News

SAM HORNISH JR.
No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
Daytona International Speedway
Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola                         
July 3, 2010

Mobil 1 Team News and Notes
• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, is a self-professed fan of restrictor-plate racing. Hornish has a total of five Cup Series starts at Daytona with a best finish of 15th (2008). In February, Hornish was collected in an early-race accident with teammate Brad Keselowski, which relegated the No. 77 team to a 37th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.
• Hornish has a total of four starts at Daytona International Speedway in IROC (International Race of Champions) competition earning a total of three top-five and four top-10 finishes with a best result of second (2002, 2006).
• Hornish will celebrate his 31st birthday at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, July 2.
• Each week Mobil 1 crew chief Travis Geisler offers fans a glimpse into car setup for each racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit at washingtonpost.com. Geisler reports that at Daytona, setups are fast and loose and aerodynamics are key. Learn more at http://bit.ly/b3b2Lu.
• Hornish will be on hand to sign autographs at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer on Saturday, July 3 from 9 – 9:30 a.m. EDT at Daytona International Speedway.

Sam Hornish Jr. Quotes
What are your thoughts on the track repaving at Daytona International Speedway?
“I don't like the idea of it, but I know you can only run so long on a surface before you end up having pieces of the track come up. It’s not good for anyone to have a break in the middle of the race like we had in February. They're definitely doing the right thing with the repaving, but one of the really fun things about going to Daytona has always been that you had to have your car handling well because the track really eats up tires. You could really run the tires off the car and that added a lot of character to the racing in Daytona.”

What are your thoughts on restrictor-plate races in general?
“I really like restrictor-plate racing, but it seems like if we could be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it would happen at Daytona. We've had a rough go of it at restrictor-plate tracks for a while now. The good thing is that we run fast at the superspeedways. We just need to make sure that we don't have any of the small issues and get a little luck on our side.”

Crew Chief Travis Geisler Quote
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s race at Daytona International Speedway?
“Returning to Daytona for the July race marks the start of the second half of the season for us. It is a challenging race because it is always hot and it will be the first time at Daytona with the rear spoiler package. I feel like we have had very good cars at Daytona recently, but we have struggled to get good results. We hope to turn that around and get a good run with the Mobil 1 Dodge on Saturday night.”