Sam Hornish Jr.

Sam Hornish Jr.
Hornish in 2015
Born	Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. (1979-07-02) 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)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 12 0
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 5 64 9
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
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 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.

Early career

Hornish began racing go-karts at age 11, winning the World Karting Association U.S. Grand National championship in less than four years. From 1996 to 1998, he made 32 starts in the U.S. F2000 National Championship. In Hornish's final season in the series, he had a career-best second-place finish at Pikes Peak International Raceway. He finished seventh in points in 1998, and was inducted into the series' Hall of Fame in 2012 as a 1998 graduate. During the 1999 Atlantic Championship season Hornish drove for Michael Shank Racing team owner Mike Shank, winning at Chicago Motor Speedway and finishing seventh in the championship standings with 67 points.

Sports car racing

During the 1999 United States Road Racing Championship season, Hornish drove for Intersport Racing in the United States Road Racing Championship at the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona with Jon Field, Ryan Jones and Mike Shank in the Can-Am class. Their car, starting in eighth place, finished 42nd (14th in its class) after retiring on lap 400 with a gearbox failure.

In 2007, Hornish returned to compete in the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona for Michael Shank Racing with Mark Patterson, Oswaldo Negri Jr., and Hélio Castroneves in the Daytona Prototype class. Their car started 22nd, in its class and overall. It finished ninth in its class and overall, completing 628 laps.

IndyCar Series

2000: PDM Racing

Hornish began driving in the IndyCar Series in 2000 for PDM Racing in the No. 18 G-Force GF05-Oldsmobile Aurora L47 V8. He debuted at the season-opening race at Walt Disney World Speedway, starting in 19th place and finishing in 20th (28 laps behind). In the season's third race, the Vegas Indy 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hornish started 18th and had his first career podium finish (third place, one lap behind). He qualified for his first Indianapolis 500 in 14th place, after his team replaced the G-Force with a Dallara IR00. In mid-race, Hornish was involved in an accident which relegated him to 24th place. Starting 20th at Kentucky Speedway, he led for a series career-high 38 laps and finished ninth. Hornish ended his season with a 27th- (and last-) place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing his rookie season with 110 points (21st in the point standings).

2001−2003: Panther Racing

Before the 2001 Indy Racing League season, Hornish moved to Panther Racing to drive the No. 4 Dallara IR01-Oldsmobile Aurora L47 V8. He began the season with consecutive victories at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami in his first two races with the team. At the Indianapolis 500, Hornish qualified in 13th place. He finished 14th, four laps behind after an early spin. He continued to drive well, clinching the championship before the final race of the season (a second-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway). Since the winner of each race receives 50 points, Hornish's 66-point advantage clinched the championship with one race remaining. At the season-ending race at Texas he started in the pole position, leading for 115 laps in his third win of the season. Hornish won the championship with 503 points, 105 points ahead of second-place Buddy Lazier. At age 22, he was the youngest champion in series history.

In 2002 Hornish returned to Panther Racing, with the team changing manufactures and running a Chevrolet V8. At the season-opening Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami, he qualified in the pole position and led for 166 of 200 laps to win his fourth career race in the series. Hornish then won the Yamaha Indy 400 at California Speedway, defeating Jaques Lazier by 0.028 second. At the Indianapolis 500, he qualified in 7th place. In the race Hornish brushed the wall on lap 78, damaging his suspension. He returned to the race and finished 25th place, ten laps behind. Hornish won the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway three races later. At the Delphi Indy 300 at Chicagoland he defeated Al Unser Jr. by 0.0024 second, the closest finish in series history. In the final race of the season at Texas, Hornish started in third place and led for 79 laps to win by 0.0096 second. He won his second consecutive championship, amassing five wins and 11 top-five finishes over the season.

The beginning of the 2003 season saw Hornish struggle in comparison with his previous two years at Panther. At the Indianapolis 500, he qualified in 18th place; in the race, he retired with a blown engine after completing 195 of the 200 laps. Hornish finished the race in 15th place, dropping to a tie with Buddy Rice for 12th place in points. At the following race at Pikes Peak, he started in 14th place and finished fifth (his first lead-lap finish of the season). Around this time, Panther Racing and several other teams using the Chevrolet engine built by General Motors (the parent company of Chevrolet) switched to a new engine by Cosworth which was badged as a Chevrolet engine. After the change Hornish's results began improving; he started fourth and finished second, after leading for 126 of 200 laps, at Michigan International Speedway. Two races later, at Kentucky Speedway, he qualified for the pole position and led for 181 of 200 laps to win. Hornish then won two more consecutive races, at Chicagoland and at California Speedway. He won the former race by 0.01 second over Scott Dixon and Bryan Herta, the closest top-three finish in series history. Going into the season-ending Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Hornish was mathematically eligible win the championship; however, his car had a spray problem after 176 of 195 laps. He finished 17th, and was fifth in the final point standings with 461 points.

