April 26, 2010, 4:55 pm
By EMILY S. RUEB
P. C. Vey
It can be a satisfying experience to lay on your car’s horn. Some people do it so frequently, they may believe the sound will part the cars ahead, or maybe even get that old lady to cross the street a little faster. But the cacophony can drive pedestrians and residents to distraction.
“A honking horn is not just a noise ordinance violation; it’s a direct assault on the health of those exposed to it,” wrote Elisabeth Grace in this Sunday’s Complaint Box in the Metropolitan section.
Ms. Grace felt that there were not enough measures in place to silence the offending drivers.
“In Los Angeles, where I once lived, idling engines and crawling vehicles are a fact of life, but unlike New Yorkers, Angelenos seem to realize that no good can come from hitting a horn in standstill traffic,” she wrote. “That, and the fact that some years ago it was demonstrated that you could get shot for honking, cutting off a driver on the freeway or any other automotive act of aggression. Talk about an effective deterrent!”
Many readers shared their suggestions for keeping peace on the streets: a honking tax, a honking meter, a bumper sticker that reads “Every time you honk at me, I put the brake on and count to 20. Slowly. Try me.”
But as others pointed out, it’s not just drivers who are tangling up the streets. Streets are often jammed with headphone-wearing pedestrians and cyclists who tempt even-keel drivers into a fit of road rage.
For some, the cacophony of the city is a lullaby. But, if you can’t stand the noise, maybe it’s time to get out of the city.
Here, unedited, are four comments we especially liked:
Honk Meter
Simple solution, which has been discussed by Transportation Alternatives:
Install a Honk meter in cabs. Every time a cabbie honks, the meter takes a record of it. Cabbies can be rewarded for low honking rates, and penalized for high rates. Everybody wins!
and yes, in Egypt, cars honk constantly at each other as a way of signaling that they are going to pass. Cultural difference.
— jagarch
Pedestrian Traffic
A few weeks ago, in Brooklyn Heights, I was trying to make a right turn but could not. Why? Because a woman, with children at her side and in a stroller, was standing smack in the middle of the street having a conversation with a friend who had the sense to stay on the sidewalk. I gently pressed the horn and she ignored me (and everyone else waiting behind me). When I pressed the horn again, more aggressively, she became annoyed.
I admit that many drivers are “horn happy”. However, many pedestrians are irritatingly distracted, and need to wake up. Life is too sweet to get run over.
— David
Noise Pollution
If CA can dictate the anti-pollution features it requires on autos sold in that state, NY could probably do likewise. If horn-honking is a pollutant, petition state officials to demand that manufacturers install an anti-honking device in new vehicles introduced for sale in NY. This could be in the form of a decibel limiting device, installation of an euphonious sounding system, and/or a computer controlled horn activated recording and display capability which can be used as evidence that a horn was blown. NY state inspection criteria could be revised to require that horns be disconnected, especially in cabs. Hope that out-of-state drivers are more courteous than home-grown ones.
— Ron G
Collective Action
Horns were intended for emergencies and urgent warnings. Change will take substantial collective action if the city’s not going to enforce it. If someone (everyone) who is subjected to a non-emergency horn blast purposefully slows down for the horn’s implicit warning… (works with tailgaters).
or, better yet… taxi passengers can complain about excessive non-emergency horn use to the TLC…
— Jen BQE
2010年4月26日 星期一
Lights and sirens evolve to clear the way
Pat Gauen
More columns
Pat's Biography
PATRICK E. GAUEN
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/15/2010
"Stop the truck! Stop the (expletive) truck!"
Something was wrong, in the estimation of Capt. Vince Wright, so driver Gary Ruffin pulled to the curb in the green-and-white Mack then used by the St. Louis Fire Department's Rescue Squad 2.
Wright wriggled out the cab window and sat on the sill while reaching up on the roof, beyond my view from the jumpseat behind him. Then came a deafening blare of air horns, squealing and squalling in various pitches until Wright adjusted the reeds to a tone that suited him.
