By Eric Powell
indy500.com
Saturday, November 18, 2006
When Sam Hornish Jr. first participated in an IRL IndyCar Series Open Test in December 1999, he was a shy, humble 20-year-old Midwesterner who had little to say.
Seven years later, with three IndyCar Series championships and a hard-fought Indianapolis 500-Mile Race victory to his name, Defiance, Ohio native Hornish is still remarkably humble, but he has a lot more to say.
Hornish's polish was on display Nov. 15 when he helped Indianapolis Motor Speedway and 500 Festival officials unveil the artwork for the 2007 Indianapolis 500 ticket – which features Hornish draped in an American flag – and the theme for the 2007 500 Festival and 91st Indy 500: "Spirit and Speed." Hornish also is featured on the "Spirit and Speed" art, with fists thrust in the air in triumph after winning "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" last May.
He was at the downtown Indianapolis event because he won the 2006 Indianapolis 500 in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone in dramatic fashion, passing rookie Marco Andretti several hundred yards from the finish line and winning by .0635 of a second, the second-closest finish in "500" history.
"It's a little bit stressful (to participate in such events) because you never thought that you're going to be able to do any of these things, and you didn't even know about many of them," Hornish said. "And you're representing the Speedway, the Indy Racing League, myself and Roger (Penske, Hornish's team owner). There's a lot of people you're trying to make look good. I'm working at it."
Hornish's growth as a public speaker has coincided with his rise to the top of open-wheel racing. After all, in late 1999 his biggest accomplishments to date were rookie of the year honors and one victory in the Toyota Atlantic series. A lot has happened since then.
Hornish said he already is thinking about a repeat at Indy, but there is one thing he will not have to carry through the main gate at IMS in early May 2007 and on Race Day May 27: the burden that haunted him throughout six previous failed attempts to win the "500."
"I'm still very hungry to go back and win another, but there's a lot less pressure," he said. "You've done it (winning). Now you see if you can go back and do it again, and if you can't, you see if you can the next year."
While Hornish can expect an all-out effort from his No. 6 Team Penske crew, teammate Helio Castroneves will be one of his fiercest rivals. Two-time Indy 500 winner Castroneves is the last driver to capture the race in consecutive years (2001-02).
When asked if Castroneves still holds the team bragging rights thanks to his multiple victories, Hornish, who has three IndyCar championships to none for Castroneves, stood his ground.
"No matter what you've done and how many times you've done it, the guy who did it last is the one with bragging rights," he said. "I try not to rub anything in his face, but if he's giving me a hard time, I start talking about championships. He's a good guy, and I don't think he'd ever put me in that position. We have a good time and we kid each other, but we know how serious both of us are. We're pretty lucky to be where we're at and to be very successful."
Hornish enjoyed the media spotlight at the ticket unveiling and was clearly moved by the honor of having his photograph on the 2007 Indianapolis 500 ticket, which will go into the hands of spectators attending the 91st running of the world's largest single-day sporting event on Sunday, May 27. He drew additional motivation from the theme announcement as he looked ahead to an attempted repeat victory in 2007.
"I really like the ticket, especially having the American flag there," he said. "That and the poster with the 'Spirit and Speed,' I'd like to have some version of that hanging up (at this event) again next year."
***
2007 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 91st Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 27, 2007.
Tickets can be purchased at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Web site, www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by phone or at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office. The IMS Ticket Office can be contacted at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally. Ticket Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Parking and camping permits for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" also can be purchased online, by phone or at the Ticket Office.
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