Expired Motor Ends Race Early for Sam Hornish Jr. 54 Team at Chicagoland

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In: Xfinity Series News

In his fourth attempt this year with the No. 54 Monster Energy team, driver Sam Hornish Jr. and the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) NASCAR Nationwide Series Camry experienced a short race night when on lap seven the engine expired on their Toyota Camry, which forced them to return to the garage, their night ended early with a 36th-place finish.

It was beautiful summer weather for the Illinois event as the Nationwide Series now enters the third quarter of NASCAR’s 33-week schedule. On Friday, NASCAR conducted two practice sessions on the 1.5-mile oval south of the “Windy City.” Hornish Jr. and JGR crew chief Adam Stevens worked to improve the car’s turning ability based on a tight-handling condition, clocked within the top-10 fastest cars of the field.

Qualifying laps were completed the afternoon of the EnjoyIllinois.com 300 race, when Hornish Jr. registered the No. 54 Camry 6th-quick on the board, with a 177.090 mph lap. Unfortunately that didn’t remain, however, when the team noticed upon qualifying completion, that the No. 54 had a broken part underneath. A track bar adjuster had snapped in half, a piece the team needs during the race. Because of the part change post qualifying, the No. 54 had to move to the rear of the field at the green-flag start.

Hornish wasn’t deterred and upon the drop of the green flag he wasted no time moving through the field. The Monster Energy Toyota was already scored in 32nd place at lap one, 25th by lap three and 21st at lap five. The team was settling in to watch their veteran Nationwide Series driver continue to progress towards the front, when they suddenly heard bad news over the radio. “Huge vibration, taking it back to the garage,” Hornish described. A cloud of smoke plumed from the No. 54 machine and fluids leaked underneath. Upon immediate inspection the team quickly determined a rod had broken in the engine, it had expired – ending the night for the hopeful team.

A disappointed Hornish Jr. expressed post-race, “This race car was good and we felt positive about it in practice. After qualifying we found a broken part and that meant starting in the rear, but we knew that wouldn’t stop us from having a good run. In the race I felt good about the car’s handling then bang! Lights were flashing and I knew it was terminal. It’s not what these guys wanted from the work they put into this machine, but we’ll keep our heads up. We have speed. I thought we could go out and win tonight, now we’ll never know.”

The No. 54 Monster Energy team owned by J.D. Gibbs maintains first place in the Owner’s Point standings, now five points ahead of the No. 22 Ford, owned by Roger Penske.

Chase Elliott won the race, his third Nationwide Series victory in 18 starts. Trevor Bayne, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne and Ty Dillon filled out the top-five finishing positions. There were three caution periods for 13 laps of the race along with seven lead changes across 11 drivers.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series competes again on July26 at Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway in the Lilly Diabetes 250 event on Saturday, with television broadcast starting at 4 p.m. EST on ESPN. Kyle Busch will make his 15th start behind the wheel of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.

KBM PR

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