Hornaday, GMAC Chevy Finish Strong at Darlington

DARLINGTON, SC. – Ron Hornaday and Team GMAC fought their way forward for a 15th-place finish in the Darlingtonraceway.com 200, the first of several NASCAR Busch Series races Hornaday will substitute for injured driver Ricky Hendrick this season.

“The GMAC Monte Carlo was great today,” said Hornaday, a Palmdale, CA native. “I’ve never been in and out of the pits so fast in my life. Lance (crew chief Lance McGrew) and the guys gave me a great racecar and some great pit stops. I really hate that we didn’t have a better finish to show for it.”

Hornaday started the event on the 1.366-mile Darlington oval from the 31st position after a tough qualifying run. The veteran driver jumped on the gas at the drop of the green flag and marched through the field to 14th by the 35th circuit. Hornaday’s march to the front then took an unexpected turn after a tangle with Todd Bodine sent Hornaday skating into the wall at the halfway mark of the 147-lap race.

“I have raced Bodine a million times and I know what to do,” said Hornaday. “I had to get on the outside of him. I got the nose down and into the wall a little. We knocked the tow out and our day was done. These guys never say die and they got us back out there. We went a lap down with 15 to go and I hate that because these guys don’t deserve that. This is an awesome team and I am so glad to be a part of it.”

While Hornaday battled on the racetrack, Hendrick sat atop the pit box where he watched and listened to the race.

“It definitely is not as much fun as being in the racecar, “ said Hendrick. “Being a team owner is not for me right now. It’s different hearing Ron and Lance talk on the radio. I definitely saw some things differently today. I also got to see how great Team GMAC is on pit stops. Those guys give it everything they’ve got.”

Hornaday will take a second turn in the Team GMAC Chevy when they take on the Channellock 250 at Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway, Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The event will be the fifth of 34 NASCAR Busch Series races this season and will be telecast live on FX. MRN Radio will also broadcast the race live on more than 300 affiliated stations worldwide.

Hornaday, GMAC Chevy 15th at Darlington

DARLINGTON, SC. (March 16, 2002) - Ron Hornaday and Team GMAC fought their way forward for a 15th-place finish in the Darlingtonraceway.com 200, the first of several NASCAR Busch Series races Hornaday will substitute for injured driver Ricky Hendrick this season. "The GMAC Monte Carlo was great today," said Hornaday, a Palmdale, CA native. "I've never been in and out of the pits so fast in my life. Lance (crew chief Lance McGrew) and the guys gave me a great racecar and some great pit stops. I really hate that we didn't have a better finish to show for it." Hornaday started the event on the 1.366-mile Darlington oval from the 31st position after a tough qualifying run. The veteran driver jumped on the gas at the drop of the green flag and marched through the field to 14th by the 35th circuit. Hornaday's march to the front then took an unexpected turn after a tangle with Todd Bodine sent Hornaday skating into the wall at the halfway mark of the 147-lap race.

"I have raced Bodine a million times and I know what to do," said Hornaday. "I had to get on the outside of him. I got the nose down and into the wall a little. We knocked the tow out and our day was done. These guys never say die and they got us back out there. We went a lap down with 15 to go and I hate that because these guys don't deserve that. This is an awesome team and I am so glad to be a part of it."

While Hornaday battled on the racetrack, Hendrick sat atop the pit box where he watched and listened to the race.

"It definitely is not as much fun as being in the racecar, " said Hendrick. "Being a team owner is not for me right now. It's different hearing Ron and Lance talk on the radio. I definitely saw some things differently today. I also got to see how great Team GMAC is on pit stops. Those guys give it everything they've got."

Hornaday will take a second turn in the Team GMAC Chevy when they take on the Channellock 250 at Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway, Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The event will be the fifth of 34 NASCAR Busch Series races this season and will be telecast live on FX. MRN Radio will also broadcast the race live on more than 300 affiliated stations worldwide.