Hornish: Part-time driver, full-time talent

A black No. 54 Toyota, no matter who’s wheeling it, must frighten the rest of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It’s only natural.

Here’s the only stat anyone needs to know: Over the first 13 races, here’s how many times the No. 54 has finished outside the top five: Zero. Zilch. None.

And it’s not only Kyle Busch. Sam Hornish Jr. has pulled his weight, and then some. In two starts, he’s won (Iowa), and finished fifth (Talladega). In his only other NASCAR Nationwide Series start this season, he finished second in the No. 20 Toyota.

He has another chance this weekend, at Road America, site of Saturday’s Gardner Denver 200 Fired Up by Johnsonville (2:45 p.m. ET on ABC) – the first of three road-course races for the series this season.

Hornish's average finish this season is 2.7 and his season-to-date (three-race) Driver Rating is 119.2 - second only to Busch’s 128.6.

Busch and Hornish have combined to give the No. 54 team four wins and four Coors Light Poles in 13 races this season. Their impressive finishes have put Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 team atop the owner standings by 59 points over second-place, Team Penske’s No. 22 team.

Hornish has a NASCAR Nationwide Series career average finish of 8.6 on road courses. He has made two starts at Road America posting two top-five finishes.

NASCAR Wire Service