Medallion Bank Back as Primary Partner of No. 9 Ford at Pocono
Sam Hornish Jr. returns to Pocono Raceway this weekend for Sunday’s 400-mile event. One of his favorite tracks, Hornish is looking forward to his return to the 2.5-mile, triangle-shaped track. Hornish has run well at the Pennsylvania circuit and calls Pocono a “driver’s racetrack”.
Hornish has eight starts and earned his best finish of fourth in August of 2009. He has accumulated one Top-Five, two Top-10 and four Top-15 finishes.
Veteran Crew Chief Kevin Manion has 17 Cup starts at Pocono. He earned his best finish of third at the 2.5-mile track in June of 2007 and has a total of one Top-Five and three Top-10 finishes.
“I’m excited to go to Pocono. I like racing there. Most of my starts were before the track was re-paved, so there’s still some newness for me. The fact that the track is different on each end makes it interesting and fits the way I drive. Generally, if you can’t make the car perfect on both ends, you have to get it really close on one end so you can carry it in the other.
“I just enjoy it, it’s a challenging track. I feel like it’s a driver’s racetrack and you have to make the most out of what you’ve got. You have to figure out how to put yourself in a good position for the end of the race, saving fuel, things like that. It’s similar to a road course and I feel like Pocono presents you with a lot of opportunities, and if you’re smart and patient, you can figure out how to get your way to the front.
“Our No. 9 team is progressing. The guys are working hard and we’re finding more speed in our cars. We’re starting our summer stretch and Richard Petty Motorsports is really ready to take advantage of the tracks and races ahead. We’ve made changes and have done things to get better back at the shop. The organization is moving forward and I want to continue to help improve our results with our No. 9 team over the next few months. Pocono is a great track to continue some of the momentum we’ve built and get a good finish like we deserve.”
No. 9 Medallion Bank Ford
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP and Fresh From Florida, and Sam Hornish Jr. drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Medallion Bank and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
