Sam Hornish Claims Texas IndyCar Win After ‘Tiring’ Finish
Written by Allan Brewer · June 10, 2007
Defending IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish scored his first victory of the 2007 season, surviving a wild finish to win the Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway.
From Indy Racing League Media Reports:
Leading by 6.6453 seconds less than 50 laps to go, Hornish was content to leave the sparring to the cars running behind him in second- through seventh-place. Unfortunately for Hornish, a multi-car incident on Lap 197, precipitated by a tire falling off A.J. Foyt IV’s car, negated Hornish’s lead, but not his advantage.
The Team Penske driver, who started on the outside of Row 1, maintained the point and held off Tony Kanaan on for his first victory of the season. It was the 19th career victory for the reigning IndyCar Series champion, and the 21st-closest finish in IndyCar Series history.
Kanaan, the winner six days earlier at The Milwaukee Mile, finished 0.0786 of a second back. Danica Patrick recorded the best finish of her IndyCar Series career in third. Dario Franchitti, retained his hold on the points lead with a fourth place. Delphi Panther Racing’s Vitor Meira placed fifth for the second race in a row.
DAY 3 NOTEBOOK:
Indy Pro Series driver CR Crews was able to get some home-cooking this week while working with the Racing Professional team for the Bombardier Learjet 550k.
Crews was the spotter at Texas Motor Speedway for the No. 19 Honda-powered Dallara driven by Jon Herb, resuming his duties from the 91st Indianapolis 500 on May 27.
Crews, who turned 19 on May 30, is a Dallas native who has been residing in Indianapolis recently as he pursues a career in the IndyCar Series. He said there are some “exciting opportunities” to compete in both series through the summer.
“There is some really big stuff happening (though) 95 percent of it is behind the curtain,” said Crews, who has three top-10 finishes in the Indy Pro Series this season. “I can’t speak about much of it now, but I think everybody will be surprised pretty quick. We’ll run a handful of Indy Pro Series races and see how that goes, and work from there.”
Last year, the only thing that tempered Helio Castroneves’ celebration in Texas Motor Speedway’s Victory Circle was learning he couldn’t keep the six-shooters he fired into the night air. But “good things come to those who wait,” the Team Penske driver said.
Castroneves and Tomas Scheckter, the 2005 race winner, were presented matched pairs of Beretta Stampedes in Victory Circle before the Bombardier Learjet 550k. The replicas of the 1873 single-action “Guns that won the American West” have gold-inlaid Nos. 1 and 2, identifying them as part of the consecutively numbered pair. They have a retail value of $3,000.
“I really enjoy guns and to have something so beautifully made I can’t thank Beretta enough,” Scheckter said of the engraved 45-caliber six-shooters finished in a charcoal blue metal finish with grips of ivory polymer. “They are too beautiful to shoot. The detail and design they’ve put into them is just unbelievable.”
As part of Beretta’s sponsorship of Texas Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series winner is presented a pair of six-shooters to shoot (blanks) in Victory Circle. G. Patrick McDonald, vice president of sales and marketing for the United States arm of the 400-year-old company, made the presentation. The revolvers come with a desktop presentation case featuring an engraved plaque.
“I’ll have to win the race to get another set,” Castroneves said.
BOMBARDIER LEARJET 550 POST-RACE NOTES:
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