News

Sam Hornish Jr. – No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
Pep Boys Auto 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway
October 26, 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 Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday in the Pep Boys Auto 500. Earlier this season, Hornish secured a 25th-place finish at the 1.54-mile quad-oval.
• Hornish has one NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway that came in March of 2007. Hornish qualified 5th for that race and captured a 15th-place finish.
• Hornish is currently tied with Regan Smith in the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. Both drivers have a total of 192 points this season. Hornish received Rookie of the Race honors this past weekend for his performance at Martinsville Speedway.
• Hornish and the No. 77 Mobil 1 team remain 37th in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner point standings, 140 points out of 35th place following the race at Martinsville Speedway.
• Hornish made his animation and preschool television debut as the voice of the narrator in the new series Roary the Racing Car, which premiered on Sprout on Monday, October 13. 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
10/26/08: Hornish will sign autographs at his souvenir trailer in Atlanta from 10:15 - 10:45 a.m. on Sunday.
10/30/08: 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.

Chassis Chatter
PRS-559: The primary car for this weekend was raced by Hornish earlier this season in the All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway where he finished 7th. It was also raced at Pocono Speedway in August (finished 26th).
PRS-556: This weekend’s backup car was driven by Hornish at both races this season at Michigan International Speedway.

Sam Hornish Jr. on Atlanta Motor Speedway
"I really enjoy racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It’s such a fast track and there are several lanes you can run from the white line to the wall. It’s a race full of on-track action.

“This entire Mobil 1 team is looking forward to returning to 1.5-mile tracks as this season comes to a close. We’ve had a strong intermediate-track program this season and we look forward to solid runs at Atlanta, Texas and Homestead. Since we are in a close battle for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors, we are hoping to capitalize on these last four races.”

Crew Chief Travis Geisler on Atlanta Motor Speedway
“The great thing about going to Atlanta is knowing that you will be able to race from top to bottom and put on a great show for the fans. 

“The track is really hard on tires so the pace slows down a lot during a run. I like this kind of racing because the drivers will move around and find different lines throughout the race. We look forward to qualifying under the lights on Friday night and having a strong race on Sunday with the Mobil 1 Dodge.”

2008 Rookie-of-the-Year Standings
Pos. Driver                 Points
1.    Regan Smith          192
2.    Sam Hornish Jr.      192
3.    Patrick Carpentier    182
4.    Michael McDowell     169
5.    Dario Franchitti         97