Hornish Jr. considers switch to NASCAR

When you're Sam Hornish Jr., a three-time IndyCar series champion and winner of the Indy 500, the 27-year-old has to ask himself: 'What's next?'

For months now, the Ohio native has been contemplating a major move; leave the Indy Racing League to compete full time in NASCAR, a premier, highly hectic and competitive arena. He would go from being the big fish in a little pond, to the little fish in the country's biggest auto racing pond -- Nextel Cup Series.

Saturday, Hornish will attempt to qualify for his sixth Busch Series event at a track he is more than familiar with; Michigan International Speedway.

The Penske driver has been to MIS four times this summer; an ARCA RE/MAX test, an ARCA race where he finished second from the pole and most recently the IRL race where he finished ninth in August.

On this trip, Hornish will attempt to qualify for the CARFAX 250 and if he does he will be the only driver in MIS history to compete in the Busch, IndyCar and ARCA series in the same year.

That's all well and good for Hornish, but he's more interested in being the first driver to win the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Indy 500.

Now if we could just get him to make up his mind on when he's coming.

Q: OK Sam, when are you coming to NASCAR full-time already?

Hornish: I'm still right down the middle. I'm just very fortunate that I have the option of either direction that I want to go next year; it's a very comforting thing when you make this kind of decision. We are going to continue to run Busch races and [Michigan] is only my sixth stock car race so I'm still learning. The fact that Roger [Penske] is allowing me to wait and make this decision as we go down the road is good.

Q: Has Roger given you a timeline or have you given yourself one?

Hornish: Not necessarily, I'm sure we'll know more by the end of the stock car season. After the Indy Car season is over, we are going to have around four to six more Busch races starting in September.

Q: What is your main motivation for coming to NASCAR; money, bosses orders, popularity, competition?

Hornish: If I were to do it, it's more because of the challenge, the challenge of learning something new and being competitive over here and winning races. I know the popularity of NASCAR is tremendous, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't need my face out there everywhere like that. The big thing for me is a new challenge.

Q: So if you do come to the Nextel Cup Series, will your team owner Roger Penske add a third car in addition to Cup drivers Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch?

Hornish: I don't know what's all in Roger's mind. If I knew that, I'd probably do a little bit better (laugh), but I'm pretty blessed to be able to keep my options open, focus on seat time and practice. He'll take care of the rest.

Q: Now let me get this straight, you're competing for your fourth Indy Racing League championship and trying to qualify, on time, for races in the second most competitive circuit in the country, the Busch Series. Has series hopping got you spun out this season?

Hornish: Not really. While you're doing it, you always seem busy all the time, but then I get a day or two at home and I start to feel lazy. I feel like I'm not doing enough.

Q: In the IRL you sit fifth in the points, but relative to NASCAR, that's perceivably 15th ...

Hornish: Everything that could go wrong this [IRL] season has. Last season, everything went right, we had such a great season; you're not always going to have those. This season we've had people running into us, rain at the [Indy] 500, fuel problems and I've overcompensated for some of the problems we've had and made mistakes that compounded our problems. I keep learning and try to make myself better.

Q: Your career best finish on a road course in the IRL came recently at Watkins Glen International, second to Scott Dixon. Do you wish you could've been in a stock car when the Busch and Cup Series' ran at The Glen last weekend? And what did you think about the Montoya-Harvick shove fest?

Hornish: What is it about The Glen that makes everyone want to fight? I guess when the IRL is there, it's always hot and humid up there and everyone's adrenaline is going. Maybe if we could get a 70-degree day things would be different. But that was an exciting race. A couple of guys seemed to have spent more time in the grass than on the track (laugh), but the new COT is producing some exciting races, more action packed and really equals up the competition. We were actually hoping to get a road course race done this season but the schedule conflicted.

Q: With a total of five Busch Series races where your best finish came in Atlanta, 15th, how would you grade yourself thus far?

Hornish: I don't know -- there's definitely possibility to do better. In Atlanta I also had problems with pit stops; that hurt us so I guess I'd say the "C" range. We've shown promise to be higher but for whatever reason we couldn't post higher results. I'm pretty critical on myself. We have a lot less practice and I think we will get better results if we get more time to run consistently.

Q: The IndyCars have speed limiters so you can stay on the gas, push a button and the car slows automatically heading down pit road. That's not the case in a stock car, no speedometer, and drivers get dinged for speeding on pit road, uh, including you Sam. You're somewhat of a Speed Racer on pit road...

Hornish: That part is different for sure and I'm learning how to control myself down pit road, there's no miles per hour gauge in the stock car. Pretty much all my green flag stops, I've gotten a penalty for [speeding]; Nashville, Daytona, Atlanta, Phoenix, about every green flag stop I've gotten one, maybe there's one or two where I haven't (laugh). I can't tell ... I have to pay attention to the tac. It's definitely a fun thing we like to talk about, it's probably just me, but I try to blame someone else (laugh). You can't take all the blame yourself. I guess that's me paying my dues.

Q: Are you constantly reminded that even though you've garnered three IRL champions and an Indy 500 victory, you have yet to accomplish feats such as a Cup championship and a Daytona 500 victory?

Hornish: Obviously I want to be the first guy to win the Brickyard 400, Indy 500 and Daytona 500 and there's a lot of opportunity for that. You have to come over here and set yourself some lofty goals, it keeps it interesting and exciting. I want to come over and be competitive.

Q: Which car is harder to drive, the IndyCar or the stock car?

Hornish: I don't think either one is harder or easier. Obviously I've learned the ins and outs of the IndyCar, but I still have a lot to learn how about stocks.

Q: In your transition to potentially full-time Cup racing, what would you say has been the most valuable learning experience?

Hornish: The biggest thing for me is seat time. Also getting out there and running in the Busch Series and learning about the Cup drivers, but the thing that will have helped out the most is seat time.

Q: Talking about the difference in the race schedules, NASCAR's 36 versus the IRL's 17, does that concern you?

Hornish: People forget that we are at Indy for three weeks, plus the 11 to 15 stock car weekends that we will have run and the Rolex 24 (Daytona). We've been running about 34 weekends this year so if I do decide to come, this year has been a good prep for the lifestyle we will have.

Q: What does your wife Crystal think about a potential switch?

Hornish: It's something we've talked about it and she will support me going either direction.

Q: The IRL schedule no longer allows the "Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double" anymore where drivers could opt to do both on the same day, your thoughts on not running the Indy 500?

Hornish: The Indy 500 [start time] reached a point where it changed on the schedule so maybe somewhere it will be different or change again. I won the Indy 500, the whole reason I started racing. If I wanted to quit tomorrow and never run [the Indy 500] again I could handle that. That will always be my biggest accomplishment.

Q: Do you think you can do what Juan Montoya has done and has he opened a lot of doors for other open-wheel drivers?

Hornish: I don't know after last weekend [Watkins Glen International] that's a door you don't want opened. A lot of drivers are interested in what's going on over here but you can't judge yourself against anyone until you do it. I have to continue to move forward, I can't judge myself of anyone else.

Q: What driver do you admire most in NASCAR and what driver would you compare yourself to? Matt Kenseth maybe? Quiet but good!

Hornish: I don't know. You could say that. I have the best respect for Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. The way I look at it, you can't compare yourself to others until you go try it. It's hard to compare yourself to another driver without taking yourself down or someone else down. I'm going to be the best I can be.

Q: Who from the open-wheel ranks is coming to NASCAR next? Dario Franchitti?

Hornish: You wonder how many actually will come. Some say they are, but I don't know, I haven't even seen any get in the first test. It's a long process. Dario ... I don't see that happening.