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BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 15, 2010) – Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, finished 32nd in the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.

Hornish, who hails from nearby Defiance, Ohio, started the 400-mile race from the 28th spot in front of family and friends at the two-mile superspeedway located in the Irish Hills of Michigan. During the first green-flag run for the No. 77 team, Hornish reported that the Mobil 1 Dodge was loose-handling on entry and exit of the turns and tight through the center of the corners. When the first caution flag of the race came out on lap 26, Hornish came to pit road for four tires and fuel, along with substantial air pressure and track bar adjustments. He restarted the race from the 26th spot.

When the caution flag was displayed on lap 60 for light rain in the area, Hornish was posted in the 29th position. He came to pit road to the attention of the Mobil 1 crew for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He lined up to restart the race on lap 66 in 29th place.

The field of competitors began the first round of green-flag pit stops at the midpoint of the 200-lap race. On lap 100, Hornish revisited pit road for service while running in the 24th spot. When pit stops cycled through, Hornish was in 28th place.

After falling a lap down to the leaders, Hornish pitted on lap 135 during the second round of green-flag stops as the No. 77 Dodge received four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. When pit stops cycled through, Hornish was running in the 28th spot. During another caution period on lap 148, Hornish and the Mobil 1 team opted not to make a pit stop in order to get the “wave around” and return to lead-lap racing.

When the race restarted on lap 152, Hornish was running 25th and he advanced into the top 20 within a matter of laps. After a pit stop under caution a few laps later, Hornish was poised to make a late-race charge through the field. However, on lap 175, the right-front tire on the Mobil 1 Dodge went down and Hornish was forced to pit under green-flag conditions. Unfortunately, the No. 77 team then received a “pass through” penalty for a tire violation. When the checkered flag waved a few laps later, Hornish finished the race in 32nd place, one lap down to race winner Kevin Harvick.

“We couldn't get off the turns with any momentum early in the race and dropped a lap down,” said Hornish. “We managed to make up that deficit and had actually worked our way into the top 20 with a chance to have a decent finish in the Mobil 1 Dodge. Then, we cut down a tire and had to make a green-flag pit stop. We had a tire violation on that stop and had to come back down pit road for a pass-through penalty. It just wasn't the kind of day we were looking for."

Penske Racing teammates Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch finished the race in 34th and 40th place, respectively.

Still positioned 28th in the driver point standings, Hornish and the Mobil 1 team head to Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend for the Irwin Tools Night Race on Saturday, August 21, 2010. Racing action will air live on the ABC television network beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The race will also be broadcast live on PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.