Hornish Jr. has sent the team owner Roger Penske, a text message a day after the suspension of AJ Allmendinger made his desire clear: if a drug test not marginalized Allmendinger, Hornish wants to drive the No. 22 Dodge.
He is getting his chance this weekend in New Hampshire, where Hornish Penske has cards to fill the position vacated again on Saturday night, when Allmendinger was suspended hours before the race at Daytona.
"I sent a text to Roger, basically saying that if I needed, I'd be more than willing to find ways to make it work," said Hornish. "I had to talk because I did not want anyone else to the point there, or anyone else has the opportunity to speak out because I did not say anything."
This is a new opportunity for Hornish, who tried to rebuild his career in the past two years.
He spent most of last season without a walk as the difficulty of sponsoring Hornish in third Penske made the discord in the organization. "It was a huge drop in one of the most decorated pilots in the American IndyCar history.
Hornish has left the series in the NASCAR season finale in 2007 armed with three championships and 19 victories, including the Indianapolis 2006 500.
His desire for a new challenge has led Penske to move Hornish to NASCAR works, which once fought and did not show enough improvement to justify a place in the elite Sprint Cup. In three seasons, had eight top 10 in only 106 openings. His best result was the 28 points in 2009.
Penske kept it, and the organization has worked all last season trying to build a program Hornish. E 'meet in the Nationwide Series, Hornish this season running the full program. Through 16 races, has nine top 10 and is fourth in the standings.
However, the Sprint Cup Series is where Hornish wants to be, and got the call last Saturday to get to Daytona in a hurry.
Hornish finished 10 th in the National race on Friday night and returned to North Carolina. Penske officials withdrew a television studio in Charlotte, where he was an analyst in a live television program, and flew back to Daytona International Speedway.
Allmendinger came in minutes before it was to come and drive the car to someone else soon.
Even if a cut tire took place at the end of 33 ยบ, Hornish appreciated the opportunity.
"You know, I was on the lake in the morning, doing a TV show in the afternoon and began to run at Daytona during the night," he said. "After all, is not that bad of a day."
This time, it has a week to prepare.
Penske Racing has decided that it was in the best interest of the team to appoint a replacement driver for Sunday even before the situation has been resolved with Allmendinger NASCAR.
Allmendinger did not pass a drug test taken at random 29 June and his manager, said Wednesday that the driver tested positive for a stimulant.
Allmendinger has asked for his urine sample "B" to be tested, and the suspension is at least through this process.
Hornish is not seeing this opportunity as well as a chance to get some seat time in the Cup series
"It is no secret that I want to be in the Cup, and this is not the way I wanted to get here, but I wanted the opportunity, when available," he said. "They gave me this opportunity for two weeks and I'll try to do the best I can with my ability. I know this could be just two weeks, regardless of the outcome that we have, and all that I can do is blessed by the opportunity I have now. "
Hornish wanted the opportunity to December last year, when he suddenly opened after the No. 22 Penske unexpectedly split with Kurt Busch at the end of the season.
Allmendinger is approved, and said that managers of the team said it was because he had built a national program for Hornish and could jeopardize the sponsors.
"They said that last year when he decided to AJ in the car that really was not considered because we have a commitment in the Nationwide Series," said Hornish. "You can not say that I was not disappointed, knowing that it is a race open to an organization that now would be good.
"You know, I do not know what Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Matt Kenseth would have said if. Izquierdo (Roush Fenway Racing) and have come to others instead of giving Ricky the trip, but I understand that you can watch us take care of all those who have joined this national program. "
Hornish was so happy with his role on Penske, which until now has been to contribute to the development of a second full-time program and assure sponsors of the National Alliance of parts and Wurth have made a good investment.
Hornish believes his team has shown that is a competitor of the National Championship. And your time taking the place of Allmendinger, no matter how long it is, I do not hurt this effort.
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