"It's just that time of year," firefighter Bob Wangler told me from the next seat over. "It's a mating call. We're trying to attract another rescue squad.''
GET MORE GAUEN
Read Pat Gauen's past columns
Humor aside, the real issue wasn't attracting anything. It was repelling something: traffic. In several months of riding along years ago to write a story about the squad, I knew those horns might be our best defense against a collision. They were more piercing than the siren and more demanding than the red and white lights.
Clearing drivers out of the way has been a challenge since police and firefighters and medics acquired motor vehicles and began blasting away with hand-crank sirens.
While warning-signal technology has come a long way, countertechnology has come as far. Modern drivers are insulated by tight windows and doors, sound-deadening materials and tinted glass. They're isolated by stereos and cell phones and navigation systems that limit what they hear and see, and distract their attention.
Deaths such as those of St. Louis police Officers David Haynes and Julius Moore, in collisions on calls last month and last year respectively, raise the question of whether there is better protection for emergency workers who care enough to rush to our aid when we're in trouble.
Presuming that no one has invented a way to smell or taste the approach of a police car, the task falls to three usable senses.
— Hearing. This was the first target, from days when sirens were more common than warning lights. Mechanical sirens are loud but also very heavy, and they consume lots of electricity. These days, you seldom hear one except on a firetruck. Electronic sirens may not be quite as loud but are more compact and power-friendly, and offer versatile sounds ("wail" and "yelp" to name two) and a public-address capability. Putting out up to 120 decibels, they operate near the human hearing pain threshold. Going louder would have health and liability implications for first responders and bystanders alike.
— Vision. Incandescent warning lights have flashed, rotated and oscillated for decades. The advent of strobes gave brilliant pops of light, but got duller with age. Now LED lights are the latest thing, with a dazzling effect that seems to stand out better day and night. Pretty much every agency around here uses or is converting to them. Some emergency vehicles also carry flickering whitish lights that activate receivers at a few strategic intersections to give them a green signal.
— Touch. Yep, touch. Those air horns on Wright's rescue truck worked so well because their deep vibrations could be felt as well as heard. Many electronic sirens have synthesized horn sounds. Now, police in New York City have tested and are buying more of a low-frequency siren add-on — trademarked as the Rumbler — that shakes drivers in sync with the audible shriek. (Think of the thumping bass from a car with an annoying megastereo.)
I talked all of it over this week with J.P. Molnar, a performance driving expert and former San Diego city and Nevada state cop who teaches and writes nationally about emergency vehicle operations.
The long-term answer, he figures, would be a mandatory alarm on every vehicle's dashboard, set off by the approach of emergency equipment. "They made air bags standard, and tire pressure monitoring for new cars," he said. "They could do this, too."
Short of that is a reminder that Molnar said he drills into every one of his emergency driving students: "You may think that every second counts, but it can be important to take an extra two seconds, or an extra eight seconds, to get through safely. Remember, you can't help anybody if you don't get there."
More columns
Pat's Biography
PATRICK E. GAUEN
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/15/2010
"Stop the truck! Stop the (expletive) truck!"
Something was wrong, in the estimation of Capt. Vince Wright, so driver Gary Ruffin pulled to the curb in the green-and-white Mack then used by the St. Louis Fire Department's Rescue Squad 2.
Wright wriggled out the cab window and sat on the sill while reaching up on the roof, beyond my view from the jumpseat behind him. Then came a deafening blare of air horns, squealing and squalling in various pitches until Wright adjusted the reeds to a tone that suited him.
"It's just that time of year," firefighter Bob Wangler told me from the next seat over. "It's a mating call. We're trying to attract another rescue squad.''
GET MORE GAUEN
Read Pat Gauen's past columns
Humor aside, the real issue wasn't attracting anything. It was repelling something: traffic. In several months of riding along years ago to write a story about the squad, I knew those horns might be our best defense against a collision. They were more piercing than the siren and more demanding than the red and white lights.
