Sam Hornish Jr.
Hornish in 2015
Born	Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. (1979-07-02)July 2, 1979 (age 45) Archbold, Ohio, U.S.
Achievements	2001,2002,2006 IndyCar Series champion 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner
Awards	1999 Atlantic Championship Rookie of the Year 2004 IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver 2006Scott Brayton Award U.S. F2000 National Championship Hall of Fame Inductee (2012)
NASCARCup Series career
167 races run over 9 years
2015 position	26th
Best finish	26th (2015)
First race	2007Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil (Phoenix)
Last race	2015Ford EcoBoost 400 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 12 0
NASCARXfinity Series career
120 races run over 11 years
2017 position	31st
Best finish	2nd (2013)
First race	2006Arizona Travel 200 (Phoenix)
Last race	2017Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead)
First win	2011WYPALL* 200 Powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional (Phoenix)
Last win	2017Mid-Ohio Challenge (Mid-Ohio)
Wins Top tens Poles 5 64 9
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	74th (2008)
First race	2008Kroger 200 (Martinsville)
Last race	2008Kroger 200 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
IndyCar Series
Years active	2000–2007
Teams	PDM Racing (2000) Panther Racing (2001–2003) Team Penske (2004–2007)
Starts	116
Wins	19
Podiums	47
Poles	10
Fastest laps	10
Best finish	1st in2001,2002 and2006
Last updated on: November 18, 2017.

Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. (born July 2, 1979) is an American semi-retired^[1] professionalauto racing driver. He last competed part-time in theNASCARXfinity Series, driving the No. 22Ford Mustang forTeam Penske in 2017.

Hornish began his top-tier racing career in theIndyCar Series, making his driving debut during the2000 season forPDM Racing. Hornish began driving forPanther Racing the following season, winning eleven races and the2001 and2002 series championships over the next three seasons. During the2004 season Hornish began driving forTeam Penske, winning eight more races (including the2006 Indianapolis 500) and the2006 series championship during his time with the team. When he left the series after the2007 season, he held the record for most career wins in the series (19, broken byScott Dixon in2009).

Hornish moved to Penske'sNASCAR program part-time in theXfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) during the2006 season, and began driving part-time in theCup Series (then known as the Nextel Cup Series) in2007. He raced full-time in the Cup Seriesthe following year, struggling at first, with eight top-ten finishes over his first three seasons and a top points placing of 28th (in2009). Hornish returned part-time to the Xfinity Series (then known as the Nationwide Series) in2011, winning one race. He drove full-time in the seriesthe following year, finishing fourth in points. In2012 Hornish replacedA. J. Allmendinger (suspended by NASCAR for failing a drug test) in Penske's No. 22 car midway through the season, earning one top-five finish.The following year he returned to the Nationwide Series, winning one race and earning 16 top-five and 24 top-ten finishes to place second in points (three behind series championAustin Dillon). Hornish drove part-time forJoe Gibbs Racing in an eight-race2014 season, with one win and four top-five finishes. He returned to the Cup Series in2015 withRichard Petty Motorsports, scoring three top-tens and finishing 26th in points. He returned part-time to the Xfinity Series in2016, winning a race for JGR and finishing sixth or better in all three races he entered forRichard Childress Racing. In2017, he returned to Penske's Xfinity program for a three-race schedule in the No. 22.

Hornish began racinggo-karts at age 11,^[2] winning theWorld Karting Association U.S. Grand National championship in less than four years.^[2] From 1996 to 1998, he made 32 starts in theU.S. F2000 National Championship.^[3] In Hornish's final season in the series, he had a career-best second-place finish atPikes Peak International Raceway.^[3] He finished seventh in points in 1998,^[3] and was inducted into the series' Hall of Fame in 2012 as a 1998 graduate.^[4] During the1999 Atlantic Championship season Hornish drove for Michael Shank Racing team ownerMike Shank,^[5] winning atChicago Motor Speedway^[6] and finishing seventh in the championship standings with 67 points.^[7]