2004−2007: Team Penske

Hornish began driving for Marlboro Team Penske during the 2004 IndyCar Series season in its No. 6 Dallara IR03-Toyota Indy V8, winning the season opener at Homestead-Miami in his first race with the team, passing teammate Hélio Castroneves on the final lap. After qualifying in 11th place at the Indianapolis 500, he battled for the lead with Buddy Rice and Dan Wheldon and led for nine laps (the first laps Hornish led in his Indianapolis 500 career). On lap 105, entering the main straightaway out of the fourth turn, Hornish tried to pass Darren Manning and Greg Ray's lapped car. They collided, crashing into the pit lane; Hornish finished 26th, dropping to ninth place in the point standings. The rest of his season was sub-par, with two podium finishes. Hornish was seventh in the championship standings with 387 points, his worst finish since he placed 21st in 2000.

He returned to Team Penske for the 2005 season. At Phoenix in the season's second race, Hornish started in second place and won after leading for 25 laps. During practice for the Indianapolis 500, he drove over a piece of debris after Paul Dana's second-turn crash and flipped over. Two days later Hornish qualified in second place, crashing out after leading for a race-high 77 laps and finishing 23rd. At the Milwaukee Mile he qualified for the pole position and led for 123 of 225 laps, passing Dario Franchitti with nine laps left for his second win of the season. Hornish finished third in the championship standings, with 512 points.

Hornish's 2006 Indianapolis 500 winning car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum

Hornish again returned to Penske in 2006. The team changed manufacturers, joining Honda when Toyota and Chevrolet left the series after the 2005 season. His season highlight was the Indianapolis 500, when he passed Marco Andretti for the lead on the final lap to win in the second-closest margin of victory in the race's history. Hornish later said about the pass, "I figured I came all this way, I ought to give myself one more shot at it. I kind of looked at it as, I was going to drive over him if I had to. For Marco to come as a rookie and drive like that he should be proud no matter what." His second win of the season was at Richmond (after leading for all but 38 laps), and he took the points lead after winning the next race at Kansas. His fourth and final win of the season was at Kentucky, when he started second and led for 57 laps. In the season-ending race at Chicagoland Hornish qualified for the pole position and finished third, clinching his third series championship and Penske's first. Although he and Dan Wheldon finished the year with the same number of points, the tie was broken by wins; Hornish had four, and Wheldon two.

Hornish practicing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500

For the 2007 season Hornish again returned to Penske, starting the Indianapolis 500 in fifth place. Running consistently in the top ten, he finished fourth when the race was halted by rain after 166 laps. Hornish's only win of the season was the Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas Motor Speedway, when he started in second place and led for 159 of its 228 laps. His series-best finish on a road course or street circuit, second place at the Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix, was overshadowed by an altercation with Tony Kanaan. With the season-ending race at Chicagoland, Hornish ended his IndyCar career with a third-place finish (after starting second and leading for a race-high 90 laps) and finished fifth in the points standings.

After the season, Hornish remained optimistic about an eventual IndyCar return: "I hope they move the schedule so that somebody could do it. That's my goal. If I never ran in the Indy 500 again or an IndyCar Series race I would probably say I would be disappointed about that." He received offers to return after his departure, and in late 2008 was rumored to be returning to replace Hélio Castroneves the next season due to Castroneves' IRS problems. Castroneves was eventually cleared, missing only the season opener with Will Power driving for Penske during his absence. In November 2013, Hornish declined an offer to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the upcoming season after Dario Franchitti's career-ending injuries at the 2013 Shell-Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston.

International Race of Champions

Hornish in the 2006 International Race of Champions at Texas Motor Speedway

Hornish was invited to compete in the 2002, 2003 and 2006 International Race of Champions (IROC). His best points finish in the series was eighth, in 2003 and 2006.

NASCAR

2006−2007: Busch Series

Hornish spinning out at the 2007 O'Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway

Hornish began competing in the NASCAR Busch Series in the No. 39 Dodge Charger late in the 2006 season for Penske Racing. He drove the last two events of the season, struggling in both races. At Phoenix, Hornish started 27th and finished 36th after a crash on lap 187. In the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami, he was involved a crash after five laps and finished last.

