Sam Hornish Jr. Charlotte Motor Speedway Preview
October 12, 2011
No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Team News and Notes
• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger, will make his 10th start of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season Friday evening in the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS).
• This will mark Hornish's third Nationwide Series start at Charlotte. He earned his first top-10 start of the 2011 season in the Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger at the Top Gear 300 at Charlotte in the spring.
• From 2006 to present, Hornish has made a total of 29 NNS starts. He has scored 10 top-15 finishes during that time and has also captured four top-5 and nine top-10 starting positions while competing in a limited NNS schedule over the last five plus seasons.
• This weekend will mark the ninth outing for Hornish and crew chief, Chad Walter, who called the shots for the No. 12 Penske Racing Nationwide Series team in the past and helped guide the No. 12 team to a top-six championship finish in the last two seasons.
• Hornish heads into Charlotte with good momentum after he produced his first top-five finish of the season at Chicagoland Speedway in September.
• This weekend marks Hornish's eighth overall NASCAR race at Charlotte, including his Cup Series experience for Penske Racing at CMS
• Hornish will participate in the last NNS autograph session of the 2011 season, Friday afternoon from 1-2 pm ET along pit road at CMS.
Sam Hornish Jr.'s comments on this weekend's Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage
"Charlotte is one of my favorite racetracks for many reasons, but mostly because of all the fond memories I have from racing on the kart track in the infield of Turn 3. I am excited to get back with the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts crew. We had a great run at Chicagoland Speedway back in September and I know that the team will be working hard to produce the same results this weekend. I look forward to getting back into my Penske Racing Dodge Challenger and hopefully end up with a trophy by the end of the night."
Crew Chief Chad Walter's comments on this weekend's Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage
"Charlotte is one of the premier events for the Nationwide Series, as it is considered the ‘home' race for many of the teams. The Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger had a strong run at Chicagoland Speedway last month and earned our first top-five finish of the season. Sam seems to really enjoy racing at the mile-and-a-half-tracks and has had a ton of success at them over the years. There's no doubt in my mind that he will be among the front runners this weekend, challenging for the win."