DARLINGTON, S.C. (August 15, 2010)—- Ron Hornaday had never driven a truck at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway until he made laps on Saturday in preparation for the Too Tough to Tame 200. Hornaday qualified the No. 33 E-Z-GO Chevrolet in the fifth position and led a total of 29 laps on his way to his first top-five finish at the track nicknamed the “Lady in Black.”
“We had a great No. 33 E-Z-GO Chevrolet,” said Hornaday after the race. “We were really good there in the middle of the race, but once we got back in traffic, it was so hard to pass. Clean air meant everything and for some reason, our last set of tires made me really loose. I had a great race with Timmy [Peters] for second. It was a good night for the No. 33 team. The guys worked really hard and Kevin [Buskirk] made some great calls. Not too bad for my first time here; I sure learned a lot for next time.”
Hornaday began the Too Tough to Tame 200 from the fifth position. The first caution of the night waved on lap five and the No. 33 team decided not to pit to preserve track position. The second caution of the evening waved moments later on lap eight, with Hornaday running in the third position. The race restarted on lap 12 as Hornaday moved into the second position, chasing down Timothy Peters for the lead. However, the No. 33 became aero-tight behind the No. 17 truck and Hornaday rode in the second position until the caution waved for the third time on lap 45.
Hornaday brought the No. 33 truck down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. A quick stop by the No. 33 team allowed Hornaday to beat Peters off pit road to take the lead on lap 48. The 52-year old driver led his first laps around the historic Darlington Raceway. Hornaday paced the field by over a second until the caution waved for the fourth time on lap 74.
The No. 33 team was within their fuel window and decided to come down pit road for four tires, fuel and no adjustments. Several of the lead-lap trucks decided to take two tires or no tires, placing Hornaday in the fourth position for the restart on lap 80. Hornaday stormed up through the field in the outside lane on the restart, sliding into the second spot. Despite his charge toward the front, Hornaday radioed crew chief Kevin Buskirk that the truck was way too loose to catch leader Todd Bodine.
Hornaday dropped to third, fighting a loose-handling race truck as the fifth caution of the night waved on lap 90. The No. 33 team decided to remain on the race track and maintain their track position. On the restart on lap 95, Hornaday dropped back to the fifth position, but battled his way back to third when the caution waved on lap 105. The No. 33 team was committed to making it a two-stop race, wary to give up third position, Hornaday remained on the track. The caution waved for the final time on lap 120 when Brian Ickler blew a tire. Hornaday was scored in the third position for the restart on lap 127. He was able to maintain his position and record a third-place finish after leading 29 of the 147-lap event.
Bodine went on to win his second race in a row, followed by Peters, Hornaday, Johnny Sauter and Austin Dillon. The run marked Hornaday’s sixth consecutive top-10 finish of 2010.
The Truck Series returns to action Wednesday night at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
STATS RECAP
Race Info
August 14, 2010
Darlington Raceway
Race: 15 of 25
Driver: Ron Hornaday
Started: 5th
Finished: 3rd
Truck Series Point Standings: 6th
338 points behind leader Todd Bodine
Next on the Schedule for the No. 33:
Date: August 18, 2010
Track: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
Event Name: O’Reilly 200
Driver: Ron Hornaday
Broadcast Time: SPEED 8:00 p.m., EST MRN 8:00 p.m., EST