Rains Cancels Qualifying, Hornish to Start 26th at Pocono

June 5, 2009


LONG POND, Pa. (June 5, 2009) – Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, will start the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway in the 26th position on Sunday after today’s qualifying session was cancelled due to rain.

With the cancellation of qualifying, the field was set by 2009 owner points per the NASCAR rule book. Currently 26th in the standings, the No. 77 team will line up in the 26th starting position on Sunday.

“It’s a shame we didn’t get to practice and qualify today,” said Hornish. “We definitely would have liked to have a better starting position than 26th but we have been able to have strong runs lately while starting towards the back of the field. Luckily, we have two practice sessions tomorrow to get the car dialed in for the race. We are hoping to have another strong run in the Mobil 1 Dodge on Sunday.”

Coverage of the Pocono 500 will air live on the TNT television network on Sunday, June 7, 2009 beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on MRN at 1:15 p.m. EDT.

Driver:  Sam Hornish Jr.
Position: 26 

Pole: Tony Stewart

Penske Racing Teammates:
4. Kurt Busch
29. David Stremme