Hornish returned to the series in 2007, driving nine races for Penske in the No. 12. He had his best start and finish of the season in the Nicorette 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, starting fifth and finishing fifteenth. Hornish earned another top-ten start (sixth place) at the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami. Despite a good qualifying run, he finished 38th after a crash with Todd Bodine on lap 114.

In the pit lane during practice for the 2007 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

In mid-2007, Hornish drove Penske's No. 27 Dodge Charger in an ARCA Re/Max Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Starting in the pole position, he led the first 29 laps of the race before being passed by eventual winner Erik Darnell and finishing second. After the race, he called the transition to stock cars a "challenge": "I'm a student at this, still trying to learn as much as I can. A lot of people have asked me what the toughest transition is, coming over here from the IndyCars and doing these stock car races, and really it's the fact I don't get much practice time."

At the end of the season Hornish drove in the Nextel Cup Series for Penske Racing South in its No. 06 Dodge Charger, failing to qualify for his first six races. He qualified for the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, starting in 26th place and finishing 30th (two laps behind). Hornish also qualified for the following race at Homestead-Miami, starting in 29th place. After crashing in turn three of lap 194 he finished 37th, thirteen laps behind.

2008−2010: Penske Racing

Practicing for the 2008 Daytona 500

In 2008, Hornish drove full-time for Penske in its renumbered No. 77 car. Before the season, Penske swapped cars and owners' points with Kurt Busch; Hornish was guaranteed a starting position in the first five races and Busch, who won the series championship in 2004, would also be guaranteed a starting position as the most recent series champion driving a car outside the top 35 in owners' points. At the season-opening Daytona 500, Hornish qualified in 19th place; he finished 15th as teammates Ryan Newman and Busch were first and second, respectively. In the season's second race, the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway, Hornish sustained collateral damage when Casey Mears crashed into Dale Earnhardt Jr. on lap 22. Mears' car flipped 270 degrees, and Hornish's car caught fire. Hornish finished in 43rd place. Although he struggled during his rookie season, he drove well in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway. In the exhibition Sprint Showdown at Lowe's, Hornish drove a car that was setup with an angled rear-end housing that was designed to cause air to hit the right side of the car, generate side force, improve grip in the turns, and allow a looser setup. This setup made the car look like it was drifting or crabwalking on straightaways and was banned following the all-star race. Hornish started eighth and finished second. By finishing in the top two, he qualified for the exhibition 2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and still used the car with the angled rear-end housing, starting 23rd out of 24 cars and finishing seventh. Hornish had his best finish (13th place) of the season at the Coca-Cola 600, also at Lowe's. Late in the season his Penske team dropped out of the top 35 in owners' points, and Hornish failed to qualify for the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He finished 35th in the drivers' standings, with 2,523 points. Hornish was second in the rookie of the year standings, after a season-long battle with Regan Smith.

Racing a remote-controlled car before the 2008 season

He drove for Penske in the renamed Nationwide Series, failing to qualify for his first two races of the season. Hornish's best finish of the season was eleventh place in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway, where he started twelfth. In the Carquest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway he led his first laps of the series (eight), but a mid-race accident relegated him to 39th place. Late in the season, Hornish drove one race in the Craftsman Truck Series (the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway) for Bobby Hamilton Racing in its No. 4 Dodge Ram, starting 16th and finishing ninth.

In the 2009 Sprint Cup season Hornish returned to Penske, now known as Penske Championship Racing. For the second straight year, his team changed owners' points (purchasing them from Dave Blaney and Bill Davis Racing this time) to guarantee him a starting spot in the first five races. At the season-opening Daytona 500, Hornish started 29th and finished 32nd (one lap behind). He had his first top-ten finish of the season (ninth place) at Phoenix, followed by six more throughout the year. Hornish's victory in the Sprint Showdown at Lowe's Motor Speedway qualified him for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, where he started 19th and finished 16th. Later that season, he had two top-five finishes: a career-best fourth at Pocono and a fifth at Michigan. At Watkins Glen, Hornish was involved in a very violent crash. Coming off of turn 9, Hornish was racing with Kasey Kahne where Kasey got loose and got into Hornish causing Hornish to spin. He hit a tire barrier on the left rear of the car and shot him back across the race track spinning like a top where he was then nearly t-boned by Jeff Gordon and then hit again by Jeff Burton where it nearly sent Hornish on his side. Gordon's impact into Hornish was so vicious, it ripped the whole rear including the fuel cell out of Hornish's car. Fortunately, Hornish, Gordon, and Burton walked out under their own power uninjured. Hornish finished 28th in the final standings, with 3,203 points.

