News

Sam Hornish Jr. – No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
September 14, 2008

News and Notes
• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, will make his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Sylvania 300 this coming Sunday afternoon. Earlier this season, Hornish started 20th and secured a 39th place finish at the 1.058-mile oval.
• Hornish is currently ranked second in the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. He trails leader Regan Smith by just two points and leads third place driver Patrick Carpentier by six points.
• Hornish and the No. 77 Mobil 1 team are currently 37th in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner points standings, a mere 17 points out of 35th place following the race at Richmond International Raceway.
• Hornish will host the fourth annual Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway on October 30, 2008. Over the past three years, the tournament has raised $307,000 to benefit the Texas chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

Upcoming Events
9/14/08: Hornish will be on hand to sign autographs at his souvenir trailer on Sunday from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m.

Chassis Chatter
PRS-553: The primary car for this weekend was raced by Hornish earlier this season at Richmond (May - finished 23rd) and New Hampshire (June - finished 39th).
PRS-562: The backup car for this weekend was raced by Hornish earlier this season in Phoenix (April - finished 20th) and Dover (June - finished 18th).

Sam Hornish Jr. on New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway holds a lot of significance to my NASCAR racing career. It is the track where I attempted my first ever Sprint Cup race, and although we did not make that race I feel that I gained valuable experience in the process.

“This weekend, we will need to qualify on time much like we did last year. I am confident that we will have a strong qualifying run and a better finish than we did in June. I’ve always felt that New Hampshire and Richmond are similar to each other, and I feel that last weekend afforded us the opportunity to learn and improve as we head into New Hampshire.”

Crew Chief Travis Geisler on New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“The Mobil 1 team is working hard to prepare for this week’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The flat one-mile oval is a challenging track, especially in trying to get the car comfortable under braking with good forward traction off the corners. 

“Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend so we can have a good, solid qualifying run and race. Our goal for the weekend is to secure a position back in the top-35 in the Sprint Cup Series owner points standings.”

2008 Rookie-of-the-Year Standings
Pos. Driver                  Points
1.    Regan Smith         184
2.    Sam Hornish Jr.     182
3.    Patrick Carpentier   176
4.    Michael McDowell    161
5.    Dario Franchitti         97