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NASCAR

Sam Hornish Jr.’s Second Chance In NASCAR Is Well Deserved

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In 2012, Sam Hornish Jr. was chosen to replace AJ Allmendinger after Allmendinger was fired while driving the No. 22 car for Roger Penske, the car currently driven by Joey Logano. That opportunity didn’t result in a full-time ride, but after years of scratching and clawing, Hornish is trying to follow in Allmendinger’s footsteps again.

Hornish is getting a rare second chance in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as he landed a full-time ride in the what was the No. 9 car at Richard Petty Motorsports, taking over for Marcos Ambrose who elected to return to Australia and race in the V8 Supercars series for Penske. Second chances are hard to come by in NASCAR’s premier series, but this season saw Allmendinger make the most of his, driving the No. 47 car to a win at Watkins Glen and an appearance in the Chase. Hornish hopes to mirror that kind of success.

The three-time IndyCar champion is a native of Defiance, Ohio, and it’s hard to imagine a more fitting birthplace. After a successful IndyCar career, Hornish moved to NASCAR in 2007 and ran three full-time Sprint Cup seasons for Penske, the last of which came in 2010. After struggling he was demoted to the Nationwide Series, although he looks back at that experience as a positive now.

“You know, at the end of 2010 I don’t know that it would have been beneficial for me to have a full‑time Cup ride in 2011 because I’ve worked so hard to try to keep my head above water, and I really wasn’t in a good spot as far as confidence goes,” Hornish said. “I’d taken quite a few lumps and I had always tried to work on those things. I always saw that there was light at the end of the tunnel, but sometimes you don’t know if that’s a train or not, you know? I feel like having the 2011, while it was a big hit and I only did a few races here and there, it really gave me an opportunity to do a lot of testing, which I had never gotten that opportunity up until that point.”

Results soon followed for Hornish, who finished second in the Nationwide Series behind Austin Dillon last year. But once again, he was faced with uncertainty before the 2014 season and eventually agreed to a part-time Nationwide schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing. He made the most of that opportunity, registering a win and four top-five finishes in just eight starts.

That was enough to catch the eye of Richard Petty Motorsports, and now a more experienced and mature Hornish could be poised to cash in on his newfound opportunity.

“I’ve worked four years to get back to this point, and I feel like as a driver I’ve come a long way. I found my voice, really, as far as what you need to have as far as a Cup driver’s concerned about directionally trying to help steer your organization,” Hornish said.

Ryan Pritt is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @RPritt, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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