Hornish joined Penske again in 2010. At the season-opening Daytona 500, Hornish started 26th and was involved in an early accident on the race's ninth lap; he finished 37th, completing 160 of its 208 laps. His qualifying results improved slightly during the rest of the season, with three top-fives. Hornish's only top-ten finish of the season was tenth place at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He finished 29th in the standings, with 3,214 points. After the season Hornish's longtime sponsor, Mobil 1, left him and Penske for Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing. In the 2010 Nationwide Series he drove the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami for Brian Keselowski Motorsports (in conjunction with Penske) in its No. 26 Dodge Avenger, starting twelfth and finishing 21st.

2011−2014: Return to Nationwide competition

In the 2012 Sargento 200 at Road America

Before the 2011 season Penske sold the owners' points of its No. 77 car to Rusty Wallace Racing, to be driven by owner Rusty Wallace's son (and team driver) Steve at the season-opening Daytona 500, for financial reasons. As a result, Penske moved Hornish to the Nationwide Series to drive the team's No. 12 Dodge Charger. He drove the 5-hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway in Front Row Motorsports' No. 38 Ford Fusion, filling in for Travis Kvapil (who was driving in a Truck Series event at Texas). Hornish started in 26th place and finished 35th, 60 laps behind. He drove twelve races with the No. 12 team, moving to Penske's No. 22 for a 13th race at Iowa Speedway. At Iowa Hornish started in third place and led from laps 13 through 51, later dropping five laps behind to finish 24th. In the WYPALL* 200 Powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional at Phoenix International Raceway, he started in fifth place and led for the race's final 61 laps after passing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (who led for a race-high 73 laps) for his first career victory in the series.

Hornish returned to the series with Penske for a full-time season in 2012. Winless, he had second-place finishes at Indianapolis, Montréal and Kentucky. After a race at Talladega Superspeedway, Danica Patrick intentionally spun Hornish's car into the main straightaway wall after he made contact with her during the race. He finished fourth at the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and was fourth in points with 1,146.

In the pit lane at the 2012 GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

Hornish returned to the Sprint Cup Series for one race in Penske's No. 12: the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway. Starting in 10th place, he led for seven laps and finished 19th (one lap behind). Midway through the season, Hornish replaced A. J. Allmendinger in Penske's No. 22 car after Allmendinger was suspended by NASCAR for failing a drug test. Allmendinger qualified in eighth place, but due to the driver change Hornish had to move to the rear of the field. He finished 33rd, after a mid-race crash required ten laps of repair time. Hornish drove the car in the remaining races, with a season-best fifth place at Watkins Glen. Aside from that race, his best finishes were a trio of eleventh places at Atlanta, Richmond and Chicagoland. Hornish's best start of the season was fourth at Dover, where he finished 25th (seven laps behind).

One of Hornish's 2013 cars at the Team Penske facilities

He returned to the Nationwide Series full-time for Penske in 2013 to drive the No. 12, now a Ford Mustang after Penske changed manufacturers. Hornish's 2013 season was his best to date, with 16 top-five and 25 top-ten finishes. At the season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway, Hornish started and finished second despite his involvement in a serious crash on the final lap. Since race winner Tony Stewart was only eligible to score points for the Sprint Cup Series, Hornish was the series points leader after the Daytona race. At the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he led for 114 laps in his second Nationwide victory. Before the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway Hornish was second in points, eight behind Austin Dillon. Hornish qualified in the pole position and led for 37 laps, finishing eighth; Dillon, who finished twelfth, won the series championship. Hornish was second in the final point standings, with 1,177. During the season, car owner Roger Penske said that Hornish (who had driven for the team since 2004) would be released due to a lack of sponsorship. Hornish planned to drive Penske's No. 12 in the Sprint Cup Series at Kansas and Talladega. At Kansas he started in fourth place, running as high as third before crashing on lap 183 due to winds. The qualifier was rained out at Talladega, and Hornish failed to qualify because he had only one other Cup start that season.

In the 2014 Gardner Denver 200 Fired Up by Johnsonville at Road America

In 2014, he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing in its No. 54 Toyota Camry for a part-time season. Hornish drove seven races in the No. 54, also driving the No. 20 Camry at Michigan (where he finished second). In the No. 54, he started on the pole at Talladega and Mid-Ohio. The highlight of Hornish's season was his victory in the Get To Know Newton 250 at Iowa Speedway, where he started in second place and led for 167 laps. Despite his limited schedule he finished 27th with 242 points, the highest-ranked driver with less than ten starts. Gibbs tapped Hornish to drive the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in the No. 11 Camry when regular driver Denny Hamlin was sidelined by a severe sinus infection, and he finished 17th.

