News

Sam Hornish Jr. – No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
3M Performance 400
Michigan International Speedway
August 17, 2008

News and Notes
• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, considers Michigan International Speedway (MIS) to be his home track, as he hails from nearby Defiance, Ohio. In his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the two-mile D-shaped oval in June 2008, Hornish ran inside the top-five for much of the race, even passing then-leader Jimmie Johnson for the top spot at one point, which he held for two laps.
• Hornish has a total of eight starts at Michigan in the IndyCar Series, ARCA, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series, resulting in four top-five and six top-10 finishes.
• Hornish and the No. 77 Mobil 1 team are currently 34th in the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series owner points standings following the race at Watkins Glen International.
• Hornish is currently in second place in the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. He trails leader Regan Smith by three points and leads third place driver Patrick Carpentier by six points.

Upcoming Events
8/13/08: Hornish and members of the Mobil 1 team will be on hand at Bruce Campbell Dodge in the Detroit area to discuss fuel saving tips and change the oil of two lucky race fans’ cars from noon until 2 p.m.
8/16/08 - 8/17/08: Hornish will be on hand to sign autographs at Michigan International Speedway at the Mobil 1/Penske Racing souvenir trailer on both Saturday and Sunday morning. He will appear from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Chassis Chatter
PRS-556: The primary car for the No. 77 team this weekend was raced by Hornish at Michigan earlier this season where he led his first NSCS race.
PRS-562: The back up car for the 3M Performance 400 served as the back up car earlier this season in Indianapolis and Pocono.

Sam Hornish Jr. on Michigan International Speedway
“I’m looking forward to returning to Michigan International Speedway because I consider it to be my home track. I have a lot of laps there between the IndyCar Series and NASCAR and we had a strong run in the Cup Series race there in June. We should’ve gotten a much better finish than 22nd place in that race.

“Hopefully, we will get a top-10 finish this weekend as we have made a lot of improvements to the Mobil 1 Dodge since the last race. We have improved the handling of the car on long runs and I think that will benefit us on Sunday.”

Crew Chief Chris Carrier on Michigan International Speedway
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Michigan International Speedway because the field can run three and four wide. The on-track action is always exciting and this Mobil 1 team is really looking forward to heading back to Michigan this weekend.

“The Mobil 1 Dodge was really good at Michigan International Speedway in June. Sam drove a great race passing Jimmie Johnson for the lead at one point. We were on track for a great finish but had to make an unscheduled pit stop to remove debris from the grille of the Mobil 1 machine. We’re definitely looking for a little redemption this weekend.”

2008 Rookie-of-the-Year Standings
Position  Driver                Points
1.          Regan Smith         176
2.          Sam Hornish Jr.     173
3.          Patrick Carpentier  167
4.          Michael McDowell   156
5.          Dario Franchitti       97