Yardbarker: Sam Hornish Jr.

Not How The 48 Wanted To Do Darlington

Fri, 08 May 2009 21:11:46 -0500

((HT: The State))

Jimmy Johnson said right before his lap, crew chief Chad Knaus' "final words were, 'Go like hell,' and off I went and didn't make it back."

Johnson qualified on owner's points and will start 42nd, his worst opening spot in 11career Cup races at Darlington.

"I hate that happened to Jimmie," Jeff Gordon said. "I know they've got another great car in the truck. They're a championship caliber team. They'll rebound, I'm sure, in a big way."

Kenseth's hopes his fourth career pole - and first since Kansas in October 2005 - leads to a rebound in confidence.

He won the Daytona 500 and then the next week at Auto Club Speedway in Los Angeles. However, he's just one top 10 finish in the past eight races.

Kenseth had felt good during practice, then came an afternoon rain that threatened to wash off much of the grip Sprint Cup drivers had spent the morning laying down.

To Kenseth's surprise, his car held its line and led to the quickest lap in Darlington's 60-season history.

"It's the most confident I've been in my car since, I don't know," Kenseth said.

Here's his run, thanks to NASCAR.com

Ryan Newman qualified third, followed by improving Sam Hornish Jr. and Darlington first-timer Joey Logano.

Defending Darlington champion Kyle Busch, who swept last week's Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Richmond, will start 14th.

Brad Keselowski made it into his first Cup race since winning Talladega two week ago and starts 31st.

Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Speed failed to make the 43-car field.

Johnson, sixth in the points, had hoped a strong qualifying lap would end a run of bad races. He was 30th at Talladega and 36th a week ago at Richmond.

"Unfortunately, I tore up a race care but we have great backups and we'll be out there tomorrow night," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."

((HT: NASCAR/Speed))

Hornish ill, Kvapil on standby at 'Dega

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:15:06 -0500

Sam Hornish Jr. is feeling under the weather Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway and Penske Racing officials have a standby driver for the No. 77 Penske Dodge.

The Gatorade Duels

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:12:10 -0500

The Gatorade Duel at Daytona is the largest-attended weekday sporting event in America. The two 150-mile qualifying races will determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. From 1959-1968, the races were 100 miles in length; beginning in 1969, the distance was extended to 125 miles; and the current length was implemented in 2005.

The Daytona 500 uses a different qualifying procedure than any other race in the world. On qualifying day, the fastest two cars will solidify their starting spots for the Daytona 500, earning the pole and outside pole positions. The fastest qualifier will earn the pole for both the Daytona 500 and the first 150-mile Gatorade Duel qualifying race. In addition to the polesitter, the odd-number positions (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) of the highest-ranked 35 finishers in the previous year's Sprint Cup Series car owner points standings will be assigned to the first qualifier.

The second-fastest qualifier earns the outside pole for the Daytona 500 and will start on the pole for the second 150-mile Gatorade Duel qualifying race. In addition to the second-fastest qualifier, the even-number positions (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) of the highest-ranked 35 finishers in the previous year's series owner points standings will be assigned to the second qualifier.

The lineup for each qualifying race will be set based upon the qualifying speeds in the time trials for all cars, including those who are among the highest-ranked 35 in the final 2007 car owner point standings. The highest-ranked 35 designation does not determine the car's starting position, only the assignment of its 150-mile qualifying event. Additional cars that were not among the highest-ranked 35 in the previous year's series owner points will be alternated between the first and second 150-mile qualifying events using an odd-even format.

The odd-number positions will be assigned to the first qualifier while the even-number positions will be assigned to the second qualifier. The odd-even positions are not determined by where the car qualified in the overall field, but their specific qualifying order among those cars not part of the highest-ranked 35 group.

A maximum of 66 cars will be permitted to compete between the two qualifying races, and all cars must compete in one of these events to be eligible for the Daytona 500. Starting positions for the Daytona 500 will be designated for the highest-ranked 35 positions from the previous year's series owner point standings from each qualifier, the two-highest finishing cars in each qualifier not among that highest-ranked 35 group and the two front-row qualifiers.

The balance of the 43-car field will be filled by the fastest remaining qualifiers who have not earned a starting position, with the exception of the 43rd position which will be assigned to an eligible former or current series champion. Should there not be an eligible champion, the position will be assigned to the next fastest qualifier not in the field.

Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with 12 victories in this event, including a remarkable 10-year winning streak from 1990-99. Cale Yarborough ranks second with six wins. Only seven times has the winner of a 125-mile race gone on to win the Daytona 500. Fireball Roberts was the first to do so, in 1962. Yarborough did it twice, in 1977 and 1984. Bill Elliott (1985), Bobby Allison (1988), Sterling Marlin (1995) and Earnhardt (1998) also have accomplished the feat.

