NASCAR – Sam Hornish Jr. with Richard Petty in 2015

There are many pilots ofIndyCar to have tried their luck in NASCAR. From Juan-Pablo Montoya to Tony Stewart, there is no shortage of examples and neither is the diversity of their success. Sam Hornish Jr. tried the stock car experience in 2007 after his third and last title in car in 2006 (the year of his incredible victory at the Indy 500, beating Marco Andretti at the line, after getting rid of Michael Andretti moments earlier). The three full-time seasons for Team Penske between 2008 and 2010 did not lead to convincing results, and Hornish had not returned to full-time driving.

In 2012, it is towards the Nationwide that he will direct with much more success, since in 2013, it is a vice-champion place which punctuates his season, always on behalf of the Captain's stable Roger Penske, who however did not retain Hornish for 2014. The departure of Australian Marcos Amborse from the Richard Petty Motorsports team at the end of this year, to return to the V8 Supercars peloton, had freed up a place in the Ford Fusion No. 9, place that Richard Petty decided to offer the 35-year-old driver.

“Sam will be a great addition to the team, says the seven-time NASCAR champion. He is a man who corresponds well to our fundamental values ​​and he will be a great ambassador for our partners. Sam has also proven that he can win races and compete for a championship. He came to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a significant learning curve coming from open-wheel racing, but he showed in Nationwide that he is a winner. We think he can lead the No. 9 team to Victory Lane and compete in the Chase for us. »

« This is a great opportunity. The owners have put together a team that can play for the championship. Everyone has seen the progress that has been made, and I want to continue this momentum. » indicates the Ohio native who will be at the start of the Daytona 500 next February in the colors of Petty.