Sam Hornish Jr.

Sam Hornish Jr is an American racing driver born the July 2nd 1979 with Defiance, in the Ohio. Winner in three recoveries of the championship IRL/IndyCar Series as well as 500 miles of Indianapolis in 2006, it controls from now on in the championship of NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Biography

Triumphs in IndyCar

After having taken down several national titles of karting, Sam Hornish reaches the automobile sport in 1998, in the championship of US Formula 2000, qu ' it finishes 7th. The following year, it disputes the championship of Formule Atlantic, without much more success taking into account the weakness of its material.

In 2000, Sam Hornish is recruited by stable PDM to take part in Indy Racing league, the very oval American series, then in the shade of CART. Its encouraging beginnings enable him into 2001 to be committed by the Racing Panther. In a rather unexpected way, Hornish Jr dominates the championship and gains its first title IRL. In 2002, the arrival in championship IRL of the power Penske stable seems to announce the end of the domination of Hornish, but at the end of a fight baited with Brazilian the Hélio Castroneves, Sam Hornish gains a second consecutive title, which completes to refer of him of the American races on oval.

After one more delicate season 2003 (during which he suffers in particular from the inferiority of his Chevrolet engine vis-a-vis the Honda engines and Toyota of his main adversaries) but during which he confirms all the same his ease in track and his direction of the attack, he decides to accept the offer of Penske. Announced like one of the big favorites of the season 2004, Hornish however owes quickly déchanter, again because of difficulties engine (this time, it is the Toyota engine which pains to compete with the best). But even if it proves to be unable to fight for the title, Hornish does not continue any less to be regularly present at the outposts of the group.

Always at Penske in 2006, Hornish profits this time from the Honda engine, which makes it possible its stable to become again the team to beat. It benefits from it as of the month from May to overcome the Indian sign which continued it at the time of the 500 Miles of Indianapolis since the beginning of its career. Dominator at all the free meetings of tests, then author of the pole-position, it gains over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the prestigious test at the end of a scenario with suspense since after being delayed in end of the road by a catastrophic stop-supply, it blows the victory with the young person Marco Andretti only in the all last meters. With three additional victories at the time of the remainder of the season, it joins again with the championship which escaped to him since 2002. Finishing the championship with equality of points with daN Wheldon, it is only for the benefit of the greatest number of victories than he is crowned. Less in liveliness in 2007, it gains only one race before announcing its departure towards NASCAR.

Passage in NASCAR

Sam Hornish Jr. forever hidden its attraction for the lucrative ones and popular races of NASCAR. Already, at the end of 2003, when it had left the Racing Panther for the TEAM Penske, of many observers saw in this transfer before a a whole manner of facilier his arrival in NASCAR, Penske being present in the two disciplines disciplines. The fidelity of Hornish to the single-seater will last all the same four additional seasons, time in particular to gain prestigious the 500 miles of Indianapolis, the test that it was due to him in heart to gain. It carries out its beginnings in NASCAR at the end of 2006 in some tests of Busch Series (on a car engaged by Penske). In 2007, parallel to its ultimate season in IndyCar, it continues its training of the races of stock because, as well in Busch Series as in Nextel Cup (where it multiplies the not-qualifications before finally taking down its place on the grid with the ocasion of the sleeve of Phoenix in November). In spite of fairly convincing results, it passes full-time to the NASCAR as from the season 2008.

Career

1998: US Formula 2000 (7th of the championship)
1999: Formulate Atlantic (7th championship)
2000: IRL at PDM
2001: IRL at Panther Racing (Champion with 3 victories)
2002: IRL at Panther Racing (Champion with 5 victories)
2003: IRL at Racing Panther (5th of the championship with 3 victories)
2004: IRL at TEAM Penske (7th of the championship with 1 victory)
2005: IRL at TEAM Penske (3rd of the championship with 2 victories)
2006: IRL at TEAM Penske (Champion with 4 victories)
2007: IRL at TEAM Penske (5th of the championship with 1 victory)
2008: NASCAR at TEAM Penske

Prize list

Champion IRL in 2001,2002 and 2006
Poleman of the 500 Miles Indianapolis 2006 Victorious
of the 500 Miles Indianapolis 2006

Random links:

_de_177_Irma