Indy champ Hornish bolts for NASCAR, major blow to IRL
Sam Hornish Jr., the 2006 Indy 500 and IndyCar champion, and the winningest driver in series history, on Thursday confirmed he is leaving his Team Penske open-wheel racing ride for the No. 77 Penske Racing Dodge in NASCAR's elite Sprint Cup Series starting in 2008.
Like Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500 and IndyCar champion who left Andretti Green Racing for a 2008 Cup ride with Chip Ganassi Racing, Hornish believes he has done all he can in open-wheel, and can't resist the lure of money and fame a successful NASCAR career can provide.
The only problem is Hornish has been a dud in stock cars, failing to qualify for all six Cup races he has entered. The string could hit seven today if he doesn't make the field for Sunday's Checkers Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix. Florida Today
11/08/07 Sam Hornish Jr. is leaving the IndyCar Series for a full-time ride in NASCAR, joining the mass exodus of open-wheel stars fleeing to America's most popular racing series.
The three-time IndyCar champion told The Associated Press he will drive the No. 77 Dodge next season for Penske Racing with Mobil 1 as the sponsor. "I feel like this is something that is a new and unique challenge for me," Hornish said Thursday. "It may or may not be the right way to look at it, but I feel like I accomplished just about everything in Indy cars. I got to do more than I ever thought I would."
Penske will officially introduce Hornish as the third driver for his NASCAR team on Saturday night at the Penske Racing Museum in Phoenix. He'll join a team that already fields cars for Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman. AP Story
[Editor's note: We wonder if this was Tony George's "vision" that he would weaken open wheel racing so much in the USA by splitting the sport and so weakening it that the most popular drivers, and in this case the IRL's winningest driver, will flee for the NASCAR promised land? They lost Tony Stewart years ago, along with more recently Indy 500 winner and defending series champion Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr.. Meanwhile, a weakened CART (now Champ Car) has lost greats like Juan Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, and now Sebastien Bourdais. The difference is that Champ Car's best and brightest make it to F1, which is considered the pinnacle of racing globally, while the IRL's go to America's pinnacle, NASCAR.]
11/08/07 Three-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. will begin racing in NASCAR's top level full time next season. The formal announcement will be made this Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway.
Hornish will race the No. 77 car for Penske Racing in the Sprint Cup series next year.
Hornish has spent several years racing for Penske in the IndyCar Series. Ryan Briscoe, who has spent the off-season testing for Penske, will be Hornish's replacement on Penske's IndyCar Series team.
Hornish has entered a few NASCAR Busch series races this year. His best finish was 15th at Atlanta in March.
Hornish, 28, will leave the IndyCar Series with a record 19 wins and three titles as well as one Indy 500 win. Cup Scene Daily