Hornaday Breaks Motor, Bad Luck Continues

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Hornaday Breaks Motor, Bad Luck Continues
by : Toni McCray
Mitchell, KY (June 16, 2002) Ron Hornaday and the No 26 Dr Pepper Chevrolet team started 15th in the Kroger 300 Presented by Oreo at the Kentucky Speedway. Hornaday and the team were satisfied with the performance of the Dr Pepper Chevrolet and felt confident they would be contenders during the event.
Early on, Hornaday weaved his way up to the front of the pack on the 1.5-mile oval and by lap 5 of the 200-lap event; Hornaday took over the second position. The 4th caution came out on lap 82, and pit strategy came into play. Crew Chief Todd Lohse made the decision to come in for a gas and go, since the Thirst Crew just serviced the Dr Pepper Chevrolet 8 laps before the caution. On Lap 86, the race was red flagged due to rain and would not be restarted until Sunday, June 16th at 1:00 p.m. Hornaday was set to restart the race in the 13th position, but would gain 5 more positions while other competitors pitted under the caution. After the restart of the Kroger 300 presented by Oreo, just 2 laps into the race Hornaday was already in the 5th position. On lap 103, Hornaday radioed to the Thirst crew and said he had broken a motor. The Dr Pepper Chevrolet team was done for the day. Hornaday finished 37th. After the race, Hornaday was clearly disappointed. The car was a little tight after we ran a few laps, but I think we would have had a top-10 car. I thought we were going to be competitive today and we¹ve been so unlucky in the last three races. We have this incredible momentum going so we¹ll regroup and head to Milwaukee in two-weeks. The next stop on the NASCAR Busch Series circuit is at the Milwaukee Mile. Bud Pole qualifying for the GNC Live Well 250 will take place on Saturday, June 29, 2002 at 11:15 a.m. EST. The GNC Live Well 250 is Sunday, June 30, 2002 at 1:30 p.m. EST. Media High Lights Dr Pepper received tremendous coverage due to Hornaday¹s performance on the track Saturday, June 15th, and Sunday, June 16th. Hornaday did a live interview with FX during the rain-delay race. NASCAR.com did a Father¹s Day story with Ron and Ronnie Hornaday III on Sunday, June 16th. CatchFence.com also did a Father¹s Day story that was placed on Friday, June 14th. Totally NASCAR is doing a piece on what a NASCAR driver¹s wife, does away from the racetrack. I will update you on when it will air as soon as I have a confirmation. Looking Ahead to Milwaukee The Dr Pepper team and driver Ron Hornaday head to the Milwaukee, WI for the GNC Live Well 250 on Sunday, June 30th. Hornaday started 20th and finished 10th there last years race and has high hopes of bringing Dr Pepper another top-10 this weekend.