Hornish to Start 23rd at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday
October 9, 2009
FONTANA, Calif. (October 9, 2009) - Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, will start the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway from the 23rd starting position on Sunday.
The 30th competitor to make a qualifying attempt, Hornish posted a fast-lap time of 39.808 seconds at a speed of 180.868 miles per hour. The effort secured the 23rd starting position for the No. 77 team.
“The Mobil 1 Dodge was pretty good, we were just a little on the loose side today,” said Hornish. “I drove into turn one a bit too deep and the car was loose on exit. Overall, it probably cost us two-tenths of a second but it’s a learning experience. The more we have good cars like this during qualifying, the more comfortable I’ll be out there and the better results we’ll have.”
Coverage of the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway will air live on the ABC television network on Sunday, October 11 beginning at 2:30 p.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on MRN Radio at 3:15 p.m. EDT.
Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.
Position: 23
Time: 39.808
Speed: 180.868
Pole: Denny Hamlin
Time: 39.158
Speed: 183.870
Penske Racing Teammates:
15. David Stremme
25. Kurt Busch