NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series GM Goodwrench/Delco Battery 300 Preview: #16, Ron Hornaday
30 October 1997
#16 Ron Hornaday, NAPA Brakes Chevrolet
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
GM Goodwrench/Delco Battery 300K Advance
Phoenix International Raceway
HORNADAY LOOKING FORWARD TO PHOENIX
PHOENIX, AZ - NAPA Brakes driver Ron Hornaday returned home to California for
the inaugural NASCAR Truck Series race at the new California Speedway,
Fontana, Calif., on October 18, and received a dose of good medicine. The
NAPA team had struggled the past three events, finishing out of the top
20, and needed a good run to get back on track. Hornaday got what the
doctor ordered: a top-10 finish. He ran up front all day and brought the
NAPA Brakes Chevy home in ninth place.
- The NAPA team left California and headed to Las Vegas, Nev., for a test
on October 21 and 22, at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway that will
host the season finale on November 9.
- The NAPA team left Las Vegas and headed to Phoenix, Ariz., for this
weekend's race. Hornaday has had success in the Valley of the Sun and is
looking forward to Saturday's event at Phoenix International Raceway. He
has recorded five top-10 finishes in the five events run there. He won the
pole position for the inaugural Truck Series race that was held in Phoenix on
February 5, 1995. He has run Winston West, and Southwest Tour cars there,
recording a Southwest tour win in 1995.
- This will be NAPA crew chief Fred Graves' first trip to Phoenix with
Hornaday. Graves joined the team in late May. "Hornaday has a lot of laps
around Phoenix," explained Graves. "We plan to run up front, and hopefully
get him his first trip to victory lane in a truck at Phoenix. We want to end
the season on a high note -- we have a good shot a third in the point
standings. (Hornaday trails third place Joe Ruttman by 105 points.) The only
way to get that spot is to finish up front at Phoenix and Vegas."
QUOTES:
NAPA Brakes driver Ron Hornaday on Phoenix International Raceway:
"Phoenix is a great facility. I have raced there a lot and have run up front.
I feel I know my way around the track, but victory lane is a place I would
like to get more familiar with. Everyone with DEI, (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)
including Dale and Teresa will be in Phoenix. It would be nice to have the
NAPA Chevy, and everyone from DEI together in victory lane."
Comments from Ron Hornaday on his up-and-down season:
"We knew going into this year that it would be hard to repeat as champions.
But who would of thought that we would have had such an up-and-down year. We
have won seven races, but failed to finish five. That's what has killed us --
all this crazy stuff that just does not happen to this team. Hopefully the
bad luck is behind us, and we can go on to Phoenix and Vegas, and kick some
butt!"
Ron Hornaday's Phoenix International Raceway Statistics
Date St Fn Laps Money Won Status
4/20/97 8 4 150/150 $10,686 Running
10/26/96 4 7 186/186 6,600 Running
4/21/95 9 5 186/186 7,100 Running
10/28/95 22 5 124/124 5,500 Running
2/5/95 1 9 80/80 2,750 Running
Ron Hornaday is currently fifth in NASCAR Truck Series points.
By Champion Sports Group