No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger Preview - Michigan
June 12, 2012
• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger, will make his 13th start of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season Saturday afternoon in the Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS)
• This race marks the return of Alliance Truck Parts as the primary sponsor of the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge in NNS competition.
• Hornish's return to MIS marks his 15th start at the venue.
• This will mark Hornish's second Nationwide Series start at MIS (he started second and finished 24th in 2011). He has seven NASCAR Cup Series starts at MIS with his best finish a fifth-place in 2009 and six IndyCar starts with his best finish a second-place in 2003.
• From 2006 to present, Hornish has made a total of 45 NNS starts. He has scored one victory, four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes positions during that time.
• After 12 races Hornish and the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge team are fourth in the NNS Championship point standings.
• This weekend the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger will race with chassis PRS-224 which last raced at Richmond in April.
• Hornish will be signing autographs at the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil merchandise unit Saturday, June 16 from 10:05 - 10:35 a.m. ET. Following that he will also appear at the Dodge Display for a Q & A from 10:40 - 10:55 a.m.
• Penske Racing has 357 all-time race victories with 102 stock car wins and 418 pole positions overall including 129 NASCAR poles.
• Tune in to SpeedTV on Sunday, June 13 to see Hornish as he continues in his first season as an analyst on SPEED Center.
• Follow Hornish at @PenskeRacing, @SamHornish, www.penskeracing.com, www.samhornish.com and the Penske Racing Facebook page - www.facebook.com/penskeracing and www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Hornish-Jr
Sam Hornish Jr. comments about this weekend's Alliance Truck Parts 250
"Michigan is my home track and I have many great memories from races there I went to as a kid with my parents - some of the best days of my childhood were spent there. The new surface is a bit of an unknown for us, but I am very much looking forward to driving and racing on it. I am very proud to carry the Alliance Truck Parts colors on our Dodge Challenger especially since they are the title sponsor of this event. We are looking forward to this race and we are going to do our best to have a strong finish."
Crew Chief Chad Walter comments about this weekend's Alliance Truck Parts 250
"There are a lot of unknowns heading into this weekend's Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway. With the repave of the surface, speeds promise to be as high as we've seen in the NNS series. The long sweeping corners typically open up several lane choices for the drivers to work with and the long straights will challenge the crews to find a balance between Downforce and Drag in the aero platform. Penske has long been known for its outstanding Horsepower, so we will have that advantage to work with. Sam has worked very hard over the first part of the season to find a balance to work with so we look forward to getting back to racing this weekend."