Earnhardt's wisdom helps Hornaday win

Lbtttl mm$ mm n n n i n mmmwi By CHARLIE COON Star-Gazette I I In WATKINS GLEN - Ron Hornaday r. took some advice Saturday from lis boss' husband Dale Earnhardt and won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Parts America 150 Sunday at Watkins Glen International. Homaday took the lead from Mike Skinner on the 21st lap and led the last 40 in me trucKs- nrst race at the track. Hornaday beat Joe Nemechek to the checkered flag by . 1.639 seconds.' s In testing Friday Hornaday was one of the fastest drivers. But his crew changed the set-up Saturday ; and that hurt instead of helped. So ' he phoned Earnhardt, the seven-time Winston Cup champion. Earnhardt's wife, Teresa, owns Horna-dsy's truck, "That phone call to Dale reallv was the most Important phone call we ever made," Hornaday said. "We ; came here with the truck set up the way it was, and then we changed a few things and we shouldn't have. We were worried about tire wear. I: "He talked to us and we changed, it back to where it was. We put tho shocks back to what he said and changed a few springs and it worked great" f Those changes were critical at Watkins Glen, a 2.45-mile road course that has 11 turns. I' Earnhardt's wisdom In a nutshell: Hornaday was worried about a push in the left-hand Turn 3. Earnhardt said it was OK to give up a little in the four left-hand turns in i order to be strong in the sever, i right-handers. f Mike Skinner finished third an I relinquished to Hornaday the lea 1 in season points, 2,434-to-2,425. i "We're all focused on the cham pionship," Homadav said. "Wle kept saying we needed a top-fiv e finish but (Saturday I decided thn it wasn't good enough and I had t o win here." ,t Jack Sprague and Rich BlcKJ e rounded out the top five. Sprague i Is third in points at 2,367. Hornaday started 10th in the rat s and worked his way to third by tit ie eighth lap. On the 18th lap tie Eassed Dave Rezendes. On lap I!l e passed Skinner, who'd led ? ill the way to that point Meanwhile Geoff Bodine, who won the Winston Cup race here ti vo weeks ago, and Joe Nemechek moved past Skinner Into second and third. Bodine started 21st c ad Nemechek started at the very b t xk .. 1 . 'Am; , -v, ; 1. .V-SvS . JEFF RICHARDSStar-Ga2ett WINNER: Ron Hornaday Jr. enjoys a Watkins Glen win. Top 5 finishers 1. Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet 2. Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet 3. Mike Skinner, Chevrolet 4. Jack Sprague, Chevrolet 5. Rich Bickle, Dodge Complete resultsMC of the field. Bodine, Nemechek and Skinner ' had a spirited battle behind Hornaday for laps 34-58, with Nemechek challenging Bodine and Skinner challenging Nemechek for position,. Bodine's engine gave out on lap 58-; and he limped home to 17th place. " Hornaday was never seriously".' challenged after taking the lead. He set the fast-lap of the race - 1 minute, 17.172 seconds on the 34th lap when he passed Skinner heading Into Turn 2. He maintained a comfortable lead for the duration while those behind him fought ' amongst themselves. "I thought I was leading the whole thing," Hornaday said. "It's a great feelina tn null awnv fmm a miV like Geoff Bodine, who won a Winston Cup race here a few weeks ago. Skinner was caught in a tricky spot. He had to decide whether to take a chance on passing Nemechek or drive conservatively because he's in a points battle with Homaaav. stunner rnea out iauea ar to out-brake Nemechek at the end r, of the long back straightaway entering the twisty Inner Loop. In the end Skinner chose wisdom over valor. I felt at the end of the race I was a little better than Joe," Skinner said, "but I couldn't take any n chances by racing a guy not in the points standings."