Crescent-News.com - Hornish set for double duty at Bristol

From staff and wire reports

With four NASCAR Sprint Cup races under his belt this season, Defiance native Sam Hornish Jr. will do double duty this weekend.

In his first trip to the famed Bristol Motor Speedway, Hornish will jump into the seat of the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental Dodge Charger on Saturday to compete in his first Nationwide Series event of the year before taking part in the Sprint Cup event on Sunday.

Hornish, who has driven in 11 Nationwide (formerly Busch Series) events is excited about taking to the .533-mile oval for the Sharpie Mini 300.

"This will be my first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway," said Hornish, who has an average finish of 39th in his three short-track appearances in the Nationwide Series. "I'm very excited to run both races this weekend, because the extra seat time will be an invaluable experience for me."

Hornish was busy earlier this week gaining additional experience by testing his Nationwide ride at Virginia International Raceway. Hornish and the crew of the No. 12 Dodge took to the track in preparation for the upcoming Nationwide Series road course race in Mexico City on April 20.

The Nationwide car Hornish will be taking to Bristol was last driven at the famed speedway by teammate Ryan Newman in August of 2007 and Hornish's crew chief Matt Gimbel feels confident in the machine the team has ready for Hornish.

"We're bringing a race car to Bristol that has a proven track record there," said Gimbel. "We had a setback in Las Vegas during qualifying, but I feel that we will have a very successful weekend at Bristol.

"The most important thing this weekend is to get Sam seat time," added Gimbel. "And get him to turn as many laps as possible to help him in the Sprint Cup race on Sunday."

Entering Sunday's Food City 500, Hornish is one spot shy of being in the coveted Top 35 and enters 385 points behind Sprint Cup Series leader Kyle Busch.

Coverage of Saturday's Sharpie Mini 300 begins at 3 p.m. on ABC while qualifying can bee seen on Saturday at Noon on The Speed Channel.

Qualifying for the Food City 500 can be seen on Friday beginning at 3:30 p.m. on The Speed Channel with race coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday on FOX.