2015: Richard Petty Motorsports

"He's a family man who fits well with our core values and he will be a great ambassador for our partners. Sam's also proven that he can win races and compete for a championship. He came into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a steep learning curve from open-wheel racing, but has shown in the Nationwide Series that he is a winner. We feel that he can get the No. 9 team to Victory Lane and compete in the Chase for us."

Richard Petty, announcing his team's signing of Hornish

In 2015 Hornish returned full-time to the Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 9 Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM). He replaced Marcos Ambrose, who returned to racing V8 Supercars for DJR Team Penske. Hornish began the season with a twelfth-place finish at the Daytona 500, after starting 38th. He struggled after the season opener, finishing 30th or worse in four of the next eight races. In the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Hornish had a season-best sixth-place finish; after the race, Kevin Manion replaced Drew Blickensderfer as his crew chief. He later finished in the top ten at both road-course races (tenth and ninth at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International, respectively). In the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona he was involved in a single-car accident on lap 155, driving into the infield at nearly full speed. Hornish's splitter was pushed under the front of the car; he nearly flipped when the front of the car dug into the grass, and nearly flipped again when he crossed a track access road. He retired from the race, finishing 30th. On November 14, 2015, RPM announced that they did not expect Hornish to return to the team for the 2016 season.

Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2015

Hornish also drove Biagi-DenBeste Racing's No. 98 Ford Mustang part-time in the former Nationwide Series, renamed the Xfinity Series. In three races with the team he had one lead-lap finish, a 14th place at Texas.

2016–2017: Part-time Xfinity Series schedule

On May 11, 2016, an article posted online by Sports Illustrated appeared to acknowledge that Hornish had retired from racing after being released by Richard Petty Motorsports, saying he "unharnessed himself one last time" and "hung up his helmet at the end of last season." Five days later, however, an article from The Crescent-News (based in Hornish's birthplace of Defiance, Ohio) quoted Hornish as saying, "I'm still working on something to race in good equipment. Possibilities still exist for this year, but there were a couple of different opportunities that didn't pan out because somebody else brought money to the table."

On June 8, 2016, Richard Childress Racing announced plans to add Hornish to their Xfinity Series driver lineup, hiring him to drive the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro at the July Iowa race and Kentucky. He also ran the No. 2 at Mid-Ohio. Additionally, Hornish returned to Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 18 Toyota Camry in place of an injured Matt Tifft for the June Iowa race, a race he went on to win.

In June 2017, Hornish returned to the Xfinity Series with Penske, driving the No. 22 Mustang at both Iowa races and the Mid-Ohio event. At Mid-Ohio, Hornish won the pole, and proceeded to lead 61 of the 75 laps en route to victory in his home state. Hornish returned to Penske for the fall race at Kentucky, as well as the Charlotte and Homestead playoff races, finishing second in both.

Personal life

With daughter Addison during driver introductions at the 2014 Gardner Denver 200 at Road America

Hornish, a 1998 graduate of Archbold High School in Archbold, Ohio, lives in Napoleon, Ohio. He and his wife, Crystal, have three children: two daughters (Addison and Eliza) and a son, Sam III. His niece, Hope, was a NASCAR Drive for Diversity member in 2016,

He has helped create a senior center in Defiance, and helped add a heart center at Defiance Medical Center. During a race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Hornish (an avid bowler) promoted a charity bowling event. His work with Speedway Children’s Charities has raised over $500,000 to benefit North Texas children. Hornish collects and customizes classic automobiles; he owns a 1930 Model A Ford, a 1951 Mercury, a 1955 Chevrolet Del Ray, a 1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, a 1967 Chevrolet pickup truck and a Corvette ZO6 Indianapolis 500 pace car. Hornish has also worked as a substitute school teacher while away from the track, and has also taught Vacation Bible School.

Media appearances

Hornish's Panther Racing car is on the cover of the 2003 IndyCar Series video game. As early as 2004, he made frequent guest appearances on the auto-racing call-in show WindTunnel with Dave Despain. When he won the Indianapolis 500 Hornish appeared on Live! with Regis and Kelly, and he was a guest on the September 12, 2006 Late Show with David Letterman after winning the 2006 IndyCar Series championship.

Hornish narrated the American dub of the British children's television series Roary the Racing Car, replacing former British racing driver Stirling Moss. He later called the opportunity his "one chance to do something Stirling Moss did."

