Hornish to Start 15th in Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
July 25, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 25, 2009) - Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, secured the 15th starting position for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Time trials at the legendary 2.5-mile oval were delayed for several hours as rain showers moved through the area on Saturday. The first competitor to take the track for qualifying, Hornish posted a fast lap time of 50.166 seconds at a speed of 179.404 miles per hour. The effort was strong enough to secure the Mobil 1 team the 15th starting position on Sunday.
"I don’t think that lap was everything that it could’ve been,” said Hornish. “The Mobil 1 Dodge got a little loose in turn one, so I was probably a little too conservative in the rest of the turns. Even so, we are definitely better off than if we would’ve had to line up by points and a top-15 start is respectable. We’ll get to work in the final practice session and be ready to race tomorrow afternoon.”
Coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will air live on the ESPN television network on Sunday, July 26 beginning at 1 p.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on IMS Radio.
Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.
Position: 15
Time: 50.166
Speed: 179.404
Pole: Mark Martin
Time: 49.436
Speed: 182.054
Penske Racing Teammates:
41. Kurt Busch
21. David Stremme