Clearing drivers out of the way has been a challenge since police and firefighters and medics acquired motor vehicles and began blasting away with hand-crank sirens.
While warning-signal technology has come a long way, countertechnology has come as far. Modern drivers are insulated by tight windows and doors, sound-deadening materials and tinted glass. They're isolated by stereos and cell phones and navigation systems that limit what they hear and see, and distract their attention.
Deaths such as those of St. Louis police Officers David Haynes and Julius Moore, in collisions on calls last month and last year respectively, raise the question of whether there is better protection for emergency workers who care enough to rush to our aid when we're in trouble.
Presuming that no one has invented a way to smell or taste the approach of a police car, the task falls to three usable senses.
— Hearing. This was the first target, from days when sirens were more common than warning lights. Mechanical sirens are loud but also very heavy, and they consume lots of electricity. These days, you seldom hear one except on a firetruck. Electronic sirens may not be quite as loud but are more compact and power-friendly, and offer versatile sounds ("wail" and "yelp" to name two) and a public-address capability. Putting out up to 120 decibels, they operate near the human hearing pain threshold. Going louder would have health and liability implications for first responders and bystanders alike.
— Vision. Incandescent warning lights have flashed, rotated and oscillated for decades. The advent of strobes gave brilliant pops of light, but got duller with age. Now LED lights are the latest thing, with a dazzling effect that seems to stand out better day and night. Pretty much every agency around here uses or is converting to them. Some emergency vehicles also carry flickering whitish lights that activate receivers at a few strategic intersections to give them a green signal.
— Touch. Yep, touch. Those air horns on Wright's rescue truck worked so well because their deep vibrations could be felt as well as heard. Many electronic sirens have synthesized horn sounds. Now, police in New York City have tested and are buying more of a low-frequency siren add-on — trademarked as the Rumbler — that shakes drivers in sync with the audible shriek. (Think of the thumping bass from a car with an annoying megastereo.)
I talked all of it over this week with J.P. Molnar, a performance driving expert and former San Diego city and Nevada state cop who teaches and writes nationally about emergency vehicle operations.
The long-term answer, he figures, would be a mandatory alarm on every vehicle's dashboard, set off by the approach of emergency equipment. "They made air bags standard, and tire pressure monitoring for new cars," he said. "They could do this, too."
Short of that is a reminder that Molnar said he drills into every one of his emergency driving students: "You may think that every second counts, but it can be important to take an extra two seconds, or an extra eight seconds, to get through safely. Remember, you can't help anybody if you don't get there."
2010年4月12日 星期一
Texas City Police Look For Kidnapper
Leticia Juarez KIAH
Related links
Texas City ISD Issues Predator Warning To Parents
Texas City Police are on the look out for a predator after a child was abducted.
On Tuesday, a 12-year-old boy told authorities a man kidnapped him while walking home from track practice. The attack happened in the 1700 block of 14th Street North around 4 p.m.
The boy told police the suspect pulled up behind him and honked the truck's horn to get his attention. The man then got out of the truck and grabbed him.
"The male got out of the vehicle took hold of him, forced him into the pickup truck, drove off to an unknown location where he attempted to fondle the child," said Texas City police Captain Brian Goetschius.
Police said the boy fought back and was hit in the face. The kidnapped eventually drove back to the location he took the boy and dropped him off. The boy walked home and told his aunt who then reported it to police.
The boy said the suspect was driving a red, 2-door pickup truck. The vehicle is possibly an older model Ford that may have a lift kit job on the rear of it.
Blocker Middle School, where the 12-year-old attends school, sent a letter home with students on Thursday notifying parents of the attack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Texas City Police Department at (409)643-5720.
Related links
Texas City ISD Issues Predator Warning To Parents
Texas City Police are on the look out for a predator after a child was abducted.
On Tuesday, a 12-year-old boy told authorities a man kidnapped him while walking home from track practice. The attack happened in the 1700 block of 14th Street North around 4 p.m.
