Hornish Jr. looks to extend NASCAR rookie points lead

Posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 10:21 AM EDT.

The Race:  Dickies 500: Race 8 in the Chase
The Place:  Texas Motor Speedway
The Date:  Sunday, Nov. 2
The Time:  3:30 p.m. (ET)
The Track:  1.5-mile tri-oval
The Distance: 334 laps/501 miles
TV:  ABC, 3 p.m. (ET)
Radio:  SIRIUS Satellite Radio

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the Lone Star state this weekend for the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

All eyes will be on the infamous Texas victory lane prize – the rugged looking champion cowboy boot trophy, cowboy hat and traditional firing of the six-shooter pistols.

This weekend’s event is the 33rd of 36 points events on the NSCS regular season schedule. Eight Dodge Chargers are guaranteed spots in the field of 43 with the remaining three needing to qualify on speed Friday afternoon.

Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger) used patience and persistence to take over the Raybestos Rookie of the Year point lead from fellow rookie Regan Smith. After last weekend’s strong performance in Atlanta, Hornish Jr. now leads Smith by two points (195 –193) with three races remaining in the 2008 season.

“From the beginning of the season, one of the goals of this Mobil 1 team has been to win the Raybestos Rookie of the Year title,” Hornish Jr. said. “This season has been one of learning and growth for this No. 77 team. For us to pull together and win the title for everyone at Penske Racing would be a great accomplishment. Personally, it would mean a lot to me because you only have one opportunity to become a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. It should be an exciting end to the season with the close race between Regan and I, and we feel we are up to the challenge.”

Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger) looks for his second-career win at Texas. The winner of the 2003 event, Newman has two consecutive top-five finishes at Texas. He scored a fifth-place finish in the 2007 fall race and he followed that up with a fourth-place effort in April this year. Newman is tied with Petty Enterprise driver Bobby Labonte (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Charger) for the most poles at TMS with two each.

“I always look forward to racing at Texas,” Newman said. “It’s a track that I’ve always liked although it doesn’t necessarily show in the finishes. It’s a smooth, fast race track and there are multiple grooves, so it is fun to race. The track has matured and aged to the point it has gotten better and better each time that we come back. It’s a place (race track) that we look forward to.”

Other notes:

• Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) will make his ninth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Kahne scored a win at Texas during the spring race in 2006 after starting from the pole. In eight starts at Texas, Kahne has accrued one win, two top-five and two top-10 finishes.
• Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) seeks his first trip to victory lane at TMS despite some solid performances. In 11 career starts at TMS, Busch has earned one top-five and seven top-10s.
• Brian Clauson (No. 40 Fastenal Dodge Charger) will attempt to make his NSCS debut this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Clauson has competed in 24 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races throughout this 2008 season, driving the No.40 Fastenal Dodge. He’s collected one pole, one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
• A.J. Allmendinger (No. 10 Country Crock Dodge Charger) has had back-to-back top-15 finishes behind the wheel of the No. 10 Dodge from Gillett Evernham Motorsports despite starting from the 39th position in both races.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 10:21 AM EDT and is filed under Motorsports. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments are currently closed.