As president of Penske Racing, Tim Cindric presides over an empire that operates out of a complex that is over 400,000 square feet in Mooresville, N.C., and requires an annual influx of roughly $100 million to remain competitive in a total of four racing series. This season, they’ve done so to a high level across the board. Cindric talked about that and a variety of topics with NASCAR.COM. A couple Q & A’s about #77-Sam Hornish Jr.
Q: What do you foresee happening with the 77?
Cindric: Right now we’re still in search of a primary sponsor for that car. That search will continue for the rest of the year. The good news is that it’s September and not December.
Q: What does that mean for Hornish? Will he be back for sure?
Cindric: I wouldn’t say anything is for sure. You can’t race without the funding. So as we sit right now, we’re collectively trying to do that — but we also understand that if there are opportunities for him, it’s an open book as far as communication. We’re certainly not going to stand in his way as far as furthering his career, but we’d certainly like for him to be able to continue with us.(NASCAR.com)(9-15-2010)
UPDATE: While Penske Racing is keeping mum on Verizon leaving the NASCAR side of the program and Justin Allgaier’s status for next season, sources say don’t be surprised if Sam Hornish Jr. ends up in a Nationwide Series ride as Brad Keselowski’s teammate in 2011 (FoxSports)(9-17-2010)
UPDATE 2: Sam Hornish Jr. has been given permission by Penske Racing to seek employment elsewhere, and the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner no longer is ruling out a return to IndyCar. The three-time champion of the Izod IndyCar Series is nearing the end of his third full season in the Sprint Cup Series, and sponsor Mobil 1 is leaving the team. Hornish says team owner Roger Penske wants to keep him in the fold but might not be able to if sponsorship doesn’t materialize. “Roger has told me a million times and the media a million times that if they have the money to put me in the Cup series that they’d do it,” Hornish said after qualifying 15th Friday for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “We just don’t have that yet. They asked what my preference was, and my preference was to stay in the Cup Series. They’re not going to stand in my way if I get the opportunity to be able to do that.” Hornish says there are several scenarios that could keep him with Penske in either a Nationwide or Cup ride, but nothing was certain. During an interview in April, he seemed steadfast about staying in NASCAR. But Friday, he had softened his stance on IndyCar. “I need to see how everything plays out,” Hornish said. “I’ve said a lot of times I don’t have a lot of interest to go back. But I’m not going to say never. My goal is to try to stay in the Cup series, and if I have to take a step back and run Nationwide, that’s a possibility. I’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, I guess.” Speculation about a possible return was heightened in the past week when it became apparent that Panther Racing might have an opening. After this season, 2005 Indy 500 and IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon apparently will leave the team that gave Hornish his break.(USA Today)(9-18-2010)