The boy told police the suspect pulled up behind him and honked the truck's horn to get his attention. The man then got out of the truck and grabbed him.
"The male got out of the vehicle took hold of him, forced him into the pickup truck, drove off to an unknown location where he attempted to fondle the child," said Texas City police Captain Brian Goetschius.
Police said the boy fought back and was hit in the face. The kidnapped eventually drove back to the location he took the boy and dropped him off. The boy walked home and told his aunt who then reported it to police.
The boy said the suspect was driving a red, 2-door pickup truck. The vehicle is possibly an older model Ford that may have a lift kit job on the rear of it.
Blocker Middle School, where the 12-year-old attends school, sent a letter home with students on Thursday notifying parents of the attack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Texas City Police Department at (409)643-5720.
Family meets their hero
By JOE GORMAN Tribune Chronicle POSTED: April 11, 2010
Article Photos
Eric Campana, left, and Valerie Johnson look over Johnson’s burned home at 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. on Saturday.
WARREN - Eric Campana remembers laying on the horn of a car parked in a Clermont Avenue N.E. home that was on fire and the stunned look on the face of the woman who peeked out of the house.
Resident Valerie Johnson said later that she was not so much scared as she was wondering what was going on.
It ended up that Campana woke her and her family up and saved them from a fire at their 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. home just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Campana met the Johnsons for the first time Saturday while the family was retrieving items from the burned-out home.
Recalling what happened, Campana said he was walking to work with a friend when the friend spotted flames from the home. Campana called 911, and the dispatcher asked if anyone was in the home. Campana said he was not sure, even though he knocked.
''I was pounding on the door and no one answered,'' Campana said.
The dispatcher asked him if there was a car in the drive. When he said there was, the dispatcher told him blow the car's horn to wake up the occupants.
Campana said he managed to open the car door. He estimated he laid on the horn for about 15 seconds before a woman appeared at the back door.
Valerie Johnson, who has been living in the home for 2 1/2 years with her husband Jim, said Saturday that it was the pounding on the door and the car horn that woke her up. She slept right through the smoke detectors going off.
''They sounded like alarm clocks,'' she said of the detectors.
''I came to the door and said 'What the heck is going on?''' Johnson said.
Campana recalled that she appeared to be in shock when he told her the house was on fire, but she grabbed a small child and what appeared to be an infant and they ran outside, along with a man.
The Johnsons have two daughters, Emily, 5, and Chloe, 3 months.
''By the time I got to the front, the whole porch and the front of the house was on fire,'' Campana said.
Johnson said, ''If he would've been another five minutes...''
The fire had already spread to the closet in Chloe's room when the family left. Johnson grabbed Chloe while her husband hustled out the door with Emily. Because of the flames in the front of the home, they had to run through a neighbor's backyard to the front of their home.
By the time they reached the street, firefighters had arrived.
Fire Chief Ken Nussle credited Campana with getting the people in the home out, saying he averted a catastrophe by alerting them of the fire.
Damage from the blaze is listed at $10,000. The fire started on the front porch, according to fire department officials. As of yet, a cause has not been determined.
The Johnsons are moving to another home. Valerie Johnson said their church and daycare at Believer's Christian have helped them get back on their feet with clothes and furniture.
jgorman@tribtoday.com
Article Photos
Eric Campana, left, and Valerie Johnson look over Johnson’s burned home at 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. on Saturday.
WARREN - Eric Campana remembers laying on the horn of a car parked in a Clermont Avenue N.E. home that was on fire and the stunned look on the face of the woman who peeked out of the house.
Resident Valerie Johnson said later that she was not so much scared as she was wondering what was going on.
It ended up that Campana woke her and her family up and saved them from a fire at their 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. home just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Campana met the Johnsons for the first time Saturday while the family was retrieving items from the burned-out home.
Recalling what happened, Campana said he was walking to work with a friend when the friend spotted flames from the home. Campana called 911, and the dispatcher asked if anyone was in the home. Campana said he was not sure, even though he knocked.
