THE RACE REVIEW

· Hornish started the Alliance Truck Parts 250 from the 13th position on the grid based on his Saturday morning qualify effort during which he lapped the two-mile speedway in 38.104 seconds at 188.957 miles per hour.

· It was apparent early in the race that the No. 12 Ford Mustang was very fast as Hornish made up several positions during the opening laps of the race.

· Beginning at lap 15, Hornish was the fastest car on the track for three consecutive laps. He drove up to the third position by lap 32.

· At lap 62 Hornish reported that something hit the front of the car but there was no noticeable damage.

· After a lap 65 pit stop, with some competitors electing to stay ... Read More »]]> THE RACE
The Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway (2-mile speedway, Brooklyn, MI) June 15, 2013

THE RACE REVIEW

· Hornish started the Alliance Truck Parts 250 from the 13th position on the grid based on his Saturday morning qualify effort during which he lapped the two-mile speedway in 38.104 seconds at 188.957 miles per hour.

· It was apparent early in the race that the No. 12 Ford Mustang was very fast as Hornish made up several positions during the opening laps of the race.

· Beginning at lap 15, Hornish was the fastest car on the track for three consecutive laps. He drove up to the third position by lap 32.

· At lap 62 Hornish reported that something hit the front of the car but there was no noticeable damage.

· After a lap 65 pit stop, with some competitors electing to stay out, Hornish was scored eighth but made his way up to second on the restart.

· At lap 79, there was a caution for debris and Hornish noticed his Alliance Truck Parts machine was smoking and reported he had lost oil pressure.

· He brought the Penske Ford to the pits where the crew determined that the oil pump had suffered damage from debris and the oil pump belt had broken. He retired from the race.

· With the result, Hornish and the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Ford maintains second-place in the standings.

THE RESULTS
Start Position: 13
Finish Position: 32
Status: Mechanical
Current Driver Points Position: 2

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FORD MUSTANG?
“A piece of debris came through the nose of the car and actually broke the oil pump. It hit the pulley for the oil pump, broke the pulley off and that basically allowed that front bearing to dump a bunch of oil out of the engine. It was something that was kicked up from another car because it hit almost right underneath the headlight of the car. Our Mustang was really good today and we were biding our time, trying to make it to the end of the race. We knew we had a good car that was capable of winning, it just wasn’t our day. I am glad that it wasn’t an engine problem. This is something that is totally out of our control. We will move on to the next race feeling like we have great opportunities. I want to thank all the people at Alliance Truck Parts. This being their race it is difficult to not be able to finish it, but you can’t control luck sometimes.”

CLOSING THE GAP: After a strong finish at Iowa, Hornish has closed to within striking distance of the series point leader, Regan Smith. He trails Smith by just 23 points.

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: Having 16 starts across three different series, Hornish is familiar with MIS. He finished sixth in last year’s Nationwide Series race. His best Cup and IndyCar series finishes are fifth (2009) and second (2003), respectively.

HEAVY DUTY IN DETROIT: Racing in the Motor City’s back yard means added fun for Hornish as he will spend Thursday morning and afternoon at Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, MI, while spending Thursday evening at ... Read More »]]> TWO CLOSE TO HOME: Hornish considers Michigan International Speedway (MIS) his home track since it is located just 70 miles from his home town of Defiance, Ohio and the title sponsor of the race is his primary sponsor, Alliance Truck Parts.

CLOSING THE GAP: After a strong finish at Iowa, Hornish has closed to within striking distance of the series point leader, Regan Smith. He trails Smith by just 23 points.

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: Having 16 starts across three different series, Hornish is familiar with MIS. He finished sixth in last year’s Nationwide Series race. His best Cup and IndyCar series finishes are fifth (2009) and second (2003), respectively.

HEAVY DUTY IN DETROIT: Racing in the Motor City’s back yard means added fun for Hornish as he will spend Thursday morning and afternoon at Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, MI, while spending Thursday evening at an Alliance Truck Parts event in Livonia, MI.

TWO MILE TRAJECTORY: While the surfaces make them different, California and Michigan share a similar configuration. At the previous two-mile race this season the No. 12 Penske Ford was strong; leading 28 laps en route to a second-place finish.

CHALKING UP THE NUMBERS: On the heels of a fourth-place finish at Iowa, Hornish has earned one victory, five top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes through the first 12 races of the season.

FRIENDS, FANS AND FAMILY: Being close to home means that Hornish will have a lot of friends, fans and family to cheer him on during Saturday’s Alliance Truck Parts 250. Hornish’s father, Sam Sr., is bringing a group of Hornish Bros. Trucking employees to the race as well.

SAM HORNISH JR., NO. 12 ALLIANCE TRUCK PARTS FORD
YOU CONSIDER MICHIGAN YOUR HOME TRACK, HOW DOES THAT MAKE THIS RACE DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS?
“This track does have great memories for me. I recall coming here as a child with my parents and watching the guys I admired racing. Since it is so close, we will have a lot of people from home. Family is important to me, so it is good to have them at the track. Having all those people here with us does make me want to win just that much more so we can share it together and celebrate. It is a pretty busy weekend for us since it is the home race for Ford too, which means we have to balance our time and focus between partners, family and the race track. ”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES THIS WEEKEND?
“We had a fast Ford Mustang at Fontana earlier this year, and we have been working hard to improve. The surface at Michigan is much different from California, but we have had fast cars all year and I expect that will continue. As long as we make the right calls during the race and execute in the pits we should be good. We always want to finish up front, but this weekend the incentive to win for Alliance Truck Parts is just a little stronger than usual.”

