SAM HORNISH JR.
No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Sylvania 300
September 19, 2010
Mobil 1 Team News and Notes
Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, has made five Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In June, after starting from the eighth spot, Hornish battled a loose-handling race car and secured a 23rd-place result at the 1.058-mile oval. His best finish at Loudon came in June of 2009 when he secured his first top-10 result at the track with an eighth-place effort.
Before heading to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hornish and the No. 77 team spent Tuesday of this week testing at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia.
Each week Mobil 1 crew chief Travis Geisler offers fans a glimpse into car setup for each racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit at washingtonpost.com. Geisler reports that at New Hampshire, tight corners require a loose racecar and older tires still have a lot of life left in them. Learn more at .
Hornish will appear at the AAA display in the midway at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to answer fan questions on Sunday, September 19, beginning at 9:15 a.m. EDT.
Hornish will also be on hand to sign autographs at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer in Loudon on Sunday from 9:40 – 10:10 a.m.
Sam Hornish Jr. Quote
Why is New Hampshire Motor Speedway such a challenging track for drivers?
“New Hampshire is one of the most challenging tracks that we run at because the cars generally want to get loose entering the corners and there is no banking to hold you. There are not a lot of places to run and be fast. You want to be right down at the bottom (of the track) so your car has to be set up for one particular area, but you still have to be able to move around a little bit to get around people or take their line away from them.”
How do you help teammate Kurt Busch during the Chase for the NASCAR Cup?
“We’re out there trying to help the No. 2 team get through some more things on race weekend as far as trying to check some more stuff off the list. I think that’s how we’re best served in trying to help them during the Chase.”
Does the No. 77 team try to help teammate Kurt Busch during the Chase through testing?
“It’s important for us to try to learn as much as we can during our tests to help the Mobil 1 Dodge, but if they’ve got things that they want to try out and they didn’t get to do it at one of their tests, we can try it for them. Hopefully, our feedback can help them decide if they want to try it on a race weekend when we get limited practice time.”
Crew Chief Travis Geisler Quote
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“Last year we had some good races in Loudon and I am excited to get back on track with a solid run at the flat one-mile oval. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a flat, short track which always proves difficult when trying to get a good balance on the handling of the race car. Having a car that will turn through the center and still have good forward drive off the corners is always a challenge. We’re looking forward to getting back to Loudon and improving on our run there in June.”
