Sam Hornish Jr. | |||||||
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Born | Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. July 2, 1979 Archbold, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
Achievements | 2001, 2002, 2006 IndyCar Series champion 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner | ||||||
Awards | 1999 Atlantic Championship Rookie of the Year 2004 IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver 2006 Scott Brayton Award U.S. F2000 National Championship Hall of Fame Inductee (2012) | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
167 races run over 9 years | |||||||
2015 position | 26th | ||||||
Best finish | 26th (2015) | ||||||
First race | 2007 Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil (Phoenix) | ||||||
Last race | 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400 (Homestead) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
120 races run over 11 years | |||||||
2017 position | 31st | ||||||
Best finish | 2nd (2013) | ||||||
First race | 2006 Arizona Travel 200 (Phoenix) | ||||||
Last race | 2017 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
First win | 2011 WYPALL* 200 Powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional (Phoenix) | ||||||
Last win | 2017 Mid-Ohio Challenge (Mid-Ohio) | ||||||
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 74th (2008) | ||||||
First race | 2008 Kroger 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
Last race | 2008 Kroger 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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IndyCar Series | |||||||
Years active | 2000–2007 | ||||||
Teams | PDM Racing (2000) Panther Racing (2001–2003) Team Penske (2004–2007) | ||||||
Starts | 116 | ||||||
Wins | 19 | ||||||
Podiums | 47 | ||||||
Poles | 10 | ||||||
Fastest laps | 10 | ||||||
Best finish | 1st in 2001, 2002 and 2006 | ||||||
Last updated on: November 18, 2017. |
Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. (born July 2, 1979) is an American semi-retired[1] professional auto racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in 2017.
Hornish began his top-tier racing career in the IndyCar Series, making his driving debut during the 2000 season for PDM Racing. Hornish began driving for Panther Racing the following season, winning eleven races and the 2001 and 2002 series championships over the next three seasons. During the 2004 season Hornish began driving for Team Penske, winning eight more races (including the 2006 Indianapolis 500) and the 2006 series championship during his time with the team. When he left the series after the 2007 season, he held the record for most career wins in the series (19, broken by Scott Dixon in 2009).
Hornish moved to Penske's NASCAR program part-time in the Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) during the 2006 season, and began driving part-time in the Cup Series (then known as the Nextel Cup Series) in 2007. He raced full-time in the Cup Series the following year, struggling at first, with eight top-ten finishes over his first three seasons and a top points placing of 28th (in 2009). Hornish returned part-time to the Xfinity Series (then known as the Nationwide Series) in 2011, winning one race. He drove full-time in the series the following year, finishing fourth in points. In 2012 Hornish replaced A. J. Allmendinger (suspended by NASCAR for failing a drug test) in Penske's No. 22 car midway through the season, earning one top-five finish. The following year he returned to the Nationwide Series, winning one race and earning 16 top-five and 24 top-ten finishes to place second in points (three behind series champion Austin Dillon). Hornish drove part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in an eight-race 2014 season, with one win and four top-five finishes. He returned to the Cup Series in 2015 with Richard Petty Motorsports, scoring three top-tens and finishing 26th in points. He returned part-time to the Xfinity Series in 2016, winning a race for JGR and finishing sixth or better in all three races he entered for Richard Childress Racing. In 2017, he returned to Penske's Xfinity program for a three-race schedule in the No. 22.