News

Sam Hornish Jr. – No. 12 Penske Truck Rental Dodge Charger
Food City 250
Bristol Motor Speedway
August 22, 2008

News and Notes
• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental Dodge Charger for Penske Racing, will compete in both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series events at Bristol Motor Speedway this coming weekend.
• The Food City 250 will mark Hornish’s first Nationwide Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was entered in the spring event, but the partial-schedule No. 12 team did not make the race when qualifying was cancelled due to rain.
• Hornish has one Sprint Cup Series start at the .533-mile short track which came earlier this season. After starting in the 7th spot, Hornish secured a 29th place finish in his Bristol debut.
• The Food City 250 will be Hornish’s eighth Nationwide Series start of the 2008 season. So far this year, he has an average starting position of 18.8 and an average finishing position of 22.2. His best finish in 2008 was an 11th place at Darlington Raceway (May 9).

Upcoming Events
8/22/08 - 8/23/08: Hornish will pull “double duty” at Bristol  Motor Speedway, competing in both the Nationwide and Cup Series events at the famed short track.
8/23/08: Hornish will be signing autographs at the Mobil 1/Penske Racing souvenir trailer on Sunday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway. He will appear from 4:30 to 5 p.m.

Chassis Chatter
PBC-008: This weekend’s race car was the back up car earlier this year at Darlington Raceway. It was last driven by Ryan Newman at Bristol in August 2008, where it started in 11th and finished in 28th.
PBC-007: The backup car for this weekend was driven by Hornish earlier this season at Richmond International Raceway (started 28th, finished 15th).

Sam Hornish Jr. on Bristol Motor Speedway
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to race at Bristol in the Nationwide car since rain cancelled qualifying earlier this year. Unfortunately we had to sit that race out, but we have had some solid runs in the Penske Truck Rental Dodge since then.

“Running the Food City 250 will afford me some extra seat time at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will also give our pit crew extra practice as well. All of these efforts are to benefit us on Saturday, but I think we are competitive in our own right in the Nationwide Series.”

Crew Chief Matt Gimbel on Bristol Motor Speedway
“I’m excited to return to Bristol Motor Speedway. Last season with Ryan Newman, we led 64 laps before getting involved in an accident. We had a car capable of winning that race, and we are bringing that same car this weekend.

“Although this No. 12 team did not make the race at Bristol in March when rain cancelled qualifying, Sam has had the opportunity to compete at the track in the Sprint Cup Series. Our main goal for Friday is to allow extra seat time for Sam to aid in his Sprint Cup efforts.”