Monte Carlo back in sync and Hornaday battled for that lap back, however the opportunity never arose.  Ron ended up the lead car one lap down in 12^th place, moving the #26 Carroll Racing Team up one spot to 18^th in the Owner Points Standings.   

The first practice session on Thursday was delayed nearly three hours following a horrific wreck exiting Turn 2 involving Mike Harmon and Johnny Sauter.  Fortunately, each of the drivers escaped with no serious injuries.  When practice resumed Hornaday posted the sixth fastest lap and it was time to prepare for qualifying.  Todd Lohse, Crew Chief, and Hornaday decided there was a good shot at gaining the Pole for the Food City 250.  Therefore, they opted for an aggressive car set-up in an attempt to blister a lap around the .533-mile high-banked oval worthy of the top honors.  The #26 Dr Pepper Chevy fired around the track however as Hornaday rolled through Turns 1 & 2, the front end never drifted up the track and the rear of the car did.  Ron had to chase the back-end of the car a bit and lost some valuable time.  His lap of 15.833 sec (121.190 mph) ranked him 24^th on the time trial sheet.  #57 Jason Keller won the pole with a lap of 15.421 sec (124.428 mph).

With over 125,000 screaming fans anticipating the start of the Food City 250, the green flag waved.  Races at Bristol Motor Speedway are usually filled with accidents and cautions from the start. This race began that way but the drivers settled in and there were only seven cautions all night.  The first yellow flag came out early when #54 Kevin Grubb spun out.  Hornaday was picking off positions here and there and worked his way into the Top-20.  A second caution came out on Lap 24, before the first big wreck occurred on Lap 35.  The 10-car incident happened on the exit of Turn 2 directly in front of the #26 Dr Pepper Chevy.  Hornaday used the direction of Todd Lohse, who was his spotter, to avoid the scrambling and banging cars. 

Upon the restart, a melee occurred in the line of cars behind Hornaday.  Drivers were fighting for position and trying to find a spot in line when contact was made between a couple cars and before long cars were spinning and getting damaged.  This accident wrapped up twelve cars and had Hornaday sitting in a Top-15 position on Lap 50.

Following the two large accidents, the field of drivers regained their composure and contributed to 96 caution free laps.  The leaders at the time, #1 Jimmy Spencer and #29 Kevin Harvick, set a torrid pace and started to lap the field.  On Lap 75, Ron radioed that the car just took a turn for the worse and became extremely loose and difficult to drive.  Needing to let off the gas earlier, Hornaday’s lap times got slower and Spencer overtook the #26 Dr Pepper Chevy and placed it a lap down.

A caution finally came out and the Dr Pepper Chevy was brought in to the pits for the first time of the evening on Lap 150.  Lohse called for a tire pressure adjustment on four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.  Upon further inspection following the stop, it was noticed that the loose condition was caused by a right rear tire leak that resulted in the tire being 15 psi under inflated.

Hornaday fought hard and passed numerous cars throughout the remaining laps but could not pass Spencer to regain the lost lap.  Hornaday crossed the finish line the first car one lap down in 12^th place.  Jimmy Spencer retained the lead and earned the victory.

“We ran well out there tonight, considering the period where the Dr Pepper Chevy got really loose,” claimed Hornaday.  “We luckily missed those two big wrecks and were vying for the Top-10 when the handling went away.  Todd called for some good changes that completely fixed the car.  The Dr Pepper Team worked hard this weekend; we tried for the pole in qualifying and just got a little too much grip on the front end.  We’re happy with a 12^th place but in no way ecstatic.  We’re looking forward to Darlington because Carroll Racing supposedly always brings a rocket there and I can’t wait to get in it.”

The Dr Pepper Racing Team will head to Darlington, SC to take on the “Lady in Black” in the South Carolina 200.  Darlington Raceway is known for its abrasive track surface that wears away tires in a hurry and always makes for exciting racing.  Coverage begins at 1:00 pm on TNT and MRN.