NASCAR WCUP: Ron Hornaday post race comments, Dover

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

September 23, 2001

RON HORNADAY, NO. 14 CONSECO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

(ON THE INCIDENT THAT CAUSED YOU TO SPIN) "There was a lapped car up there. Jeff [Gordon] and I got side-by-side because of the lapped car. Finally, I don't know if we cleared the lapped car or the lapped car got away from us, but I thought I cleared Jeff. Then we came off of four and I felt the back of the car come off the ground. You're already trying to free up the car now when you come to this track because in the long run the car gets tighter. I think if my car was tighter before that I wouldn't have lost it. But when your left rear tire is off the ground, it's hard to control it. I suppose I'm going to get blamed for it because I'm the rookie, but you just don't expect that kind of thing racing with Jeff Gordon.

"We had a great race car and we showed that. We're still lacking a little bit on our pit stops and we knew that, but we were being patient. Ricky Rudd can vouch for that. I ran past him early, then the car went away just a little bit and got tight and I let Ricky go by. I raced probably three people that way the first 100 laps.

"My hats off to these guys. They're doing an awesome job. We just need to get our pit stops a little better. We're definitely coming out with good race cars. We're qualifying good and running good, we just can't finish good."

Text provided by Al Larsen

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