During the1999 United States Road Racing Championship season, Hornish drove forIntersport Racing in theUnited States Road Racing Championship at the season-openingRolex 24 at Daytona withJon Field,Ryan Jones and Mike Shank in the Can-Am class. Their car, starting in eighth place, finished 42nd (14th in its class) after retiring on lap 400 with a gearbox failure.^[8][9]

In2007, Hornish returned to compete in the season-openingRolex 24 at Daytona for Michael Shank Racing withMark Patterson,Oswaldo Negri Jr., andHélio Castroneves in theDaytona Prototype class. Their car started 22nd, in its class and overall. It finished ninth in its class and overall, completing 628 laps.^[10][11]

Hornish began driving in theIndyCar Series in2000^[2] forPDM Racing in the No. 18G-Force GF05-Oldsmobile AuroraL47 V8. He debuted at the season-opening race atWalt Disney World Speedway, starting in 19th place and finishing in 20th (28 laps behind).^[12] In the season's third race, theVegas Indy 300 atLas Vegas Motor Speedway, Hornish started 18th and had his first career podium finish (third place, one lap behind).^[13] He qualified for his firstIndianapolis 500 in 14th place, after his team replaced the G-Force with aDallara IR00.^[14] In mid-race, Hornish was involved in an accident^[15] which relegated him to 24th place.^[14] Starting 20th atKentucky Speedway, he led for a series career-high 38 laps and finished ninth.^[16] Hornish ended his season with a 27th- (and last-) place finish atTexas Motor Speedway,^[17] finishing his rookie season with 110 points (21st in the point standings).^[18]

Before the2001 Indy Racing League season, Hornish moved toPanther Racing^[2] to drive the No. 4Dallara IR01-Oldsmobile AuroraL47 V8. He began the season with consecutive victories atPhoenix andHomestead-Miami in his first two races with the team.^[2] At theIndianapolis 500, Hornish qualified in 13th place. He finished 14th, four laps behind after an early spin.^[19] He continued to drive well, clinching the championship before the final race of the season (a second-place finish atChicagoland Speedway). Since the winner of each race receives 50 points, Hornish's 66-point advantage clinched the championship with one race remaining.^[20] At the season-ending race at Texas he started in the pole position, leading for 115 laps in his third win of the season.^[21] Hornish won the championship with 503 points, 105 points ahead of second-placeBuddy Lazier.^[21] At age 22, he was the youngest champion in series history.^[3]

In2002 Hornish returned to Panther Racing, with the team changing manufactures and running aChevrolet V8. At the season-openingGrand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami, he qualified in the pole position and led for 166 of 200 laps to win his fourth career race in the series.^[22] Hornish then won theYamaha Indy 400 atCalifornia Speedway, defeatingJaques Lazier by 0.028 second.^[23] At theIndianapolis 500, he qualified in 7th place. In the race Hornish brushed the wall on lap 78, damaging his suspension. He returned to the race and finished 25th place, ten laps behind.^[24] Hornish won theSunTrust Indy Challenge atRichmond International Raceway three races later.^[25] At theDelphi Indy 300 atChicagoland he defeatedAl Unser Jr. by 0.0024 second, the closest finish in series history.^[26][27] In the final race of the season at Texas, Hornish started in third place and led for 79 laps to win by 0.0096 second.^[28] He won his second consecutive championship,^[29] amassing five wins and 11 top-five finishes over the season.^[2]

The beginning of the2003 season saw Hornish struggle in comparison with his previous two years at Panther. At theIndianapolis 500, he qualified in 18th place; in the race, he retired with a blown engine after completing 195 of the 200 laps. Hornish finished the race in 15th place, dropping to a tie withBuddy Rice for 12th place in points.^[30] At the following race atPikes Peak, he started in 14th place and finished fifth (his first lead-lap finish of the season).^[31] Around this time, Panther Racing and several other teams using the Chevrolet engine built byGeneral Motors (the parent company of Chevrolet) switched to a new engine byCosworth which wasbadged as a Chevrolet engine.^[32] After the change Hornish's results began improving; he started fourth and finished second, after leading for 126 of 200 laps, atMichigan International Speedway.^[33] Two races later, atKentucky Speedway, he qualified for the pole position and led for 181 of 200 laps to win.^[34] Hornish then won two more consecutive races, atChicagoland and atCalifornia Speedway.^[31] He won the former race by 0.01 second overScott Dixon andBryan Herta, the closest top-three finish in series history.^[35] Going into the season-endingChevy 500 atTexas Motor Speedway, Hornish was mathematically eligible win the championship; however, his car had a spray problem after 176 of 195 laps.^[36] He finished 17th, and was fifth in the final point standings with 461 points.^[36]

