When Marcos Ambrose decided he was going to go back under and race in his native Australia, Richard Petty Motorsports had multiple candidates that were worthy of filling in the vacated seat. However, the seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion had one name in mind, Sam Hornish Jr.
Hornish, who previously ran full-time in NASCAR’s top division from 2008 to 2010, was granted a rare second-chance opportunity to prove that he has what it takes to get it done in NASCAR. In mid-August of 2014, he was named driver of the No. 9 car for the 2015 season.
Prior to the beginning of the season, the team only had one sponsor that was committed to a part-time deal, Twisted Tea. Over the course of the first 11 races, companies like Medallion Bank, which is owned by team co-owner Andrew Murstein, and Camping World have given the team some funding so it has been fully funded to run all of the events.
With the lack of money that has been provided, 2015 has been a struggle for Hornish and company.
The team wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500. They barely got in after crashing out of the Budweiser Duels. However, once getting in, the team ran well and finished 12th.
Daytona has been one of the few bright spots for Hornish so far this season.
The team has only four top-20 finishes in the first 11 events this year. The best result came a few weeks ago at Talladega, where Hornish wheeled his car to a sixth-place finish. But after having only top-10 finish, an average finish of 24.6 and no laps led through 10 races, it was time for a change.
That change came from within the organization when former crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer stepped down from atop the pit box and Richard Petty Motorsports hired Kevin “Bono” Manion to fill his position. Blickensderfer was offered another role within the organization, but it is not known whether or not he accepted the position.
Manion’s career highlights speak for themselves. He has won both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 with Jamie McMurray in 2010. He has won two NASCAR XFINITY Series championships with Martin Truex Jr. back in 2004 and 2005 with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.
Kansas was the first test for the newly formed duo. The official announcement that he would take over this role and jump ship from Tommy Baldwin Racing came just a few hours before the hauler departed for the Kansas Speedway mid-week.
Off the truck, the No. 9 team didn’t have much speed. The team qualified a disappointing 26th. But that should come as no shock as Hornish’s average start this season is 26.5, with the best of eighth back at Atlanta in early March.
The night time was the right time for Hornish and company. The team fell one-lap down early on in last Saturday evening’s race at Kansas. For much of the race, the team fought and clawed their way to get back on the lead lap, and evidently finished the night in the 16th position which was about the highest the car ran all night.
With that 16th-place finish, it was Hornish’s best finish on a non-restrictor plate track this season. Prior to Kansas, his best finish on a track less than 2.5 miles long was 19th at Bristol.
With a rejuvenated Manion calling the shots for Hornish, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the 2015 season goes for the No. 9 team. The team’s best shot of a win looks to be July 4 weekend at Daytona, as they have shown to have speed on restrictor plate tracks this year. Hornish also has a strong record at Watkins Glen, which was the team’s strength for multiple seasons with Ambrose.
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