Hornish Races to a Fourth-Place Result in Kentucky 300
September 22, 2013
THE RACE
The Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway (1.5-mile speedway, Sparta, Ky.)
September 21, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Mustang
Driven By Sam Hornish
Start Position: 1
Finish Position: 4
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 1
THE RACE REVIEW
· Hornish started from the pole as he earned his third pole of the 2013 season. The veteran driver lapped the 1.5 mile speedway in 30.128 seconds at an average speed of 179.235 miles per hour.
· At the drop of the green flag, Hornish went to work opening up a commanding lead. He would lap his way all the way up to the 29th place position by lap 25 when a NASCAR mandated competition caution flag was displayed.
· Over the open laps, Hornish reported that the Alliance Truck Parts Ford was a little too free on corner entry and too tight on the exit of the corner. The team made adjustments to the Ford Mustang during the competition caution taking two tires and maintaining the top spot in the running order.
· The Alliance Truck Parts Ford would lead the field through lap 65. During the second pit-stop of the night, a few competitors took two tires while the No. 12 Penske Ford took four tires, which cost the team a few positions.
· Hornish would run in the top-seven for the remainder of the race making his way as high as second-place.
· At lap 186, Hornish restarted inside his Penske Racing teammate Ryan Blaney, who was leading the race. As the duo made their way through Turn 1, Hornish would clip the apron causing the rear of the car to step out. He was able to save it, but lost several positions dropping back to seventh-place.
· A yellow flag would give Hornish another chance at making his way to the front which he did gaining three spots to finish the night in fourth-place.
· With the result, his 13th top-five finish of the season, Hornish maintains his lead in the championship standings as he holds a 15 point advantage over Austin Dillon.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
SAM HORNISH JR.
YOU LED LAPS, AND CAME CLOSE THERE AT THE END, WHAT HAPPENED?
“The Alliance Truck Parts Ford was fast early in the race – it was especially strong in clean air. As the race wore on, and the temperatures dropped our Mustang was too free on corner entry and then tight on the exit. We weren’t as strong in traffic as we were out front. The guys gave me excellent service in the pits tonight and we kept working on our Penske Ford. We were hanging tough in the top-five for most of the race. Towards the end of the race, we made some positive changes. Then we made a good call in the pits late in the race, taking two tires to get track position. On the second to the last restart we were inside Ryan (Blaney) and I clipped the apron and then got loose. I was fortunate to save it, but it did cost us a chance at the win as well as a few positions. We got one more chance to make up a few spots on the last restart, which we did and brought home fourth-place finish.”
The Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway (1.5-mile speedway, Sparta, Ky.)
September 21, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Mustang
Driven By Sam Hornish
Start Position: 1
Finish Position: 4
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 1
THE RACE REVIEW
· Hornish started from the pole as he earned his third pole of the 2013 season. The veteran driver lapped the 1.5 mile speedway in 30.128 seconds at an average speed of 179.235 miles per hour.
· At the drop of the green flag, Hornish went to work opening up a commanding lead. He would lap his way all the way up to the 29th place position by lap 25 when a NASCAR mandated competition caution flag was displayed.
· Over the open laps, Hornish reported that the Alliance Truck Parts Ford was a little too free on corner entry and too tight on the exit of the corner. The team made adjustments to the Ford Mustang during the competition caution taking two tires and maintaining the top spot in the running order.
· The Alliance Truck Parts Ford would lead the field through lap 65. During the second pit-stop of the night, a few competitors took two tires while the No. 12 Penske Ford took four tires, which cost the team a few positions.
· Hornish would run in the top-seven for the remainder of the race making his way as high as second-place.
· At lap 186, Hornish restarted inside his Penske Racing teammate Ryan Blaney, who was leading the race. As the duo made their way through Turn 1, Hornish would clip the apron causing the rear of the car to step out. He was able to save it, but lost several positions dropping back to seventh-place.
· A yellow flag would give Hornish another chance at making his way to the front which he did gaining three spots to finish the night in fourth-place.
· With the result, his 13th top-five finish of the season, Hornish maintains his lead in the championship standings as he holds a 15 point advantage over Austin Dillon.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
SAM HORNISH JR.
YOU LED LAPS, AND CAME CLOSE THERE AT THE END, WHAT HAPPENED?
“The Alliance Truck Parts Ford was fast early in the race – it was especially strong in clean air. As the race wore on, and the temperatures dropped our Mustang was too free on corner entry and then tight on the exit. We weren’t as strong in traffic as we were out front. The guys gave me excellent service in the pits tonight and we kept working on our Penske Ford. We were hanging tough in the top-five for most of the race. Towards the end of the race, we made some positive changes. Then we made a good call in the pits late in the race, taking two tires to get track position. On the second to the last restart we were inside Ryan (Blaney) and I clipped the apron and then got loose. I was fortunate to save it, but it did cost us a chance at the win as well as a few positions. We got one more chance to make up a few spots on the last restart, which we did and brought home fourth-place finish.”