Hornish began driving forMarlboro Team Penske during the2004 IndyCar Series season^[2] in its No. 6Dallara IR03-Toyota Indy V8, winning the season opener at Homestead-Miami in his first race with the team, passing teammate Hélio Castroneves on the final lap.^[2] After qualifying in 11th place at theIndianapolis 500, he battled for the lead withBuddy Rice andDan Wheldon and led for nine laps (the first laps Hornish led in his Indianapolis 500 career). On lap 105, entering the main straightaway out of the fourth turn, Hornish tried to passDarren Manning andGreg Ray's lapped car. They collided, crashing into the pit lane; Hornish finished 26th, dropping to ninth place in the point standings.^[37] The rest of his season was sub-par, with two podium finishes.^[38] Hornish was seventh in the championship standings with 387 points,^[39] his worst finish since he placed 21st in 2000.

He returned to Team Penske for the2005 season. AtPhoenix in the season's second race, Hornish started in second place and won after leading for 25 laps.^[40] During practice for theIndianapolis 500, he drove over a piece of debris afterPaul Dana's second-turn crash and flipped over.^[41] Two days later Hornish qualified in second place, crashing out after leading for a race-high 77 laps and finishing 23rd.^[42] At theMilwaukee Mile he qualified for the pole position and led for 123 of 225 laps, passingDario Franchitti with nine laps left for his second win of the season.^[43] Hornish finished third in the championship standings, with 512 points.^[44]

Hornish again returned to Penske in2006. The team changed manufacturers, joiningHonda when Toyota and Chevrolet left the series after the 2005 season. His season highlight was theIndianapolis 500, when he passedMarco Andretti for the lead on the final lap to win^[2] in the second-closest margin of victory in the race's history.^[45] Hornish later said about the pass, "I figured I came all this way, I ought to give myself one more shot at it. I kind of looked at it as, I was going to drive over him if I had to. For Marco to come as a rookie and drive like that he should be proud no matter what."^[46][47][48] His second win of the season was atRichmond (after leading for all but 38 laps),^[49] and he took the points lead after winning the next race atKansas.^[50] His fourth and final win of the season was atKentucky, when he started second and led for 57 laps.^[51] In the season-ending race atChicagoland Hornish qualified for the pole position and finished third, clinching his third series championship^[52] and Penske's first.^[2] Although he andDan Wheldon finished the year with the same number of points, the tie was broken by wins; Hornish had four, and Wheldon two.^[53]

For the2007 season Hornish again returned to Penske, starting theIndianapolis 500 in fifth place. Running consistently in the top ten, he finished fourth when the race was halted by rain after 166 laps.^[54] Hornish's only win of the season was theBombardier Learjet 550 atTexas Motor Speedway, when he started in second place and led for 159 of its 228 laps.^[55] His series-best finish on a road course or street circuit, second place at theCamping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix, was overshadowed by an altercation withTony Kanaan.^[56] With the season-ending race at Chicagoland, Hornish ended his IndyCar career with a third-place finish (after starting second and leading for a race-high 90 laps) and finished fifth in the points standings.^[57]

After the season, Hornish remained optimistic about an eventual IndyCar return: "I hope they move the schedule so that somebody could do it. That's my goal. If I never ran in the Indy 500 again or an IndyCar Series race I would probably say I would be disappointed about that."^[58] He received offers to return after his departure, and in late 2008 was rumored to be returning to replaceHélio Castroneves thenext season^[59] due to Castroneves'IRS problems. Castroneves was eventually cleared, missing only the season opener withWill Power driving for Penske during his absence.^[60] In November 2013, Hornish declined an offer to drive forChip Ganassi Racing in theupcoming season afterDario Franchitti's career-ending injuries at the2013 Shell-Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston.^[61]

