News

Sam Hornish Jr. – No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
Camping World RV 400
Dover International Speedway
September 21, 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 Dover International Speedway in the Camping World RV 400 this coming Sunday afternoon. Earlier this season, Hornish started 16th and secured an 18th place finish at the one-mile oval.
• Hornish has made one NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the concrete “Monster Mile.” In May, Hornish started in the 20th spot and finished in 25th place.
• Hornish is currently ranked second 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.
• Hornish and the No. 77 Mobil 1 team are currently 37th in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner points standings, just 18 points out of 35th place following the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• Hornish makes his animation and preschool television debut as the voice of the narrator in the new series Roary the Racing Car which will premiere on Sprout on Monday, October 13, 2008. The show follows the adventures of Roary™, a bright, loveable and energetic single-seat race car, and his amazing and diverse group of race car friends at the Silver Hatch race track.

Upcoming Events
9/21/08: Hornish will be on hand to sign autographs at his souvenir trailer on Sunday from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m.
10/30/08: Hornish will host the fourth annual Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament during the NACAR 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.

Chassis Chatter
PRS-584: The primary car for the No. 77 Mobil 1 team this weekend is a brand new race car.
PRS-568: The backup car for this weekend was raced by Hornish earlier this season at Charlotte (May - finished 13th) and Chicago (July - finished 37th).

Sam Hornish Jr. on Dover International Speedway
“Of all the races we have run, I feel that the June race at Dover International Speedway was one of our best. We qualified and raced well there, running inside the top-20 for most of the day. I’m looking forward to returning to the ‘Monster Mile’ this weekend and building upon that success.

“I feel that this Mobil 1 team has made a lot of progress over the past couple of weeks, especially at shorter tracks. We learned a lot last weekend in New Hampshire although we didn’t get the finish that we wanted. I’m hopeful that we will have a strong showing this Sunday in Dover.”

Crew Chief Travis Geisler on Dover International Speedway
“Dover is a really unique track, being one of only two fully concrete tracks on the circuit. The track promotes good side-by-side racing, but the narrow straights make it very hard to avoid trouble. 

“It seems to be a track that drivers either love or hate.  Fortunately, Sam had a good run in the spring finishing 18th, which is a result we hope to improve upon as we return to the ‘Monster Mile’ with the Mobil 1 Dodge Charger.”

2008 Rookie-of-the-Year Standings
Pos.    Driver                 Points
1.       Regan Smith          186
2.       Sam Hornish Jr.      183
3.       Patrick Carpentier   177
4.       Michael McDowell    164
5.       Dario Franchitti        97