Gatorade Duel 1 | Daytona International Speedway, Feb 12 2009

Position, Car#Driver Name, Make, Sponsor
1, #1, Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, Bass Pro Shops / Tracker
2, #21, Bill Elliott, Ford, Motorcraft
3, #48, Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Lowe's
4, #8, Aric Almirola, Chevrolet, Guitar Hero
5, #24, Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, DuPont
6, #14, Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Office Depot / Old Spice
7, #98, Paul Menard, Ford, Quaker State / Menards
8, #16, Greg Biffle, Ford, 3M
9, #187, Joe Nemechek, Toyota, NEMCO Motorsports
10, #20, Joey Logano*, Toyota, The Home Depot
11, #17, Matt Kenseth, Ford, Dewalt
12, #26, Jamie McMurray, Ford, Crown Royal
13, #6, David Ragan, Ford, UPS
14, #47, Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox
15, #36, Scott Riggs, Toyota, Tommy Baldwin Racing
16, #55, Michael Waltrip, Toyota, NAPA
17, #34, John Andretti, Chevrolet, Window World
18, #9, Brad Keselowski, Chevrolet, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
19, #9, Kasey Kahne, Dodge, Budweiser
20, #7, Robby Gordon, Toyota, Jim Beam
21, #7, Casey Mears, Chevrolet, Jack Daniel's
22, #2, Kurt Busch, Dodge, Miller Lite
23, #77, Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, Mobil 1
24, #127, Kirk Shelmerdine, Toyota, Kirk Shelmerdine Racing
25, #37, Tony Raines, Dodge, Long John Silver's
26, #66, Terry Labonte, Toyota, Window World
27, #123, Mike Skinner, Chevrolet, Mahindra Tractors
28, #146, Carl Long, Dodge, Romeo Guest Construction

Gatorade Duel 2 | Daytona International Speedway, Feb 12 2009

Position, Car#Driver Name, Make, Sponsor
1, #5, Mark Martin, Chevrolet, Kellogg's / Carquest
2, #39, Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, U.S. Army
3, #42, Juan Montoya, Chevrolet, Target
4, #28, Travis Kvapil, Ford, Golden Corral
5, #96, Bobby Labonte, Ford, Ask.com
6, #88, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Amp Energy / National Guard
7, #78, Regan Smith, Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing
8, #18, Kyle Busch, Toyota, M&M's
9, #82, Scott Speed*, Toyota, Red Bull
10, #0, David Reutimann, Toyota, Aaron's Dream Machine
11, #8, Boris Said, Ford, U.S. Chrome / Scotts Bonus S Max
12, #33, Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, Cheerios / Hamburger Helper
13, #11, Denny Hamlin, Toyota, FedEx Express
14, #99, Carl Edwards, Ford, Aflac
15, #43, Reed Sorenson, Dodge, McDonald's
16, #19, Elliott Sadler, Dodge, Stanley
17, #31, Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, Caterpillar
18, #83, Brian Vickers, Toyota, Red Bull
19, #44, A.J. Allmendinger, Dodge, Valvoline
20, #12, David Stremme, Dodge, Penske Racing
21, #41, Jeremy Mayfield, Toyota, All Sport
22, #171, Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, TRG Motorsports
23, #73, Mike Garvey, Dodge, Jani-King
24, #29, Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, Shell / Pennzoil
25, #175, Derrike Cope, Dodge, Blu Frog Energy Drink
26, #51, Kelly Bires, Dodge, BlackJack Racing
27, #64, Geoff Bodine, Toyota, Gunselman Motorsports
28, #157, Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Benning Racing

Quick Hits: Phoenix International Raceway

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:11:50 -0500

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Fantasy Focus: Racing Stats Dictate Fantasy Success

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:31:35 -0500

FIO writer Josh Lobdell gives the thinking behind his weekly fantasy picks and power rankings. Focusing on Average Finish stats plays a big role in projecting winners any given week.

NASCAR Rivals: Patrick Carpentier vs. Sam Hornish Jr.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:46:36 -0500

Patrick Carpentier and Sam Hornish Jr. wrecked each other not once, but TWICE in Sunday's race at Pocono.

Kahne Wins the Vote & the Race

Sat, 17 May 2008 23:39:46 -0500

Kasey Kahne first wins the fan vote to get into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race, and then uses pit strategy to go on and win the race itself! Results and highlights for NASCAR's All-Star weekend.

Allmendinger Wins His First in the All-Star Showdown

Sat, 17 May 2008 23:34:49 -0500

AJ Allmendinger wins the Sprint Cup Series' All-Star Showdown to earn himself a spot in the All-Star Race itself.

The Pressure is On at Penske South

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 21:25:19 -0500

Sometime in the last week or so, negotiations between Roger Penske's Penske South NASCAR organization, Miller Brewing Company, Mobil Oil and NASCAR itself arrived at a decision to allow the owner's points accumulated by Kurt Busch's #2 Miller Lite Dodge to be switched to the #77 Mobile One Charger to be driven in 2008 by rookie Sam Hornish Jr. FIO and On Pit Row writer Charlie Turner discusses some of the risks involved with this move, and what could possibly happen to the dynamic...

Hornish, Jr still undecided about moving to NASCAR

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:18:57 -0500

Sam Hornish Jr. said he is going to wait until after the season before sitting down with his team, sponsors and owner Roger Penske to decide where he'll be racing next year. Hornish failed to qualify at Talladega, his third miss in as many tries to make his Nextel Cup debut.