''I was pounding on the door and no one answered,'' Campana said.
The dispatcher asked him if there was a car in the drive. When he said there was, the dispatcher told him blow the car's horn to wake up the occupants.
Campana said he managed to open the car door. He estimated he laid on the horn for about 15 seconds before a woman appeared at the back door.
Valerie Johnson, who has been living in the home for 2 1/2 years with her husband Jim, said Saturday that it was the pounding on the door and the car horn that woke her up. She slept right through the smoke detectors going off.
''They sounded like alarm clocks,'' she said of the detectors.
''I came to the door and said 'What the heck is going on?''' Johnson said.
Campana recalled that she appeared to be in shock when he told her the house was on fire, but she grabbed a small child and what appeared to be an infant and they ran outside, along with a man.
The Johnsons have two daughters, Emily, 5, and Chloe, 3 months.
''By the time I got to the front, the whole porch and the front of the house was on fire,'' Campana said.
Johnson said, ''If he would've been another five minutes...''
The fire had already spread to the closet in Chloe's room when the family left. Johnson grabbed Chloe while her husband hustled out the door with Emily. Because of the flames in the front of the home, they had to run through a neighbor's backyard to the front of their home.
By the time they reached the street, firefighters had arrived.
Fire Chief Ken Nussle credited Campana with getting the people in the home out, saying he averted a catastrophe by alerting them of the fire.
Damage from the blaze is listed at $10,000. The fire started on the front porch, according to fire department officials. As of yet, a cause has not been determined.
The Johnsons are moving to another home. Valerie Johnson said their church and daycare at Believer's Christian have helped them get back on their feet with clothes and furniture.
jgorman@tribtoday.com
2010年4月2日 星期五
Art cars: they're auto exotic
Art cars: they're auto exotic
The Fruitmobile on display in Houston at Everyone's Art Car Parade in May 2006. NYT
Junk or genius? Cartists are turning their drives into masterpieces
Joanne Will
Published on Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010 2:26PM EDT
Last updated on Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010 3:42PM EDT
My partner thinks he's an artist. He has a massive collection of Happy Meal toys and other kitschy junk. When I moved in I told him that stuff had to go, so he took it out to the garage. Now he's gluing it to the car. It’s not the best car, but it’s our car. He says it’s art. I think he’s ruining the vehicle, not to mention straining our relationship. What should I do?
Eye of the Beholder
You've either got grounds for divorce, or a genius on your hands. If your partner has decided to become a “cartist,” why not try encouraging him?
Pop-art pioneers Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and more than a dozen others have created BMW Art Cars. These automobiles, and John Lennon's psychedelic '65 Rolls Royce, are arguably at the high end of art-car-culture. Further, the countless folk-art cars used as daily drivers are a testament to the popularity of this road-culture movement.
The art of the drive
Check out a gallery of Art Cars, from a high-end Rauschenberg to a low-end condiment-covered car
View
Toy Karma, the car driven and decorated by writer and poet Susan Musgrave provided my first exposure to an art car. It was a familiar sight on Vancouver Island during my university days. A few years later, at the annual Art Car Parade in Houston, I first witnessed the enormous and unique community which rallies around the art car scene.
Ken Gerberick, one of the most prolific car artists in Canada, has created nine masterpieces so far. On a recent visit to his studio, I asked about the paperwork and regulations required for art-car ownership. He laughed and said there are very few rules. Ken's vehicles are simply registered as “multi-coloured.” He advises all would-be car artists to use good glue and screws, with no objects protruding more than five inches from the vehicle. When it comes time to clean the car, just make sure you've got a whole day set aside for washing it – one piece at a time.
