Results tagged “Sam Hornish Jr.” from Haddock in the Paddock

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol marks the fifth race of the season. From here on out, the top 35 cars in the owners standings earn automatic starting spots in races.
There have been 48 cars that have qualified for at least one Cup race this year. Drivers for five of those teams have a lot to be worried about.
Jamie McMurray, Dario Franchitti, Dave Blaney, Regan Smith and Kyle Petty are all outside the top 35 and will have to qualify for the next Cup race on speed.
McMurray is four points behind Sam Hornish Jr. for 35th place. There has been some talk about Roger Penske, who owns Hornish's team, again swapping points with Hornish and Kurt Busch, another driver for Penske. Of course there is the danger that Busch, who is 10th in points, would be in such a hole he might not be able to qualify for the Chase. The top 12 drivers in the Cup standings qualify for the Chase, the 10-race playoff to determine the Cup champion. Because Busch has a Cup championship, he can qualify for races on a past champion's provisional.
"We came here to put ourselves in a position to be in the top-35 in driver’s points – and we did that," said Hornish, driver of the No. 77 Dodge for Penske Racing. "I’m really happy with how The Mobil 1 Dodge Chargers guys worked on the car all day."
It was the first NASCAR race at Bristol for Hornish, an IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner. He was asked after the race if Bristol was what he expected.
“Yeah, except I probably got bumped a little bit more than I bumped anybody else just because we weren’t as quick as we’d like to be," Hornish said. "The left rear quarter panel sure shows it. It was a tough day for us but we finished and I think we’re the top-35 in points so it makes us feel a little bit better about going into Martinsville.”
As for Franchitti, Blaney, Smith and Petty, they have their work cut out. Petty is in 40th place and 60 points behind Hornish.
As for the Chase, there are some familiar names outside the top 12. Jimmie Johnson, winner of the past two Cup championships and in pursuit of three straight, a feat only accomplished once in the history of Cup racing. Johnson is 13th in the Cup standings, only four points behind 12th place Martin Truex Jr.
Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, all Chase drivers last year, are outside the top 12 after five races. Edwards is the farthest out of 12th, in 16th and 47 points behind Truex.

It's a girl for Sam and Crytral Hornish.
Addison Faith Hornish was born Monday at 6:24 a.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces.
She is 18 inches long and according to Hornish's people, mom and baby are doing well.
Now Sam can focus on Daytona and not worry about whether his wife would give birth in the middle of one of the Gatorade 150s. Hornish Jr. drives the No. 77 Dodge for Penske Racing.

Sam Hornish Jr., a three-time Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion and winner of the 2006 Indianapolis 500, is making his debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year.
He has spent most of his professional racing career in open-wheel race cars. This will be his first full season in a stock car, joining Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman at Penske Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Roger Penske also owns a two-car team in the Indy Racing League.
But Hornish told reporters at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where all the Cup teams were testing Monday, that the Indianapolis 500 was the reason he became interested in auto racing. And given the opportunity, he would race in the Indy 500 in May, despite a grueling NASCAR schedule.

Sam Hornish Jr., a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver for Penske Racing, says he's not ruling out entering the Indianapolis 500.
Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

"If it was up to me, I would," Hornish said. "It really depends how things are going over here. I think Roger and I have talked about it a couple of times. There's obviously nothing set."
Few NASCAR Cup drivers have even attempted to race the Indy 500. The schedule these days hardly allows for it. The Coca-Cola 600, one of the biggest races in NASCAR, is run the same day as the Indianapolis 500. The start times for both races are too close for any driver to attempt both races.
But Hornish, who will be a rookie in Cup this year, will have to maintain a position in the top 35 in the owners standings to ensure a starting spot in every Cup race. If he struggles in Cup, another Indy 500 start might be in his future.
"I think if we're to a point where we feel confident with how we're doing over here, it's not going to hurt us, that we would try it," Hornish said. "But I would say it's still way more not going to happen than could happen. So we'll just see how the first couple months of this season play out. Hopefully, if I don't get to race there this year, maybe next year."