In 2012 Hornish became co-host of the auto racing news and highlight show, SPEED Center. Two years later he was a color commentator for the NBCSN broadcast of the IndyCar GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, and was a NASCAR analyst for Fox Sports 1 throughout the season.

Motorsports career results

American open-wheel racing

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Atlantic Championship

Atlantic Championship results

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Rank	Points	Ref
1999	Shank Racing	LBH 8	NAZ 18	GAT 4	MIL 8	MTL 12	ROA 9	TRR 19	MDO 7	CHI 1	VAN 10	LS 6	HOU 10	7th	67

IndyCar Series

IndyCar Series results

Year	Team	Chassis	No.	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Rank	Points	Ref
2000	PDM Racing	G-Force	18	Oldsmobile	WDW 20	PHX 17	LVS 3			PPIR 19	ATL	KTY 9	TXS 27									21st	110
		Dallara						INDY 24	TXS 20
2001	Panther Racing		4		PHX 1	HMS 1	ATL 4	INDY 14	TXS 3	PPIR 2	RIR 2	KAN 2	NSH 6	KTY 3	GTW 3	CHI 2	TXS 1					1st	503
2002				Chevrolet	HMS 1	PHX 3	FON 1	NZR 17	INDY 25	TXS 18	PPIR 3	RIR 1	KAN 2	NSH 3	MIS 7	KTY 2	GTW 5	CHI 1	TXS 1			1st	531
2003					HMS 10	PHX 21	MOT 6	INDY 15	TXS 10	PPIR 5	RIR 4	KAN 17	NSH 11	MIS 2	GTW 6	KTY 1	NZR 2	CHI 1	FON 1	TXS 17		5th	461
2004	Team Penske		6	Toyota	HMS 1	PHX 15	MOT 19	INDY 26	TXS 4	RIR 11	KAN 8	NSH 2	MIL 3	MIS 4	KTY 14	PPIR 18	NZR 11	CHI 6	FON 4	TXS 17		7th	387
2005					HMS 2	PHX 1	STP 15	MOT 7	INDY 23	TXS 2	RIR 18	KAN 12	NSH 2	MIL 1	MIS 5	KTY 7	PPIR 2	SNM 17	CHI 3	WGL 7	FON 5	3rd	512
2006				Honda	HMS 3	STP 8	MOT 4	INDY 1	WGL 12	TXS 4	RIR 1	KAN 1	NSH 14	MIL 2	MIS 19	KTY 1	SNM 9	CHI 3				1st	475
2007					HMS 3	STP 7	MOT 5	KAN 6	INDY 4	MIL 9	TXS 1	IOW 14	RIR 15	WGL 2	NSH 4	MDO 14	MIS 9	KTY 18	SNM 5	DET 12	CHI 3	5th	465

Years	Teams	Races	Poles	Wins	Podiums (non-win)	Top 10s (non-podium)	Indianapolis 500 wins	Championships
8	3	116	12	19	28	32	1 (2006)	3 (2001, 2002, 2006)

Indianapolis 500

Year	Chassis	Engine	Start	Finish	Team
2000	Dallara IR00	Oldsmobile Aurora L47 V8	14	24	PDM Racing
2001	Dallara IR01	Oldsmobile Aurora L47 V8	13	14	Panther Racing
2002	Dallara IR02	Chevrolet V8	7	25	Panther Racing
2003	Dallara IR03	Chevrolet V8	18	15	Panther Racing
2004	Dallara IR03	Toyota Indy V8	11	26	Marlboro Team Penske
2005	Dallara IR03	Toyota Indy V8	2	23	Marlboro Team Penske
2006	Dallara IR03	Ilmor-Honda Indy V8 HI4R	1	1	Marlboro Team Penske
2007	Dallara IR05	Ilmor-Honda Indy V8 HI7R	5	4	Team Penske