Hornish was invited to compete in the2002,^[62]2003^[63] and2006International Race of Champions (IROC).^[64][65] His best points finish in the series was eighth, in 2003 and 2006.^[66][67]

Hornish began competing in theNASCARBusch Series in the No. 39Dodge Charger late in the2006 season forPenske Racing.^[68] He drove the last two events of the season,^[69] struggling in both races. AtPhoenix, Hornish started 27th and finished 36th after a crash on lap 187.^[70] In the season-ending race atHomestead-Miami, he was involved a crash after five laps and finished last.^[71]

Hornish returned to the series in2007, driving nine races for Penske in the No. 12.^[72] He had his best start and finish of the season in theNicorette 300 atAtlanta Motor Speedway, starting fifth and finishing fifteenth.^[73] Hornish earned another top-ten start (sixth place) at the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami. Despite a good qualifying run, he finished 38th after a crash withTodd Bodine on lap 114.^[74]

In mid-2007, Hornish drove Penske's No. 27Dodge Charger in anARCA Re/Max Series race atMichigan International Speedway. Starting in the pole position,^[75] he led the first 29 laps of the race before being passed by eventual winnerErik Darnell^[76][77] and finishing second.^[64][78] After the race, he called the transition to stock cars a "challenge": "I'm a student at this, still trying to learn as much as I can. A lot of people have asked me what the toughest transition is, coming over here from the IndyCars and doing these stock car races, and really it's the fact I don't get much practice time."^[64]

At the end of the season Hornish drove in theNextel Cup Series forPenske Racing South in its No. 06Dodge Charger, failing to qualify for his first six races.^[79][80] He qualified for theChecker Auto Parts 500 atPhoenix, starting in 26th place and finishing 30th (two laps behind).^[81] Hornish also qualified for the following race atHomestead-Miami, starting in 29th place. After crashing in turn three of lap 194 he finished 37th, thirteen laps behind.^[82]

In2008, Hornish drove full-time for Penske in its renumbered No. 77 car.^[83] Before the season, Penske swapped cars and owners' points withKurt Busch; Hornish was guaranteed a starting position in the first five races and Busch, who won the series championship in2004, would also be guaranteed a starting position as the most recent series champion driving a car outside the top 35 in owners' points.^[84] At the season-openingDaytona 500, Hornish qualified in 19th place; he finished 15th^[85] as teammatesRyan Newman and Busch were first and second, respectively.^[86] In the season's second race, theAuto Club 500 atAuto Club Speedway, Hornish sustained collateral damage whenCasey Mears crashed intoDale Earnhardt Jr. on lap 22. Mears' car flipped 270 degrees, and Hornish's car caught fire.^[87] Hornish finished in 43rd place.^[88] Although he struggled during his rookie season, he drove well in May atLowe's Motor Speedway. In the exhibitionSprint Showdown at Lowe's, Hornish drove a car that was setup with an angled rear-end housing that was designed to cause air to hit the right side of the car, generate side force, improve grip in the turns, and allow a looser setup. This setup made the car look like it was drifting orcrabwalking on straightaways and was banned following the all-star race.^[89][90] Hornish started eighth and finished second.^[91] By finishing in the top two, he qualified for the exhibition2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and still used the car with the angled rear-end housing, starting 23rd out of 24 cars and finishing seventh.^[92] Hornish had his best finish (13th place) of the season at theCoca-Cola 600, also at Lowe's.^[93] Late in the season his Penske team dropped out of the top 35 in owners' points, and Hornish failed to qualify for theAMP Energy 500 atTalladega Superspeedway and the season-endingFord 400 atHomestead-Miami Speedway.^[94] He finished 35th in the drivers' standings, with 2,523 points.^[95] Hornish was second in therookie of the year standings, after a season-long battle withRegan Smith.^[96]

