MOTOR SPORTS NOTEBOOK: STRONG EFFORT IN START TO TRIAL.

Byline: Tim Haddock Staff Writer

Ron Hornaday Jr. began his five-race trial with Carroll Racing on the NASCAR Busch Series with a 14th-place finish at Loudon International Speedway in New Hampshire last Saturday.

It was a strong effort by the team, which let go driver Lyndon Amick, who started the season as the driver of the No. 26 Dr Pepper Chevy Monte Carlo.

Carroll Racing decided to change its driver when Amick did not produce the kind of results the team expected. In 13 races, Amick scored three top- 20s. He did not finish in the top 10 in any of his races this season.

According to a Carroll Racing team source, Hornaday's five-race trial is more of an experiment than a tryout. Team officials want to see whether Hornaday and the existing crew have a good chemistry before making a long-term commitment to Hornaday.

Hornaday matched Carroll Racing's best finish of the the season at New Hampshire. Amick finished 14th in the second race of the season at North Carolina Speedway.

``It was a good start for us,'' Hornaday said. ``We wanted a little higher finish but ran in the top 10 for the first half and ran into some problems in the second half. There are a few things we have to work on, but this is a great group of guys on this Dr Pepper team, and I look forward to the time ahead.''

Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champion and two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champ, started the season driving a Hendrick Motorsports Truck Series entry in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He moved up to the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevy on the Busch Series as a substitute driver for the injured Ricky Hendrick.

Hornaday drove the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy for six races.

In his first race in the Carroll Racing Chevy, Hornaday was able to climb into the top-five for a portion of the race. Throttle problems would eventually take their toll on the car, and Hornaday drifted back to 14th.

Still, Hornaday's new crew chief Todd Lohse was encouraged with the result.

``This whole Dr Pepper team is pleased with the way we ran today and excited for the future,'' Lohse said. ``The throttle pedal stuck during our first pit stop that dropped us back, and as expected there was a tiny bit of a communication gap between Ron and myself. It was our first race together, and Ron was telling me the car was tight and we just didn't loosen it up enough for him. We ran competitively throughout the day, and it will continue as we grow together. It was a great start in our eyes.''

--American Le Mans Series: It's been more than a decade since Valencia's Bryan Herta has raced at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma.

In preparation for Sunday's American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Sonoma, Herta, driving for Panoz Motor Sports, enlisted the services of Jim Russell Racing School to give him a refresher course on how to tackle the road course.

``When it's time to hit the track in the Panoz, I'll be familiar with it and can concentrate on tuning,'' said Herta, a Hart High graduate and former CART Series driver.

Herta is competing in his first season with Panoz Motor Sports and his first in the American Le Mans Series. He last raced at Sears Point 12 years ago, when he was on the Skip Barber Pro Series.

In the American Le Mans Series season opener at Sebring International Raceway, Herta guided his three-driver team to an eighth-place overall finish. His car was in third when brake problems dropped it out of contention with about 30 minutes left in the 12-hour endurance race.

The Grand Prix of Sonoma is the second race of the American Le Mans Series season.

``I'm looking forward to all of the races,'' Herta said. ``Each weekend is like a new adventure for me. There's so much that's different in this type of racing than the open-wheel stuff I've been doing for so long. Every single week I learn a little bit more about the car, the type of racing and the traffic situations, and I can't wait to get to the next race.''

Herta will be teamed with Bill Auberlen of Hermosa Beach in one of three Panoz LMP-900 cars entered in the Grand Prix of Sonoma. David Brabham and Jan Magnussen will split time in the second Panoz entry. Americans David Donohue and Gunnar Jeanette will be in the third Panoz car.

--NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series: A handful of Santa Clarita-area drivers are in championship contention as the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series heads to Pikes Peak International Raceway for Sunday's Southwest Series 100.

Saugus High graduate Sean Woodside is second in points, and with the help of Mike Walker, father of NASCAR Winston Cup star Kevin Harvick, he will be entering a car in the Pikes Peak race.

Woodside's season was almost interrupted when Walker Motorsports, the team with which he started the season, shut down operations last month, a few days before a race at Stockton 99 Speedway. Woodside had to scramble to find a car for the Southwest Series race in Stockton.

``We are looking forward to the Pikes Peak race,'' Woodside said. ``A lot of hard work has gone into putting together a car that will take us to the front. I appreciate the dedication of all of the guys who are commuting to Bakersfield and putting so many hours into the race car.''

M.K. Kanke of Frazier Park, who finished second in the Pikes Peak race last year, is fourth in points. Frank Maronski Jr. of Quartz Hill is ninth.

RACES

IMSA 

American Le Mans Series

Grand Prix of Sonoma presented by Fosters

Site: Sonoma.

Schedule: Sunday, race (1 p.m. Speed Channel).

Track: Sears Point Raceway (road course, 2.52 miles, 12 turns).

Race distance: Two hours, 45 minutes (timed event).

Cars: Four classes of American Le Mans Series sports cars: Le Mans Prototype (LMP) 900, LMP-657, Grand Touring Sport (GTS), Grand Touring (GT).

NASCAR

Featherlite Southwest Series

Southwest Series 100

Site: Fountain, Colo.

Schedule: Sunday, race, 4:30 p.m.

Track: Pikes Peak International Raceway (oval, one-mile paved).

Race distance: 100 laps/100 miles.

Posted awards: $90,650.

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

RACES (see text)