Hornish to Start 36th at Atlanta Motor Speedway
October 24, 2008
HAMPTON, Ga. (October 24, 2008) – Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, will start the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the 36th position on Sunday after this evening’s qualifying session was cancelled due to rain. This is the 10th time that rain has washed out qualifying this season.
With the cancellation of qualifying, the field was set by 2008 owner points per the NASCAR rule book. Currently 37th in the standings, the No. 77 team will line up in the 36th starting position on Saturday since it acquired the owner points from Penske Racing’s No. 2 entry at the beginning of the season. With Kurt Busch claiming victories last year at Pocono and Richmond, the transferred points allow Hornish to start ahead of any past champions or other competitors currently outside of the top-35 in owner points.
“Atlanta Motor Speedway is a fun track and I’m looking forward to racing here this weekend,” said Hornish. ”I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to qualify today but we have two practices tomorrow to get the Mobil 1 Dodge ready to race. We are happy to be back at a 1.5-mile track and we’re looking forward to a strong run on Sunday.”
Coverage of the Pep Boys Auto 500 will air live on the ABC television network on Sunday, October 26 beginning at 1 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on PRN at 2 p.m. EDT.
Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.
Position: 36
Pole: Jimmie Johnson
Penske Racing Teammates:
17. Ryan Newman
19. Kurt Busch