He drove for Penske in the renamed Nationwide Series, failing to qualify for his first two races of the season.^[97] Hornish's best finish of the season was eleventh place in theDiamond Hill Plywood 200 atDarlington Raceway, where he started twelfth.^[98] In theCarquest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway he led his first laps of the series (eight), but a mid-race accident relegated him to 39th place.^[99] Late in the season, Hornish drove one race in theCraftsman Truck Series (theKroger 200 atMartinsville Speedway) forBobby Hamilton Racing in its No. 4Dodge Ram, starting 16th and finishing ninth.^[100]

In the2009 Sprint Cup season Hornish returned to Penske, now known as Penske Championship Racing.^[101] For the second straight year, his team changed owners' points (purchasing them fromDave Blaney andBill Davis Racing this time) to guarantee him a starting spot in the first five races.^[101] At the season-openingDaytona 500, Hornish started 29th and finished 32nd (one lap behind).^[102] He had his first top-ten finish of the season (ninth place) at Phoenix, followed by six more throughout the year.^[103] Hornish's victory in theSprint Showdown at Lowe's Motor Speedway qualified him for the2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race,^[104] where he started 19th and finished 16th.^[105] Later that season, he had two top-five finishes: a career-best fourth atPocono and a fifth atMichigan.^[103] At Watkins Glen, Hornish was involved in a very violent crash. Coming off of turn 9, Hornish was racing withKasey Kahne where Kasey got loose and got into Hornish causing Hornish to spin. He hit a tire barrier on the left rear of the car and shot him back across the race track spinning like a top where he was then nearly t-boned byJeff Gordon and then hit again byJeff Burton where it nearly sent Hornish on his side. Gordon's impact into Hornish was so vicious, it ripped the whole rear including the fuel cell out of Hornish's car. Fortunately, Hornish, Gordon, and Burton walked out under their own power uninjured.^[106] Hornish finished 28th in the final standings, with 3,203 points.^[107]

Hornish joined Penske again in2010. At the season-openingDaytona 500, Hornish started 26th and was involved in an early accident on the race's ninth lap; he finished 37th, completing 160 of its 208 laps.^[108] His qualifying results improved slightly during the rest of the season, with three top-fives.^[109] Hornish's only top-ten finish of the season was tenth place at theSylvania 300 atNew Hampshire Motor Speedway.^[110] He finished 29th in the standings, with 3,214 points.^[111] After the season Hornish's longtime sponsor, Mobil 1, left him and Penske forTony Stewart andStewart-Haas Racing.^[112] In the2010 Nationwide Series he drove the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami^[113] forBrian Keselowski Motorsports (in conjunction with Penske) in its No. 26Dodge Avenger, starting twelfth and finishing 21st.^[114]

Before the2011 season Penske sold the owners' points of its No. 77 car toRusty Wallace Racing, to be driven by ownerRusty Wallace's son (and team driver)Steve at the season-openingDaytona 500, for financial reasons.^[115] As a result, Penske moved Hornish to the Nationwide Series to drive the team's No. 12 Dodge Charger. He drove the5-hour Energy 500 atPocono Raceway inFront Row Motorsports' No. 38Ford Fusion, filling in forTravis Kvapil (who was driving in a Truck Series event at Texas).^[116] Hornish started in 26th place and finished 35th, 60 laps behind.^[117][118] He drove twelve races with the No. 12 team, moving to Penske's No. 22 for a 13th race atIowa Speedway.^[119] At Iowa Hornish started in third place and led from laps 13 through 51, later dropping five laps behind to finish 24th.^[120] In theWYPALL* 200 Powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional atPhoenix International Raceway, he started in fifth place and led for the race's final 61 laps after passingRicky Stenhouse Jr. (who led for a race-high 73 laps)^[121] for his first career victory in the series.^[122]

Hornish returned to the series with Penske for a full-time season in2012.^[123] Winless, he had second-place finishes at Indianapolis,Montréal and Kentucky.^[124] After a race atTalladega Superspeedway,Danica Patrick intentionally spun Hornish's car into the main straightaway wall after he made contact with her during the race.^[125] He finished fourth at the season-endingFord EcoBoost 300 atHomestead-Miami Speedway,^[126] and was fourth in points with 1,146.^[127]

