NASCAR WCUP: Hornaday credits Bush ride for helping Winston Cup effort

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

August 25, 2001

RON HORNADAY, NO. 14 CONSECO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

(TELL US ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN) "You guys really can't hear it because I was holding my breath for it, so there is nothing really to tell say. "It's a compliment to this whole team. The Conseco Pontiac team has been really stepping up. Ever since we had no more provisionals, we've been really focusing on qualifying. Our runs in the race have been showing it, but our finishes haven't. I think running the Busch car (No. 11) has been helping out. Spring for spring, we're about 50 pounds different in the right front on the Cup car than we are on the Busch car, so everything is working out. We're having a lot of fun."

(YOU WERE QUITE A BIT FASTER ON YOUR SECOND LAP...CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?) "My dad always told me that your first lap is to make the race and your second lap is to break the track record, but that wasn't the case this time. We put a pretty big right front spring in the car and it pushed real bad the first lap because I was trying to hustle the car too much. I finally just had to back off about three car lengths earlier than I had been driving all day and the car cut real good. I used David Evan's horsepower to get that Conseco Pontiac a good lap. We ran a lot of air pressure and I was really surprised that it picked up that much "

(YOU WERE GOOD HERE IN THE SPRING, BUT YOU NEVER HAD ANY TRACK POSITION. NOW YOU'VE GOT THAT...) "Well, it's not the same car either. That tells you these guys are really getting this whole team together. It's just a matter of figuring out what we need to do."

Text provided by Al Larsen

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.