NASHVILLE, TN. (April 8, 2002) - It's a rarity when NASCAR veteran Ron Hornaday, Jr. visits a track he has never raced at before, but that's exactly what he'll be doing when he steers the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet onto Nashville Superspeedway in the Pepsi 300 Saturday. According to the crafty veteran, he and Team GMAC will be up to the challenge.
"I always run really well on tracks I've never been to," said Hornaday. "Every new track that I have been to in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck or a Busch Series car has led to a win or a really strong finish. In my mind, that's a good omen for this week at Nashville. I can't ask for better equipment than my GMAC Chevy or a better personal history at new tracks. We are going to Nashville looking for a win."
Hornaday, two-time NCTS champion, continues to drive for Team GMAC driver Ricky Hendrick, injured in a crash at Las Vegas in March. Last weekend, Hornaday and Team GMAC posted their best finish of the season - a 12th-place effort at Texas Motor Speedway. The finish has Hornaday thinking the Hendrick Motorsports team is finally getting its luck headed in the right direction.
"We have what it takes to win this weekend," said Hornaday. "We are strong every weekend, we've just had some bad luck and we are looking to Nashville to turn it around."
"We've had good racecars all year, but we have had zero race luck," echoed crew chief Lance McGrew. " We are working hard to prove that we are competitive every week and we have all the confidence in Ron. We have to just keep doing what we are doing and putting our best foot forward. Eventually that bad luck will run out. Ron likes the speedways and we have a strong setup for Nashville, so there's no reason we can't do well there."
One thing that has helped Team GMAC of late is a strong communication link between Hornaday and his former NCTS rival, Jack Sprague, now his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.
"Whatever set up Jack used last year is what we will put in to start the race this year," said Hornaday. "So far those setups have been working well. We don't use them all the time, but it's always a good start."
Hornaday will take a fourth turn in the Team GMAC Chevy when they roll off In the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Speedway, Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The event will be the seventh of 34 NASCAR Busch Series Races this season and will be telecast live on FOX and PRN Radio.
ABOUT GMAC -
In addition to automotive financing, GMAC Financial Services provides insurance, mortgages and commercial financing. GMAC, with 29,000 employees in 40 countries, has extended more than $1 trillion in credit to finance 150 million cars and trucks. A subsidiary of General Motors Corporation since 1919, GMAC recorded 2001 earnings of $1.8 billion.