The DuPont Pioneer 250 at Iowa Speedway

THE RACE REVIEW

· The DuPont Pioneer 250 originally scheduled to run Saturday night was postponed until Sunday morning due to persistent rain in the area.

· Hornish started the rain delayed race on the outside of the front row based on his lap of 23.190 seconds at 135.834 miles per hour during Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session.

· As the race began, Hornish reported that his Alliance Truck Parts machine was too free all around, yet he was able to work his way to the lead by lap nine.

· During the first pit stop, the team elected to change only two right-side tires, which kept the Ford Mustang in the lead, but Hornish reported that he was still to free in and off of the corner

· Over the course of a long green-flag run, the two-tire ... Read More »]]> THE RACE

The DuPont Pioneer 250 at Iowa Speedway

THE RACE REVIEW

· The DuPont Pioneer 250 originally scheduled to run Saturday night was postponed until Sunday morning due to persistent rain in the area.

· Hornish started the rain delayed race on the outside of the front row based on his lap of 23.190 seconds at 135.834 miles per hour during Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session.

· As the race began, Hornish reported that his Alliance Truck Parts machine was too free all around, yet he was able to work his way to the lead by lap nine.

· During the first pit stop, the team elected to change only two right-side tires, which kept the Ford Mustang in the lead, but Hornish reported that he was still to free in and off of the corner

· Over the course of a long green-flag run, the two-tire change would prove to be less than optimal, as late in the run Hornish would lose several positions to competitors that took four tires on the previous pit-stop.

· During the next stop, the team made a chassis adjustment and changed four tires in an effort to tighten up the No. 12 Mustang

· Hornish was running in the fourth he race was red flagged at lap 164 as a rain shower drenched the track

· When the action resumed Hornish briefly moved up into the third position before settling back into fourth place as the race concluded.

· With the result, Hornish and the Alliance Truck Parts team closed the gap to just 23 points out of first place in the series standings.

THE RESULTS

Start Position: 2
Finish Position: 4
Status: Running
Current Driver Points Position: 2

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

HOW WAS YOUR RACE TODAY?

“We had a pretty good Ford Mustang today. We gambled on taking two tires on the first pit-stop thinking that some of the lead cars may do the same thing and no one else did. That hurt us as that stint stayed green, and by the end we had lost a bunch of track position. We made some good changes as the race wore on and the Penske Racing crew did great work in the pits. I have to thank the No. 22 pit crew guys for coming over to help us today as our regulars had to go to Pocono for the Cup race. Overall, it was a good day for us. We gained a few more points on the No. 7 car and we learned a few things that will be valuable as the season continues.” – Sam Hornish Jr.

FAMILIAR WITH THE POINT: In his three appearances at Iowa Speedway, Hornish has led a total of 69 laps and his best finish, a third-place, came last year during the August race.

ONE OF TWO TO WIN: Upon the completion of 11 races, which works out to be one third of the 2013 NNS season, Hornish is one of only two NNS regular drivers that have earned a victory. He is also one of only two drivers to hold the top spot in the series standings.

DOUBLED LAPS LED: Hornish has 512 laps led in his ... Read More »]]> PROGRESS IS PROGRESS: Last weekend at Dover, Hornish recorded his eighth top-10 result of the season and, in doing so, closed the gap to NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) point leader Regan Smith by two points. Hornish is second in the standings just 27 markers out of first.

FAMILIAR WITH THE POINT: In his three appearances at Iowa Speedway, Hornish has led a total of 69 laps and his best finish, a third-place, came last year during the August race.

ONE OF TWO TO WIN: Upon the completion of 11 races, which works out to be one third of the 2013 NNS season, Hornish is one of only two NNS regular drivers that have earned a victory. He is also one of only two drivers to hold the top spot in the series standings.

DOUBLED LAPS LED: Hornish has 512 laps led in his Nationwide Series career and over half of those laps led (263) have come through just the first 11 races of the 2013 season.

CONSISTENCY IN ADVERSITY: Despite having a couple of less than desirable finishes due to contact (34th at Texas and 25th at Talladega), Hornish has completed 97 percent of the laps this season and he has been running at the finish of every race.

ENJOYING THE RIDE: As one of the more experienced and accomplished drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Hornish is enjoying himself both on and off the track. As a driver, he feels as though he knows what he needs from the car and his success this season has put a smile on his face. He also enjoys the NNS schedule, as it allows him time with his family and the chance to branch out into other areas such as his role as an analyst on SPEED Center.