Ken's van, known as the Copy Cat, is his homage to 40 of the world's great art cars. A big part of his process is to make art from materials that have been used, abused and discarded. The parts on Copy Cat, excluding silicon and screws, cost him less than $10. It's a marvel to behold. His first piece was a '57 Pontiac, which he covered in 6,000 car emblems. And then there's his Cadillac Estate Wagon. It features vintage furnace covers on the headlights, a Kirby vacuum cleaner nozzle, a clothes-dryer dial, a piece from an analog computer, a wheel from a hospital gurney which displays the phases of the moon when spun, a 100-year-old ceiling tile on each side panel, a stylized scene of Vancouver, and an air horn and speaker mounted on the roof. And the dash? That's another story.
Do you have an old beater in need of a makeover? Apart from pure viewing pleasure, art on a vehicle can hide the rust and dents. It can also be a clever piece of marketing for an artist. An art car is, after all, a mobile sculpture which can be permanently exhibited in any location. One accountant says that driving it around to promote your art means that within reason, you can write off the art supplies. In any case, when it stops running, the parts can be harvested and sold as objets d'art .
It sounds as though your partner's creation is not exactly to your taste. If you don't want to be your man's muse, why not be a collaborator on the project? Take a romantic road trip to the Houston Art Car Parade, or any one of the art car fests held across North America. You'll find plenty of inspiration and ideas. Why should the big ticket auto designers get paid tons of money and have all the fun? Many cars these days look like the result of one too many marketing-focus-group meetings, so why worry if your creation ends up looking a bit strange?
Besides, there's nothing quite like the look of wonder and confusion on the face of a child riding in a brand new Mercedes when they spot a work of contemporary car art and breathlessly ask, “Mom! Can we please glue McDonald's toys on our car?”
Air horn helps deputy find missing hunter
Posted on March 9, 2010 at 4:54 PM
Updated Tuesday, Mar 9 at 11:33 PM
******
IDAHO COUNTY – Idaho County authorities were able to locate a hunter who got lost in a snow storm Monday night thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan and an air horn.
Sheriff’s deputies received a call for help at 6:30 p.m. on a broken cell phone call that came from the Crane Creek area near Kooskia.
Deputy Mike Badgley was dispatched to the area where the call came from. Directions were vague and it was snowing heavily. Badgley followed tracks in the snow to the residence of Phillip Smith.
Smith offered to help the deputy and the two men set to locate the lost man. They located and found fresh tracks that led them to 26-year-old Eric Lycan of Kooskia who had called dispatch. Lycan and 27-year-old Scott Rollins had been out horn hunting and got separated by the storm. It had been three hours since Lycan had contact with Rollins who was not dressed for the weather.
Rollins managed to send a text message to another person with Lycan telling them he wanted them to fire up the chain saw. Badgley sounded his siren and air horn for about 40 minutes before Rollins emerged from the forest. He was wet and cold, but otherwise in good health.
Updated Tuesday, Mar 9 at 11:33 PM
******
IDAHO COUNTY – Idaho County authorities were able to locate a hunter who got lost in a snow storm Monday night thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan and an air horn.
Sheriff’s deputies received a call for help at 6:30 p.m. on a broken cell phone call that came from the Crane Creek area near Kooskia.
Deputy Mike Badgley was dispatched to the area where the call came from. Directions were vague and it was snowing heavily. Badgley followed tracks in the snow to the residence of Phillip Smith.
Smith offered to help the deputy and the two men set to locate the lost man. They located and found fresh tracks that led them to 26-year-old Eric Lycan of Kooskia who had called dispatch. Lycan and 27-year-old Scott Rollins had been out horn hunting and got separated by the storm. It had been three hours since Lycan had contact with Rollins who was not dressed for the weather.
Rollins managed to send a text message to another person with Lycan telling them he wanted them to fire up the chain saw. Badgley sounded his siren and air horn for about 40 minutes before Rollins emerged from the forest. He was wet and cold, but otherwise in good health.
2010年3月24日 星期三
Ron Hornaday Rolls the Dice at Atlanta and It Comes Up with Snake Eyes
by Horn Fan Written on March 09, 2010 Ron Hornady would've, should've, could've, but didn't and it's left the defending champion 28th in the points.
