An Ode to Sam Hornish
With Penske's hiring of David Stremme comes various theories regarding the future of one Mr. Sam Hornish, Jr., Defiance, Ohio's first citizen. Here are my two cents:
1. Penske has been talking about starting a testing team for months. It makes good sense for a well-heeled race team to have a testing team...takes pressure off of your race teams to test and allows your crews to focus on race prep. They do testing teams in F1 and MotoGP, and you can't argue with the results derived from the focus on testing that Carl Edwards and Roush took last season. Given the propriety of starting a testing team, a driver was needed. Why not David Stremme? He already has experience in Dodge Cup cars; he's a clean cut well groomed "Penske Type" and he doesn't have much else going on.
2. Sam is doing the best of the open-wheel converts (save JP) to NASCAR. He fell out of the Top-35 for one race so far, and qualified pretty easily for that one race. He's back in the Top 35 and had a solid run last week at Phoenix (20th). He hasn't missed a race this season, and in fact, would not have even needed his Kurt Busch owners points for the first five races of the season. He's certainly not lighting the world on fire, but he's holding his own as a rookie in Sprint Cup. Don't forget: INCLUDING THIS YEAR, SAM HAS RUN A TOTAL OF NO MORE THAN 20 STOCK CAR RACES IN HIS ENTIRE CAREER. 20! 20? Yes, 20. I'd say he's doing pretty well for a guy who has run 20 races in his entire career when you think that the guys he's racing with have run probably 20 times that number in their careers.
3. Sam ain't going back to the IndyCar series anytime soon. He might run the 500 this year, he might run it in future years, but he won't be back full-time in Indycar. First, Roger Penske has no interest in running more than two-car full season complement of cars in Indycar. His sponsor, Marlboro, actually won't allow it. Second, Sam came over to Cup because he lost interest in Indycar and had some serious beef with the way in which the series was being marketed. Given, blendification has changed the paradigm, but; until Indycar becomes a serious contender to NASCAR, I don't see Sam wanting to go back except to run the 500.
4. Roger Penske is notoriously loyal to the drivers he likes. It has been reported that Roger loves Sam more than any driver he's previously had. Now you're talking about a Roger Penske who has built excellent relationships with guys like Mark Donohue, Rick Mears, etc...Sam is Roger's boy. Business decisions aside, Roger would be hard-pressed to get rid of Sam for at least three years or so, unless Sam starts missing races regularly.
So, given all this I think we can draw a few conclusions.
1. Hiring David Stremme was a planned move and would have happened whether Sam was in the top-12 or failed to make races.
2. The David Stremme move may allow Sam to run the Indy 500.
3. Neither Roger Penske nor Sam have any intent to return to Indycar racing (save the 500) in the next three to five years.
4. Sam has not lit the world on fire, but all in all has been doing decently in his rookie campaign.
5. Perhaps the real reason for the Stremme hire is an anticipated separation with Ryan Newman...don't forget, Roger Penske doesn't just do things...everything happens for a reason at Penske Racing. Just look at the way Penske brought Ryan Briscoe up in to his ALMS program to groom him for Sam's ride in Indycar this year.
I agree, Sam I Am has done respectfully for a rookie. Just compare to a David Ragan his first year out! I'm a Roush girl, through and through, but there is something about this guy I like, and I hope he's around for a long time. :)
- Becky
- 10:47:53 04-17-2008
Slightly off topic, but what ever happened to Penske's proposal of building their own test track?
- Jason
- 11:39:00 04-17-2008
Yeah...I remember that test track idea. I'm sure it's still cooking but knowing Roger Penske, he's probably figuring out a way to get somebody else to pay for it.
- Clint
- 11:53:43 04-17-2008
Yeah the neighbors were pissed and were going to pack the county commissioner's meeting where the special use zoning hearing was to be heard...but the press release said Penske racing would continue to work on it. I think that means either (1) trying to find a new location or (2) trying to sweeten the pot for the neighbors.
- Clint
- 13:28:24 04-17-2008
Excellent points, but I did hear an interview where Sammy did sound a little beaten down and did say that he didn't feel that he was done racing in the Indy 500 or the Indycar series. Can't remember where I heard the statement, but it was right from Sammy's mouth. To perpetuate the rumormongering - and this is just my thought so don't go thinking I heard something about this from somewhere - but if (and IF is a big operative word there) Stremme is being groomed as a replacement for Newman, would it make sense for Newman to look towards RCR as they add another car to their team in the future.
I do like seeing Sam in NASCAR. He's a great driver and has what it takes to succeed. I wish Penske would grow to a 3 and eventually a 4 car operation and I would love to see him more competitive in NASCAR.
- gofast
- 09:52:45 04-18-2008
I agree. I think Buck and Bass are jumping the gun a bit with all of the speculation that he's leaving. The season isn't even a 1/3 complete....it's a little premature to speculate even w/ the Stremme hire. Watching all of these great open wheel stars struggle week in and week out (that includes JP) really makes you respect what Tony Stewart was able to accomplish in his rookie year of cup.
- ryan
- 22:25:12 04-18-2008
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