Dover crash. These walls punish the
driver and the trucks. Running up front is once again
the key to staying out of trouble, and that RCR
horsepower is important to drive up out of the corners.
It really does give you the feeling of driving out of a
hole. Dover is a track where you want to win, but if you
can come out of the track with a top-five or top-10 and
a clean race truck you will leave there happy.”
You have never raced
there in a truck, will there be much difference?
“Actually the racing should be pretty similar to racing
a car. This is not a place where the draft plays a huge
role. That is the biggest difference between racing a
car and a truck and it shouldn’t come into play too
much. The main thing is to stay out of trouble. We will
want to qualify well so we can start close to the front.
This will be my first time running there in a truck, but
after I get a few practice laps in I should feel
comfortable.”
Your crew chief Wally
Rogers says that the hardest part for him is over with.
Do you agree?
“If that is what he says than we should be in good
shape. These guys have done a great job for me all
season and I can’t imagine him being able to do any
better. Just a little bad luck has gone against us
early, but we are in fine shape. I love Wally’s attitude
and that is great that he says the best is yet to come.
We have finished just outside the top-10 the last two
races and this is a really good chance for us to get
back out front.”
Any special preparations
for Dover?
“There has really been no special preparations for
Dover, but I think this GM Goodwrench team is prepared.
They have been ready to go each week with a winning
attitude and I don’t see any reason that this week is
any different. We look to be celebrating in victory lane
this weekend with the No.6 Chevrolet Silverado.” |
Buckle Up !