Sam Hornish Jr.

Sam Hornish Jr.
Sam Hornish Jr.
	Hornish in 2015
Born	Samuel Jon Hornish Jr.; July 2, 1979 (age 45); 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)
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)
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)
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.

^ Slivka, Steve (May 4, 2018). "Hornish Jr. does not want to use the word "retired"". 13ABC. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2018.

[1] Slivka, Steve (May 4, 2018). "Hornish Jr. does not want to use the word "retired"". 13ABC. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2018.

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