Dodge Motorsports

Sam Hornish Jr. returns for his fourth season of NASCAR competition with Penske Racing in 2011. One of the most successful drivers in the recent history of open-wheel racing, Hornish has successfully transitioned to stock cars, and he’s achieved career milestones as he prepares for new challenges and opportunities in 2011.

Hornish will compete in selected NASCAR Nationwide Series races in the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts/Penske Dodge Challenger this season as he continues to refine his stock car racing skills.

The 2010 NASCAR Cup Series season saw Hornish, a native of Defiance, Ohio, make marked improvements in many categories. His qualifying results improved dramatically as he posted two top-three starting positions in 2010. Hornish also made gains in consistency and average finishing position over the course of last season. He completed a noteworthy 95% of the laps in which he raced and he led a NASCAR career-high 50 laps of competition.

In 2009, Hornish completed his sophomore season in the Cup Series with strong results. He captured his first Cup Series top-10 finish at Phoenix International Raceway with a ninth-place result en route to a total of seven top-10 finishes for the year. Hornish continued his forward momentum by scoring his first NASCAR top-five finish with a fourth-place result at Pocono Raceway followed two weeks later by a fifth-place showing at Michigan International Speedway.

Hornish earned his first NASCAR victory in the Sprint Showdown qualifying event for the 2009 All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Hornish went on to finish 16th in the All-Star race.

At the midpoint of the 2009 season, Hornish was noted as the second most improved Cup Series driver by NASCAR Loop Data statistics over the previous year, trailing only Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch.

The 30-year-old Hornish remembers growing up racing with his father while his mother helped run the family business in his native Ohio. Advancing through the racing ranks en route to the IndyCar Series, Hornish credits the support of his family for the unprecedented success he achieved at a young age.

Hornish began racing go-karts at age 11. His winning tradition began four years later when he emerged victorious in 19 of 55 starts on his way to the World Karting Association’s U.S. Grand National Championship. In 1996, Hornish moved to Formula Ford cars, spending more then two seasons in the U.S. Formula Ford 2000 Series before progressing to the Toyota Atlantic Championship. Hornish entered the IndyCar Series in 2000. He quickly caught the eye of Panther Racing, which went on to hire him for the team’s 2001 IndyCar Series campaign. That decision was rewarded immediately when Hornish claimed victories in his first two starts with the team, ultimately winning the series crown in his rookie season. In a total of 15 starts in 2002, Hornish earned five victories and 11 top-five finishes. His stellar season was capped by his second consecutive IndyCar Series Championship.

After the 2003 season, in which he posted three victories, Hornish’s childhood dream was realized when Team Penske invited him to join its squad for the 2004 season. Hornish quickly proved himself by winning his debut race with the team for his 12th career IndyCar Series win. His victory marked the first time an Indy car driver won in his inaugural run in the history of Penske Racing. In his second season with Team Penske, Hornish earned two victories and finished third in the series championship.

Hornish added the crown jewel to his resume in 2006 by winning the Indianapolis 500. He captured the win from the pole, making a pass on the final stretch of the final lap to steal the win from rookie Marco Andretti in a finish for the ages.

Hornish would go on to record four poles and three more race wins that year, on his way to his third career IndyCar Series Championship and the first-ever series title for Penske Racing. At the end of the 2006 season, Hornish made his initial foray into stock car racing, making a pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series starts for Penske Racing.

In 2007, Hornish competed in multiple NASCAR Nationwide Series races and two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events as he began his much-anticipated transition from open-wheel to stock cars. In addition, he competed in his final season in the IndyCar Series as he earned a race victory for his seventh consecutive season and finished fifth in the series driver standings.

Hornish competed as a rookie contender in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series and garnered attention with strong performances in the season-opening Daytona 500 and the Sprint All-Star Race, where he was one of two participants to race their way into the event. Hornish earned three top-15 finishes with a season-best result of 13th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Hornish also competed in a total of eight Nationwide Series races with four top-15 finishes and one Camping World Truck Series race where he earned his first NASCAR top-10 finish with a ninth-place result. Hornish finished a close second in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year standings.

Hornish remains one of the most decorated drivers in IndyCar Series history. He stood on the podium 47 times and produced 62 top-five finishes in 116 series starts. Known for his late race passes, Hornish has been involved in four of the top-10 closest finishes in IndyCar Series history, as he won three of them.

Although Hornish is a world-class racer, he has not forgotten his roots and is actively involved in community efforts across the country. In his hometown of Defiance, Ohio, Hornish was involved in the creation of a senior center for local residents as well as the addition of a heart center at Defiance Medical Center. Hornish also turned his love of bowling into a successful charity campaign over the past five years during the fall race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. In conjunction with Speedway Children’s Charities, Hornish has raised over $500,000 to benefit the children of north Texas.

Hornish also enjoys customizing vehicles in his 5,400-square-foot garage in Defiance. His collection includes a 1930 Model A Ford, a 1951 Mercury, a 1955 Chevrolet Del Ray, a 1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and a 1967 Chevrolet pick-up truck. His personal vehicle stable also includes a personally customized 2009 GMC Sierra, a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500, a 2008 GMC Sierra, a 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV, a 2003 customized Chevrolet Silverado, a 1977 Kenworth W900-A semi truck and a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z-06 he received for winning the 2006 Indianapolis 500.

The highlight of Hornish’s garage is a fully-functional Hornish Brothers semitruck complete with lights, authentic sounds, vibration and, of course, a powerful motor. The truck is modeled after the fleet owned by his family’s company, Hornish Brothers Inc. Hornish currently resides in Napoleon, Ohio with his wife, Crystal, and the couple’s young daughters, Addison and Eliza. The family also maintains a residence in Mooresville, N.C.

Birth Date: Jul, 2, 1979
Birthplace: Defiance, OH
Residence: Napoleon, OH
Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 160 lbs..
Primary Sponsor: Alliance Truck Parts
Car: Dodge Charger
Crew Chief: Travis Geisler