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	NSCC	Pts	Ref
2007	Penske Racing South	06	Dodge	DAY	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	NHA	DAY	CHI	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA DNQ	DOV DNQ	KAN	TAL DNQ	CLT DNQ	MAR DNQ	ATL DNQ	TEX	PHO 30	HOM 37	62nd	125
2008		77		DAY 15	CAL 43	LVS 41	ATL 25	BRI 29	MAR 28	TEX 32	PHO 20	TAL 35	RCH 23	DAR 38	CLT 13	DOV 18	POC 42	MCH 22	SON 31	NHA 39	DAY 29	CHI 37	IND 21	POC 26	GLN 32	MCH 22	BRI 37	CAL 31	RCH 38	NHA 30	DOV 42	KAN 33	TAL DNQ	CLT 22	MAR 34	ATL 24	TEX 23	PHO 33	HOM DNQ	35th	2523
2009	Penske Championship Racing			DAY 32	CAL 23	LVS 16	ATL 37	BRI 31	MAR 34	TEX 17	PHO 9	TAL 34	RCH 6	DAR 30	CLT 16	DOV 13	POC 10	MCH 29	SON 38	NHA 8	DAY 32	CHI 38	IND 37	POC 4	GLN 35	MCH 5	BRI 35	ATL 35	RCH 8	NHA 37	DOV 26	KAN 18	CAL 12	CLT 40	MAR 36	TAL 40	TEX 40	PHO 17	HOM 21	28th	3203
2010				DAY 37	CAL 16	LVS 28	ATL 28	BRI 32	MAR 13	PHO 18	TEX 19	TAL 24	RCH 36	DAR 31	DOV 34	CLT 17	POC 11	MCH 26	SON 36	NHA 23	DAY 21	CHI 24	IND 30	POC 11	GLN 14	MCH 32	BRI 25	ATL 30	RCH 28	NHA 10	DOV 36	KAN 36	CAL 15	CLT 40	MAR 25	TAL 15	TEX 18	PHO 32	HOM 24	29th	3214
2011	Front Row Motorsports	38	Ford	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	MAR	TEX	TAL	RCH	DAR	DOV	CLT	KAN	POC 35	MCH	SON	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	NHA	DOV	KAN	CLT	TAL	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM	70th	01
2012	Penske Racing	12	Dodge	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	MAR	TEX	KAN 19	RCH	TAL	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	KEN																				59th	01
		22																			DAY 33	NHA 22	IND 16	POC 19	GLN 5	MCH 12	BRI 34	ATL 11	RCH 11	CHI 11	NHA 21	DOV 25	TAL 24	CLT 15	KAN 26	MAR 13	TEX 17	PHO 31	HOM 22
2013		12	Ford	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	MAR	TEX	KAN 37	RCH	TAL	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	KEN	DAY	NHA	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	NHA	DOV	KAN	CLT	TAL DNQ	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM	72nd	01
2014	Joe Gibbs Racing	11	Toyota	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL 17	MAR	TEX	DAR	RCH	TAL	KAN	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	KEN	DAY	NHA	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	NHA	DOV	KAN	CLT	TAL	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM	57th	01
2015	Richard Petty Motorsports	9	Ford	DAY 12	ATL 21	LVS 24	PHO 40	CAL 43	MAR 32	TEX 26	BRI 19	RCH 35	TAL 6	KAN 16	CLT 24	DOV 22	POC 41	MCH 26	SON 10	DAY 30	KEN 22	NHA 29	IND 16	POC 39	GLN 9	MCH 19	BRI 18	DAR 28	RCH 28	CHI 30	NHA 20	DOV 20	CLT 17	KAN 28	TAL 17	MAR 28	TEX 24	PHO 31	HOM 25	26th	709
2016	Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing	95	Chevy	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	MAR	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	KAN	DOV	CLT	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	POC	GLN	BRI	MCH QL†	DAR	RCH	CHI	NHA	DOV	CLT	KAN	TAL	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM	NA	-
† - Qualified for Michael McDowell

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
2008	Penske Racing South	Dodge	19	15
2009	Penske Championship Racing		29	32
2010			36	37
2015	Richard Petty Motorsports	Ford	38	12

Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	NXSC	Pts	Ref
2006	Penske Racing	39	Dodge	DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL	BRI	TEX	NSH	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	DAY	CHI	NHA	MAR	GTY	IRP	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT	MEM	TEX	PHO 36	HOM 43	117th	89
2007		12		DAY 31	CAL 35	MXC	LVS	ATL 15	BRI	NSH 25	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH 43	DAR	CLT	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	NHA	DAY	CHI	GTY	IRP	CGV	GLN	MCH 25	BRI	CAL	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT	MEM	TEX 31	PHO 39	HOM 38	68th	551
2008				DAY	CAL	LVS DNQ	ATL	BRI DNQ	NSH	TEX 19	PHO	MXC 13	TAL	RCH 15	DAR 11	CLT 39	DOV 23	NSH	KEN	MLW	NHA	DAY	CHI	GTY	IRP	CGV	GLN 36	MCH	BRI 14	CAL	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT	MEM	TEX	PHO	HOM	51st	799
2010	Penske Racing	26	Dodge	DAY	CAL	LVS	BRI	NSH	PHO	TEX	TAL	RCH	DAR	DOV	CLT	NSH	KEN	ROA	NHA	DAY	CHI	GTY	IRP	IOW	GLN	MCH	BRI	CGV	ATL	RCH	DOV	KAN	CAL	CLT	GTY	TEX	PHO	HOM 26	114th	100
2011		12		DAY 36	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX 16	TAL 13	NSH	RCH 7	DAR	DOV	IOW	CLT 12	CHI	MCH 24	ROA	DAY	KEN	NHA	NSH 6	IRP							CHI 5	DOV	KAN	CLT 12	TEX 7	PHO 1	HOM 7		23rd	411
		22																							IOW 24	GLN	CGV	BRI	ATL	RCH
2012		12		DAY 20	PHO 6	LVS 9	BRI 13	CAL 13	TEX 11	RCH 5	TAL 12	DAR 4	IOW 12	CLT 9	DOV 13	MCH 6	ROA 5	KEN 6	DAY 10	NHA 4	CHI 8	IND 2	IOW 3	GLN 3	CGV 2	BRI 10	ATL 9	RCH 30	CHI 6	KEN 2	DOV 18	CLT 35	KAN 9	TEX 7	PHO 14	HOM 4			4th	1146
2013			Ford	DAY 2	PHO 7	LVS 1*	BRI 4	CAL 2	TEX 34	RCH 7	TAL 25	DAR 8	CLT 12	DOV 7	IOW 4	MCH 32	ROA 5	KEN 9	DAY 7*	NHA 7	CHI 2	IND 34	IOW 2	GLN 2	MOH 3	BRI 12	ATL 3	RCH 6	CHI 3	KEN 4	DOV 17	KAN 17	CLT 3*	TEX 3	PHO 5	HOM 8			2nd	1177
2014	Joe Gibbs Racing	54	Toyota	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	DAR	RCH	TAL 5	IOW 1*	CLT	DOV		ROA 12*	KEN	DAY	NHA	CHI 36	IND	IOW 4	GLN	MOH 30	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	KEN 30	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM			27th	242
		20														MCH 2
2015	Biagi-DenBeste Racing	98	Ford	DAY	ATL 15	LVS	PHO	CAL 37	TEX 14	BRI	RCH	TAL	IOW	CLT	DOV	MCH	CHI	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	IOW	GLN	MOH	BRI	ROA	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM			99th	01
2016	Joe Gibbs Racing	18	Toyota	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	DOV	CLT	POC	MCH	IOW 1*	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND																		32nd	157
	Richard Childress Racing	2	Chevy																			IOW 6	GLN	MOH 2	BRI	ROA	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN 4	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM
2017	Team Penske	22	Ford	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	IOW 37	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	IOW 34	GLN	MOH 1*	BRI	ROA	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN 31	DOV					HOM 2			31st	169
		12																														CLT 2	KAN	TEX	PHO

Craftsman Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	NCTC	Pts	Ref
2008	Bobby Hamilton Racing	4	Dodge	DAY	CAL	ATL	MAR	KAN	CLT	MFD	DOV	TEX	MCH	MLW	MEM	KEN	IRP	NSH	BRI	GTW	NHA	LVS	TAL	MAR 9	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	74th	138

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

ARCA Re/Max Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Re/Max Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	ARSC	Pts	Ref
2007	Penske Racing	27	Dodge	DAY	USA	NSH	SLM	KAN	WIN	KEN	TOL	IOW	POC	MCH 2	BLN	KEN	POC	NSH	ISF	MIL	GTW	DSF	CHI	SLM	TAL	TOL	92nd	240

Rolex 24 at Daytona

(key)

Rolex 24 at Daytona results
Year	Class	No.	Team	Car	Co-drivers	Laps	Position	Class Position	Ref
1999	CA	28	Intersport Racing	Lola-Ford	Jon Field Ryan Jones Mike Shank	399	42 DNF	14 DNF
2007	DP	60	Michael Shank Racing	Lexus Riley DP	Mark Patterson Oswaldo Negri Jr. Hélio Castroneves	628	9	9

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

International Race of Champions results
Year	Make	1	2	3	4	Pos.	Pts	Ref
2002	Pontiac	DAY 2	CAL 11	CHI 6	IND 10	11th	35
2003		DAY 8	TAL 4	CHI 8	IND 11	8th	30
2006	Pontiac	DAY 2	TEX 12	DAY 5	ATL 9	8th	36

External links

• Official website
• Sam Hornish Jr. driver statistics at Racing-Reference