Bristol II: Sam Hornish Jr qualifying report

Hornish to Start 38th at Bristol Motor Speedway

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 21, 2009) - Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, secured the 38th starting position for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

Hornish and team have captured three top-15 finishes, with two top-10 results, at short track venues this season and look to find continued success at the .533-mile oval on Saturday. The 28th competitor to make a qualifying attempt, Hornish posted a fast-lap time of 15.721 seconds at a speed of 122.053 miles per hour. The effort secured the 38th starting position for the No. 77 team.

"We definitely would've liked to have qualified better than we did today," said Hornish. "The Mobil 1 Dodge was loose on entry and tight in the center of the turns during practice this afternoon and we just didn't seem to get it sorted out. Fortunately, five of our top-10 finishes this season have come after we started from the back half of the field. Hopefully, we'll be able to do the same tomorrow night."

-credit: pr