Hornish has strong history at Indy - but not in stock cars
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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Sam Hornish Jr. has already tasted the milk after winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But that was in the Indy 500. How will Hornish handle the Brickyard in this weekend’s Sprint Cup Series Allstate 400?
Hornish’s fate in a stock car at Indy remains to be seen, but he said he was “really looking forward to it.”
“I guess I don’t know what to expect,” said Hornish, who will drive Penske Racing’s No. 77 Dodge this weekend. “I [didn't] have an opportunity to go and test there, so there are a lot of unknowns for me. I am really happy I have had the opportunity to not only run there in IndyCar, but now I am getting the opportunity now to get in a stock car.
“I think that it’s going to be a really good weekend for us. Regardless of the on-track stuff, just the opportunity to be back in Indianapolis should be really fun.”
Hornish is from Defiance, Ohio, and his parents took him to races at Indy as a youngster.
“Indianapolis is some of the earliest memories I have of going to any races – going to Indy, as well as going to Michigan,” Hornish said. “Those are two places that are really special to me as far as being able to be a spectator and enjoy racing at its finest with my parents. I think that my mom and dad went to the Indy 500 when my mom was 8 months pregnant with me. I think that’s really cool – I have been there in a lot of different ways.”
And he’s been fast there, too. But the speed in an IndyCar doesn’t mean much when trying to manhandle a stock car around the 2.5-mile oval – especially for a rookie.
But he is hoping his experience at Indy can help. Last year in the Allstate 400, former Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya impressed the stock-car crowd with a solid run. Can Hornish do the same?
“I really do hope that things go well,” Hornish said. “I really wish I had an opportunity to go and test, but we obviously didn’t get that. I think that anytime you can watch someone who has a similar background, as far as things that they have done, to see them come over and have that kind of success keeps you very optimistic about what your opportunities might be.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Sam Hornish Jr.
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