SAM HORNISH JR., NO. 12 ALLIANCE TRUCK PARTS FORD
YOU’VE HAD MIXED RESULTS AT IOWA – WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES?
“We’ve actually run a lot better at Iowa than our results show. We qualify pretty well at this track and our race cars have been fast. We just haven’t been able to put it all together yet. The Alliance Truck Parts Ford Mustangs have had speed in them this year. I like Iowa because it is a short track that drives like a speedway. It all comes down to executing during the race, so that is what we are going to do.”

CREW CHIEF GREG ERWIN
THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME RACING AT IOWA SPEEDWAY – HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“We have been looking at the data from the two races we had there last year to see how we want to set-up our Alliance Truck Parts Ford. On one hand, with it being a new track, there are some unknowns, and on the other hand we have a clean slate which offers us a lot of potential. The goal is to ensure that our Penske Mustang is at its best Saturday night when the sun goes down.”

5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover International Speedway

THE RESULTS

Start Position: 2 Finish Position: 7 Status: Running Current Driver Points Position: 2

THE RACE REVIEW

· Hornish began the race from the second position on the inside of the first row for Saturday afternoon’s race at Dover International Speedway.

· During the early laps Hornish reported that his Wurth Mustang was too free into the corner and then tight in the center. He held strong in the top-three for the first quarter of the race.

· The Penske Ford crew made adjustments in effort to tighten up the Wurth Ford during the first pit stop. This resulted in the No. 12 Mustang being too tight early in the run and then too free as the run progressed.

· Hornish ran in the top-10 for the second quarter of the race as the team continued to adjust the car to the changing track conditions.

· A late race two ... Read More »]]> THE RACE

5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover International Speedway

THE RESULTS

Start Position: 2
Finish Position: 7
Status: Running
Current Driver Points Position: 2

THE RACE REVIEW

· Hornish began the race from the second position on the inside of the first row for Saturday afternoon’s race at Dover International Speedway.

· During the early laps Hornish reported that his Wurth Mustang was too free into the corner and then tight in the center. He held strong in the top-three for the first quarter of the race.

· The Penske Ford crew made adjustments in effort to tighten up the Wurth Ford during the first pit stop. This resulted in the No. 12 Mustang being too tight early in the run and then too free as the run progressed.

· Hornish ran in the top-10 for the second quarter of the race as the team continued to adjust the car to the changing track conditions.

· A late race two tire pit-stop placed Hornish back in the top-five and held that position through lap 195 after which he gave up two positions as his tires wore and finished seventh.

· Hornish made up ground in the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings and still sits second to the No. 7 of Regan Smith.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Tell Us About Your Day.

“We qualified on the front row and we were very pleased with the effort. That second-place starting position is our best this year and it is something that we’ve been working on. During the opening laps we were pretty good and we were able to run up front. The car went free as the race progressed so during the first pit stop we made adjustments to tighten it up and ended up hurting ourselves a little. During the middle part of the race we lost the car and we were running back around 10th. We made a good change late in the race and then took tires on our last stop which got us some track position, but the two tires we left on just didn’t quite make it to the end. We ended up seventh. The good news is we gained a couple of points.” – Sam Hornish Jr.

The Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway

THE RESULTS

Start Position: 7 Finish Position: 12 Status: Running Current Driver Points Position: 2

THE RACE REVIEW

·  After starting the race from the seventh position, Hornish radioed that his No. 12 Snap-On Ford Mustang was too free early in the run. However, as the handling came more to his liking, he was able to turn some of the fastest laps on the track.

· At lap 29, Hornish entered the top five for the first time. Following a strong restart after a lap 40 pit stop, the former IndyCar champion assumed the lead on lap 45.

· Over the course of the race, Hornish continued to fight a loose-handling condition on corner entry and under throttle as he maintained his position inside the top five.

·  Following a restart at lap 173, Hornish made contact with the No. 43 of Michael Annett as he was forced into a three-wide ... Read More »]]> THE RACE

The Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway

THE RESULTS

Start Position: 7
Finish Position: 12
Status: Running
Current Driver Points Position: 2

THE RACE REVIEW

·  After starting the race from the seventh position, Hornish radioed that his No. 12 Snap-On Ford Mustang was too free early in the run. However, as the handling came more to his liking, he was able to turn some of the fastest laps on the track.

· At lap 29, Hornish entered the top five for the first time. Following a strong restart after a lap 40 pit stop, the former IndyCar champion assumed the lead on lap 45.

· Over the course of the race, Hornish continued to fight a loose-handling condition on corner entry and under throttle as he maintained his position inside the top five.

·  Following a restart at lap 173, Hornish made contact with the No. 43 of Michael Annett as he was forced into a three-wide situation by the No. 18 of Matt Kenseth. This resulted in slight damage to the right side of the No. 12 Ford, forcing Hornish down pit road to work on body damage.

· After a late-race pit stop for four tires, Hornish restarted the race from the 16^th position at lap 188. He was able to race his way to the 12^th position before taking the checkered flag.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Can You Summarize The Race?

“The Snap-on Ford Mustang was good, but we just weren’t good at the right time.  We needed to keep going in the right direction, but we took a step backward and got ourselves back in the pack.  I got stuck on the inside and the restarts were nuts – three or four-wide with people throwing it down in the corner – but I had some fun today, I just wish we could have got a better finish.” – Sam Hornish Jr.