Sam Hornish Jr. made real, tangible, definitive progress in his Sprint Cup career at Phoenix by finishing ninth—his first top-10 in 44 starts in the series. The former IndyCar star delivered it on a most interesting weekend for the Penske Racing organization, one that closed the door on Hornish’s possible return to the open-wheel series with the team.
After Helio Castroneves’ indictment last fall for federal tax evasion, rumors started to circulate that a conviction would bring Hornish back to the Penske’s IndyCar team.
Penske had hired Will Power to replace Castroneves until the verdict was determined. The two-time Indy 500 champion was acquitted on six counts, with one ending in a hung jury (and not expected to be retried), in Miami. With the usual Penske efficiency, the contingency plan was immediately set into motion, and by Saturday morning, Castroneves was back in his No.3, and Power had been shifted into a third entry, No.12—painted and ready to go with Verizon sponsorship.
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Hornish didn’t want to return anyway. After three IndyCar championships and 19 wins, including the Indy 500 in 2006, he’d accomplished everything he’d dreamed of. Hornish was sitting in Turn One at Indianapolis when Danny Sullivan did his 360-degree spin and went on to victory in 1985, and it inspired him.
By the middle of 2007, at the age of 28, Hornish was saying to himself, “What can I do next? ” and the only answer was Sprint Cup. Penske was receptive and the move was made.
It required Penske to expand his Cup team to three cars, an expensive proposition. He didn’t have the full sponsorship to fund it and likely believed he could find it for a driver with Hornish’s resume.
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