The “Monster Mile” of Dover is referred to many as a bigger Bristol Motor Speedway.  The high- banked concrete oval provides exciting racing where a driver’s ability to keep the car low in the turns, pays much in benefits.  The Dr Pepper Racing Team created the set-up of the Dr Pepper Monte Carlo to perform in these situations and took advantage of them.  Ron Hornaday stuck the car along the bottom line and passed by while his competitors floated up the track.

Todd Lohse, Crew Chief, mostly maximized the car’s performance with air pressure adjustments throughout the afternoon. When the green flag waved, Ron settled in and ran a concise race picking off a couple spots here and there, until on Lap 20, #66 Casey Mears got loose while near Hornaday and scraped the wall.  Mears cost the Dr Pepper Racing Team a Top 10 finish in Charlotte when he made contact with Hornaday a week earlier and from that point on Hornaday cruised up the pack.

By the time the first caution came out on Lap 47, the Dr Pepper Chevy was in 13^th place and following a lightning fast pit stop by the “Thirst Crew” their position increased to 11^th.  Ron set up the other drivers by following them for a few laps and than decided when and where he would pass them; by Lap 105 he captured fifth. 

Following the Third Caution on Lap 128, the Dr Pepper Chevy was in 6^th and had a charging #23 Scott Wimmer on his tail.  Wimmer’s car was impressive in the beginning of runs especially entering the turns, while Hornaday would beat him through the middle and exiting the turns.  As Wimmer began driving more aggressively, it was safest and smartest to let him go by and get that spot later when his car begins to lose a little in the handling.   That is exactly what Hornaday did.

A caution on Lap 174, brought some cars down pit road for four tires and others for two tires while still a few car s remained on the track.  Todd Lohse called for four fresh Goodyears that placed them in 11^th place but with better grip than most of the cars ahead.

The Dr Pepper Chevy picked up three spots in ten laps when an accident with #57 Jason Keller occurred in Turn 4; the race was Red Flagged setting up a 3-lap shootout with Hornaday in 8^th.  On Lap 198, Ron passed by #7 Randy LaJoie and #48 Kenny Wallace and had his sights on #24 Jack Sprague.  Hornaday closed the gap; however fell a lap short of capturing his second Top-5 in three races.  Gregg Biffle claimed the checkered flag for the first time in 2002.

Carroll Racing advanced two spots in the Team Points category to 24^th and is only 56 points from the Top 20.  The Dr Pepper Racing Team will continue their trek to the front under the lights in Nashville this weekend.   Coverage of the The Inside Traxx 300 will begin at 7:00 pm EST on FX and MRN.