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Hornish switch finally confirmed |
Penske Racing have finally confirmed that Sam Hornish Jr will make the full time move to NASCAR in 2008 with the revived #77 Dodge team.
Despite a shaky start to his stock car career Hornish Jr's move to the full-time Cup Series ranks next year came on the same weekend where he finally qualified for his first Cup Series start after a string of non qualifications.
Hornish Jr will use the #77 plate with backing from Mobil 1 as Penske resurrects the team that last saw action in 2005 but the triple IndyCar Champ and 2006 Indy 500 winner may yet get a free passage into the first five races of 2008 if Roger Penske swaps the non existent owner points of the #77 with those of Kurt Busch's #2 entry.
As a former series champion Busch would still be guaranteed a place in at least the first six races of the year and Hornish Jr would be able to avoid the trap that has befallen former Champ Car driver AJ Allmendinger in his first season on the NASCAR tour.
After an incredibly successful eight-year stint in the IndyCar Series that saw Hornish Jr. become the driver with the most wins in the Series' history (19 wins), garner three series championships (2001, 2002 and 2006) and win the 2006 running of the Indianapolis 500, he becomes the latest open-wheel driver to transition to NASCAR following Allmendinger, Juan Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier and Dario Franchitti.
"I truly view this move to NASCAR and the Sprint Cup Series as the next great challenge for me in racing," said Hornish Jr. "My learning curve has been sharp, but Roger, everyone at Penske Racing and the team at Mobil 1 have been incredibly supportive throughout the process. The track time this season is all part of the transition to Cup racing and I am committed to making 2008 a successful season for the Mobil 1 Racing team."
"Sam Hornish Jr. is one of the most versatile and skilled drivers in all of motor sports," said Jerry Kohlenberger, president of the ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties Company. "Everyone at ExxonMobil is looking forward to Sam building his impressive racing resume as he successfully crosses over to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. We also are delighted to expand our 17-year relationship with Penske Racing and present Mobil 1 as the title sponsor of the #77 Dodge.”
"Sam had a great run with us in the IndyCar Series, and as he continues to adjust to the type of racing he'll encounter in the Sprint Cup Series, we expect him to excel there as well," said Roger Penske. "In Sam, we have a driver with the desire to be the best and win wherever and whenever he races. We can teach him about stock car racing, but we don't need to teach him how to be a racer.”
