For the second season in a row, Penske driver Sam Hornish Jr. will benefit from a points swap to guarantee him a spot in the first five races. Earlier this week, a spokesman for PCR confirmed the name change of Penske Racing to Penske Championship Racing after Bill Davis joined as a minority owner along with Roger Penske.
Davis brought along his No. 22 and the points (in the top-35) to go with it. (NASCAR rule stats that points cannot be sold or transferred unless the current owner maintains some control in the team.)
PCR will run its third car as the No. 22 (instead of the No. 77 they ran last season). The numbers go along with the No. 2 of Kurt Busch and No. 12 of Davis Stremme.
The move puts Hornish Jr. into the Daytona 500, as well as the first five races. Last year, he benefited from a points swap with Busch, who had a past champions provision to fall back on should he not qualify. Hornish was unable to keep the car in the top-35 however.
Hornish is a former Indy 500 winner and IRL champion, but didn't fare so well in his rookie season, even missing a few races.
As he enters his sophomore season, Hornish is looking to improve. The fact that he doesn't have to worry about making the races (at least the first five) will hopefully let the team better prepare for each race.
Just another installment of "How the Wheels Turn" during the 2008-09 Silly Season!
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