Hornish to Start 32nd in Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway
August 29, 2008
FONTANA, Calif. (August 29, 2008) – Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Penske Truck Rental Dodge Charger, captured the 32nd starting position for the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Southern California on Sunday night.
In qualifying on Friday afternoon, Hornish posted a fast lap time of 40.913 seconds at a speed of 175.983 miles per hour. The effort secured the Penske Truck Rental team the 32nd starting position when the Sprint Cup Series races at the two-mile D-shaped oval on Sunday night.
“We had no choice but to run both laps today,” Hornish said. “I got really loose in turns one and two on the first lap. I was happy with the second lap, although we could’ve done even better. It’s a tough day for the Penske Truck Rental team. We have a much better race car than qualifying car so we should run well on Sunday night.
Coverage of the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway will air live on the ESPN television network on Sunday, August 31 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on MRN at 7:15 p.m. EDT.
Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.
Position: 32
Time: 40.913
Speed: 175.983
Pole: Jimmie Johnson
Time: 39.912
Speed: 180.397
Penske Racing Teammates:
9. Kurt Busch
17. Ryan Newman