Hornish returned to the Sprint Cup Series for one race in Penske's No. 12: theSTP 400 atKansas Speedway. Starting in 10th place, he led for seven laps and finished 19th (one lap behind).^[128] Midway through the season, Hornish replacedA. J. Allmendinger in Penske's No. 22 car after Allmendinger was suspended by NASCAR for failing a drug test. Allmendinger qualified in eighth place, but due to the driver change Hornish had to move to the rear of the field. He finished 33rd, after a mid-race crash required ten laps of repair time.^[129] Hornish drove the car in the remaining races,^[130] with a season-best fifth place at Watkins Glen.^[131][132] Aside from that race, his best finishes were a trio of eleventh places at Atlanta, Richmond and Chicagoland.^[130] Hornish's best start of the season was fourth atDover, where he finished 25th (seven laps behind).^[133]

He returned to the Nationwide Series full-time for Penske in2013 to drive the No. 12, now aFord Mustang after Penske changed manufacturers. Hornish's 2013 season was his best to date, with 16 top-five and 25 top-ten finishes.^[134] At the season-openingDRIVE4COPD 300 atDaytona International Speedway, Hornish started and finished second despite his involvement in a serious crash on the final lap. Since race winnerTony Stewart was only eligible to score points for theSprint Cup Series, Hornish was the series points leader after the Daytona race.^[135] At theSam's Town 300 atLas Vegas Motor Speedway, he led for 114 laps in his second Nationwide victory.^[136] Before the season-endingFord EcoBoost 300 atHomestead-Miami Speedway Hornish was second in points, eight behindAustin Dillon. Hornish qualified in the pole position and led for 37 laps, finishing eighth; Dillon, who finished twelfth, won the series championship.^[137] Hornish was second in the final point standings, with 1,177.^[138] During the season, car ownerRoger Penske said that Hornish (who had driven for the team since 2004) would be released due to a lack of sponsorship.^[139][140] Hornish planned to drive Penske's No. 12 in the Sprint Cup Series at Kansas and Talladega. At Kansas he started in fourth place, running as high as third before crashing on lap 183 due to winds.^[141][142] The qualifier was rained out at Talladega, and Hornish failed to qualify because he had only one other Cup start that season.^[143]

In2014, he drove forJoe Gibbs Racing in its No. 54Toyota Camry for a part-time season.^[144] Hornish drove seven races in the No. 54,^[145] also driving the No. 20 Camry at Michigan (where he finished second).^[146] In the No. 54, he started on the pole atTalladega andMid-Ohio.^[145] The highlight of Hornish's season was his victory in theGet To Know Newton 250 atIowa Speedway, where he started in second place and led for 167 laps.^[147] Despite his limited schedule he finished 27th with 242 points, the highest-ranked driver with less than ten starts.^[148] Gibbs tapped Hornish to drive theAuto Club 400 atAuto Club Speedway in the No. 11 Camry^[149] when regular driverDenny Hamlin was sidelined by a severe sinus infection,^[150] and he finished 17th.^[151]

In2015 Hornish returned full-time to the Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 9Ford Fusion forRichard Petty Motorsports (RPM). He replacedMarcos Ambrose, who returned to racingV8 Supercars forDJR Team Penske.^[152] Hornish began the season with a twelfth-place finish at theDaytona 500, after starting 38th.^[153] He struggled after the season opener, finishing 30th or worse in four of the next eight races.^[154] In theGEICO 500 atTalladega Superspeedway, Hornish had a season-best sixth-place finish;^[155][156] after the race,Kevin Manion replacedDrew Blickensderfer as his crew chief.^[156] He later finished in the top ten at both road-course races (tenth and ninth atSonoma Raceway andWatkins Glen International, respectively).^[157][158] In theCoke Zero 400 at Daytona he was involved in a single-car accident on lap 155, driving into the infield at nearly full speed. Hornish'ssplitter was pushed under the front of the car; he nearly flipped when the front of the car dug into the grass, and nearly flipped again when he crossed a track access road.^[159] He retired from the race, finishing 30th.^[160] On November 14, 2015, RPM announced that they did not expect Hornish to return to the team for the2016 season.^[161]