Hornaday and his No. 33 Longhorn team came to Atlanta looking to rally back and hoping for a good day. Unfortunately, the team gambled on a tire rub, rolled the dice, it came up snake eyes and ended there day early finishing 34th.
The chemistry looked good between Horn and his new crew chief Doug George and the 33 team. They looked good in both practices running 30 laps between the two, making multiple changes to his truck.
Horn was the fourth fastest in the first, and ran 15th fastest in the final one.
Then he went out and won the pole for the race. One thing about Horn, he's one of several drivers in the series. That you can't judge how they are in practice, and it's how well they qualify as to just how really good they are.
It goes without say that he had one stout Chevy on Saturday. Horn took the green heading into turn one it was three wide with Busch and Crafton.
When Horn trying to hold his line, got loose on the cold tires and made slight contact with Busch. The end result was his left rear fender slightly bent in rubbing on his tire.
The team debated making a pit stop for fresh tires and to pull the fender out. While for several laps his truck did have tire smoke, it did dissipated and stop.
His spotter Rick Carelli thought it didn't look too bad and teammate/boss Kevin Harvick did drive right behind also saying the same thing.
So Horn would stay out, rather than lose a lap or two early and not because he would not have made it up later in the race.
He would remain among the leaders, continue fighting for the lead and actually led Lap 11 before quickly surrender the lead to Busch.
Horn would settle into third, with his truck getting looser each lap and was patiently waiting for a pit stop. Unfortunately Horn became the first caution on Lap 23, when his left rear tire explode and sent him into the wall.
His No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet received extensive rear end damage and also the right side was pancaked in.
His team worked pretty hard trying to get Horn back out to log some laps for points but the damage was too great to repair.
Horn finished 34th for the day, add that to his 28th place finish at Daytona and many have written him off too repeat.
But Horn along with Skinner are two guys that you just can never write off and throw the statistic's out the window with them.
It is what it is, but adversity like this will only make the No. 33 Longhorn team strong and they'll battle back to factor into the championship at Homestead.
Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com
Hornaday and his No. 33 Longhorn team came to Atlanta looking to rally back and hoping for a good day. Unfortunately, the team gambled on a tire rub, rolled the dice, it came up snake eyes and ended there day early finishing 34th.
The chemistry looked good between Horn and his new crew chief Doug George and the 33 team. They looked good in both practices running 30 laps between the two, making multiple changes to his truck.
Horn was the fourth fastest in the first, and ran 15th fastest in the final one.
Then he went out and won the pole for the race. One thing about Horn, he's one of several drivers in the series. That you can't judge how they are in practice, and it's how well they qualify as to just how really good they are.
It goes without say that he had one stout Chevy on Saturday. Horn took the green heading into turn one it was three wide with Busch and Crafton.
When Horn trying to hold his line, got loose on the cold tires and made slight contact with Busch. The end result was his left rear fender slightly bent in rubbing on his tire.
The team debated making a pit stop for fresh tires and to pull the fender out. While for several laps his truck did have tire smoke, it did dissipated and stop.
His spotter Rick Carelli thought it didn't look too bad and teammate/boss Kevin Harvick did drive right behind also saying the same thing.
So Horn would stay out, rather than lose a lap or two early and not because he would not have made it up later in the race.
He would remain among the leaders, continue fighting for the lead and actually led Lap 11 before quickly surrender the lead to Busch.
Horn would settle into third, with his truck getting looser each lap and was patiently waiting for a pit stop. Unfortunately Horn became the first caution on Lap 23, when his left rear tire explode and sent him into the wall.
His No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet received extensive rear end damage and also the right side was pancaked in.
His team worked pretty hard trying to get Horn back out to log some laps for points but the damage was too great to repair.
Horn finished 34th for the day, add that to his 28th place finish at Daytona and many have written him off too repeat.
But Horn along with Skinner are two guys that you just can never write off and throw the statistic's out the window with them.
It is what it is, but adversity like this will only make the No. 33 Longhorn team strong and they'll battle back to factor into the championship at Homestead.
Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com
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