Ron Hornaday Rallies to Finish Third at Texas Motor Speedway

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News

Making his 22nd-career start at Texas Motor Speedway, Ron Hornaday and the No. 9 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff team qualified in the 10th position for the WinStar World Casino 350K. Starting in the fifth row, Hornaday found himself in the middle of three-wide racing early in the 147-lap event.

 

Remaining relatively quiet on the radio, Hornaday made his first scheduled stop of the race under the first caution on lap 23. The team changed four tires, added fuel and repaired damage to the No. 9 Silverado sustained early in the race. Hornaday returned to the track, but made a second stop while under caution to continue making repairs. Once the race restarted, Hornaday was shuffled back to the 23rd position.

 

With a fast truck and motivated to get back to the front of the field, Hornaday took over the 15th spot on lap 47. Several laps later after taking over 13th on lap 52, Hornaday reported to the team that his Silverado was loose off the corners.

 

The second caution flag of the race waved on lap 59 and the No. 9 NTS Motorsports team called Hornaday to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment to help with the handling of the Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet. The race restarted with Hornaday running in 11th place.

 

Continuing to find speed on the 1.5-mile track and picking his way through the field, Hornaday moved into the eighth position on lap 90 before the final caution of the race waved on lap 99. Crew chief Bruce Cook called Hornaday to pit road for his final stop of the race, calling for four tires and fuel. As the field returned to green-flag conditions, Hornaday crossed the line in the seventh spot.

 

With confidence on his side, Hornaday was able to move into the fourth position on lap 110 following a tight battle with several other competitors. Remaining quiet on the radio and focused on the leaders, Hornaday was able to take over third where he would ultimately finish the 147-lap event.

 

The finish marked Hornaday’s best finish since the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway where he scored a third-place finish.

 

Ron Hornaday Post Race Thoughts:

“I am very happy with our NTS Motorsports team and the way our Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Silverado handled during the race. I had to come to the pits early to repair some damage, and our team worked hard to fight back through the field. Once we were in contention for a top five, Bruce (Cook) made the right adjustments to the truck and we were able to capitalize on a third place finish.”

 

NTS PR

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