Hornish new to NASCAR, but a veteran on road courses
By SceneDaily Staff
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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Sam Hornish Jr. might be new to Infineon Raceway as far as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is concerned, but he's no stranger to the track.
The Cup rookie made three starts at the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in Sonoma, Calif., in the IndyCar Series in which he competed eight seasons before moving to NASCAR full time this season.
In those starts, Hornish posted one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
Given his open wheel-experience, it's no wonder the 2006 IRL champ can speak authoritatively about the rigors of road-course racing.
“It is very important to take care of your front valance on a road course," Hornish said. "You have to be careful with all the curves and be aware that getting your wheels off course can cause damage. Brakes are obviously important in these types of races, as is fuel mileage. There is a fine line between aggressive and smooth driving on a road course.
"You want to advance, but you need to remain on the course to avoid damaging the tires and splitter. Basically, the entire race is a test of patience and strategy."
Though Infineon marks Hornish's first Cup road-course start, it won't be his NASCAR road-course debut. That came in April when the Penske Racing driver ran the Nationwide Series race at the 2.518-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Hornish also recently completed a two-day test at Infineon in preparation for this weekend’s event.
“Racing at Infineon Raceway requires a lot of strategy," said crew chief Chris Carrier. "Fuel mileage plays a vital role in having a successful race. You have to start planning for fuel mileage long before you get to the track.
"Road-course racing involves every aspect of the race car from the brakes, to the transmission, shifter, drive train and gears. It is particularly difficult on the engine. Engine tuning is one of the biggest issues of the week because that affects gas mileage which typically affects the final outcome of the race.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Sam Hornish Jr.
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