Hornish more than just another driver

As a driver, Sam Hornish has competed in auto racing’s top two series, winning three IndyCar championships and an Indianapolis 500.

But Hornish is more than just a racer; he’s a gear head at heart with a passion for buying and fixing up vintage cars.

SOUTHERN 500 SPECIAL EDITION

Make sure you pick up a copy of the Morning News on Thursday. Inside you’ll find the 2009 Southern 500 preview pullout featuring everything you need to know on race day.
This year, they take a special look at the hobbies that keep drivers busy when they aren’t behind the wheel. All week, we’ll be publishing those stories online here at scnow.com.

MONDAY: Mark Martin, fitness fanatic
TUESDAY: Scott Speed, fashion guru and remote control car enthusiast
WEDNESDAY: Marcos Ambrose pans for gold
THURSDAY: Sam Hornish brings vintage cars back to life

In addition, this special edition will have recaps of past races, facts, figures, and more drivers and their hobbies - it's coverage of the Southern 500 you can only find Thursday in the Morning News.

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“Growing up, I worked for my parents at the trucking company and had a lot of mechanical interest,” Hornish said. “But once you start racing professionally, you kind of lose that. And working with these cars lets you get back to things from when I was younger and it’s a lot of fun.”

Some of Hornish’s cars include a 1930 Model A Ford, 1951 Mercury, 1955 Chevrolet Del Ray, 1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and a 1967 Chevrolet pickup truck.

Silverado, which he equipped with air-ride suspension, 22-inch wheels and an audio-visual system that includes a 17-inch monitor and PlayStation 2 console.

“That was one of the funnest things to do,” Hornish said. “I got the suspension kit and just got going on it and was pleased with the end result.”

Hornish, though, admits he has a long to way to go to compete with former teammate Ryan Newman, who has 14 vintage cars. But the Ohio native says he’s constantly looking for new cars.

Hornish’s vehicles are kept in two places — his 5,400-square foot garage in his hometown of Defiance, Ohio, and his other residence in Mooresville, N.C.

While sponsor commitments, a 38-race Cup schedule and his 1-year-old daughter Addison keep him busy, Hornish says he tries to make time to get out to the garage and work on the cars.

After getting home early Sunday morning from a Saturday night race in Phoenix a couple weeks ago, Hornish was in the garage later that day changing a fuel pump on his Cadillac Coupe de Ville, which he sometimes uses as a personal vehicle.

“When people see me driving in it, they usually give me the thumbs up sign,” Hornish said. “So it’s pretty cool.”

Fixing up vintage cars isn’t the driver’s only hobby. He also is an avid fan of remote control cars and is working on a 1/14-scale replica of his No. 77 hauler.

Hornish says working with vintage and remote control cars are good outlets, especially when things aren’t going well on the track.

After a successful career on the Indy circuit, he struggled in his first full NASCAR season last year and finished 35th in points.

This year, Hornish is making strides and has back-to-back top-10 finishes following Saturday’s sixth-place effort at Richmond. He already has four top-20 finishes through 10 races, which equals his total from last year.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but you got to be patient,” Hornish said. “Hopefully, we can continue to make the progress we have been doing.”