Hornish also droveBiagi-DenBeste Racing's No. 98 Ford Mustang part-time in the former Nationwide Series, renamed theXfinity Series.^[162] In three races with the team he had one lead-lap finish, a 14th place at Texas.^[163]

On May 11, 2016, an article posted online bySports Illustrated appeared to acknowledge that Hornish had retired from racing after being released by Richard Petty Motorsports, saying he "unharnessed himself one last time" and "hung up his helmet at the end of last season."^[164] Five days later, however, an article fromThe Crescent-News (based in Hornish's birthplace ofDefiance, Ohio) quoted Hornish as saying, "I'm still working on something to race in good equipment. Possibilities still exist for this year, but there were a couple of different opportunities that didn't pan out because somebody else brought money to the table."^[165]

On June 8, 2016,Richard Childress Racing announced plans to add Hornish to their Xfinity Series driver lineup, hiring him to drive the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro at the July Iowa race and Kentucky.^[166] He also ran the No. 2 at Mid-Ohio.^[167] Additionally, Hornish returned toJoe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 18 Toyota Camry in place of an injuredMatt Tifft for the June Iowa race,^[168][169] a race he went on to win.^[170][171]

In June 2017, Hornish returned to the Xfinity Series with Penske, driving the No. 22 Mustang at both Iowa races and the Mid-Ohio event.^[172] At Mid-Ohio, Hornish won the pole, and proceeded to lead 61 of the 75 laps en route to victory in his home state.^[173] Hornish returned to Penske for the fall race at Kentucky,^[174] as well as the Charlotte and Homestead playoff races, finishing second in both.^[175][176]

Hornish, a 1998 graduate ofArchbold High School inArchbold, Ohio,^[177] lives inNapoleon, Ohio.^[2] He and his wife, Crystal, have three children: two daughters (Addison and Eliza)^[178] and a son, Sam III.^[179] His niece, Hope, was aNASCAR Drive for Diversity member in 2016,^[180][181]

He has helped create a senior center in Defiance, and helped add a heart center at Defiance Medical Center.^[2] During a race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Hornish (an avid bowler) promoted a charity bowling event.^[2] His work with Speedway Children’s Charities has raised over $500,000 to benefitNorth Texas children.^[2] Hornish collects and customizes classic automobiles; he owns a 1930 Model A Ford, a 1951 Mercury, a 1955 Chevrolet Del Ray, a 1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, a 1967 Chevrolet pickup truck and a Corvette ZO6 Indianapolis 500 pace car.^[2] Hornish has also worked as a substitute school teacher while away from the track,^[165] and has also taughtVacation Bible School.^[182]

Hornish's Panther Racing car is on the cover of the 2003IndyCar Series video game.^[183] As early as 2004, he made frequent guest appearances on the auto-racing call-in showWindTunnel with Dave Despain.^[184] When he won the Indianapolis 500 Hornish appeared onLive! with Regis and Kelly,^[185] and he was a guest on the September 12, 2006Late Show with David Letterman after winning the2006 IndyCar Series championship.^[186]

Hornish narrated the American dub of the British children's television seriesRoary the Racing Car, replacing former British racing driverStirling Moss. He later called the opportunity his "one chance to do something Stirling Moss did."^[187]

In 2012 Hornish became co-host of the auto racing news and highlight show,SPEED Center.^[188] Two years later he was a color commentator for theNBCSN broadcast of the IndyCarGoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma,^[189] and was a NASCAR analyst forFox Sports 1 throughout the season.^[190]

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.)

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

(key)

Rolex 24 at Daytona results
Year	Class	No.	Team	Car	Co-drivers	Laps	Position	Class Position	Ref
1999	CA	28	Intersport Racing	Lola-Ford	Jon Field Ryan Jones Mike Shank	399	42DNF	14DNF	[9]
2007	DP	60	Michael Shank Racing	Lexus Riley DP	Mark Patterson Oswaldo Negri Jr. Hélio Castroneves	628	9	9	[11]

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)