Hornish hopes to build on strong all-star weekend showing
By SceneDaily Staff
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Sam Hornish Jr. garnered a lot of attention Saturday night when he raced his way into the Sprint All-Star Race and then overcame a pair of setbacks to finish seventh in that race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Now, Hornish and his Penske Racing team return to the track for this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. The difference? This week pays points. The similarity? Hornish must race his way into the main event, this time based on qualifying speed.
On a weekend when he's accustomed to racing in the Indy 500, an event he won during his IndyCar racing tenure, Hornish finds himself outside the top 35 in owners points. Hornish isn't guaranteed a start on Memorial Day weekend at all, though he will also try to make the field for the Carquest Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.
After a surprisingly strong performance at the track last weekend, though, Hornish heads back to the track with a little more of a boost than he's enjoyed during his rookie season.
“Our team has a lot of momentum following our performance last weekend in the all-star race," Hornish said. "After our disappointing race at Darlington, we needed to have a competitive run and a bit of fun before the Coca-Cola 600. "
He admits that qualifying on time is not ideal – Hornish dropped out of the top 35 after the last race and is 18 points behind the 35th-place Bill Davis Racing team of Dave Blaney.
“That always adds extra pressure to the team, and it changes our strategy a bit," he said. "Qualifying will be our focus on [Thursday]. But, with all of the recent tests we’ve done at Lowe’s Motor Speedway along with the opportunity to run the all-star race, we have had extra time to prepare the Dodge for the race on Sunday.”
Crew chief Chris Carrier admits that his team is relishing last weekend's run - and working to turn it into another strong performance this weekend.
“The all-star race was the shot in the arm for our team that could turn our whole season around," he said. "Momentum is a huge tool. It’s the best or worst tool there is in any competitive sport. Now we’ve got some momentum on our side, and that’s what we’ve been looking for all year.
“We will have to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600, but we tested at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and found some things that have helped us. Hopefully, we will have the strong run we are looking for this Sunday.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Sam Hornish Jr.
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