Loudon: Sam Hornish Jr preview

Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course debut last weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. After qualifying in the 17th position, Hornish was able to secure a 31st place finish for the Mobil 1 team. • This will be Hornish's first Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He attempted the fall race at the Loudon, N.H. 1.058--mile oval last season but missed the field by two hundredths of a second. • Hornish and the No. 77 Mobil 1 team remain in the 33rd position in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner point standings following Infineon. The team is a mere 15 points outside of 30th place.

Hornish regained the lead in the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings after his performance at Infineon. He currently leads second-place driver Regan Smith by eight points.

6/29/08: Hornish will be on hand to sign autographs in New Hampshire at the Mobil 1/Penske Racing souvenir trailer on Sunday. He will appear from 11 - 11:30 a.m., prior to the LENOX Industrial Tools 301.

Chassis Chatter PRS-553: The primary car for this weekend was raced by Hornish earlier this season at Atlanta and Richmond.
PRS-562: The back up car for this weekend was raced by Hornish at Phoenix and Dover earlier this season.

Sam Hornish Jr. on New Hampshire Motor Speedway
"I don't really know what to think about New Hampshire Motor Speedway because I've never raced there before. We attempted the fall race last season and barely missed making the field. I feel we should have made that race, so I am ready to compete on Sunday.

"Loudon reminds me a lot of The Milwaukee Mile. I've competed there in the IndyCar Series and I've enjoyed racing at the shorter tracks. Hopefully, that knowledge will transfer over to my first race at New Hampshire."

Crew Chief Chris Carrier on New Hampshire Motor Speedway
"New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a one-mile Martinsville. It has sharp corners with long straightaways. You need a strong engine and good brakes to make the transitions quickly.

"Over time, the surface of the track has lost grip and that makes chassis balance a challenge for teams. In order to get the car to turn in the center of the corners you have to sacrifice 'forward bite,' or the ability of the rear tires to grip the track. Other important factors to success at Loudon include aerodynamics, track position, pit strategy and pit stops. Basically, everything is important at New Hampshire."

-credit: pr