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Sam Hornish Jr., who starts 13th at Indy 500, is poised to become the IRL's star.
By KEVIN KELLY
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 25, 2001
INDIANAPOLIS -- The billboard looms over the souvenir and concession tents on Crawfordsville Road, steps from a track where an Ohio kid daydreamed of one day racing against legends.
A Yugo-sized portrait of Sam Hornish Jr. smiles down on passers-by.
While other Indianapolis 500 drivers similarly are featured, the location of Hornish's billboard adds to the Indy Racing League's efforts to nudge the 21-year-old driving talent from obscurity to celebrity.
"I would have never guessed last year at this time that I'd be in the position I'm in now," Hornish said. "It's hard to put into words. I never thought I'd be here."
Here he is, sideburns, 13th starting position and all, dominating an IRL gasping for a superstar and redemption on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"The attention sure has been an adjustment because of the fact there's things you don't want to do sometimes," Hornish said, "but you know that's part of the job and you just have to go out there and do it and take advantage of it while you can."
Taking advantage of a situation appears to be a Hornish strong point.
He has two wins in three IRL races this season, is the series points leader and is $317,300 richer for doing so.
"Is Sam Hornish good?" said IRL driver Eddie Cheever, who won the 1998 Indy 500. "Yes, he is. He's very good."
The Bryan, Ohio, native always has been a prodigy on the race track though his career started late when compared with Sarah Fisher or Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart.
Hornish was 11 years old when Jo Ellen and Sam Hornish Sr. bought their son a Go Kart.
"My dad was a mechanic the whole time I raced Go Karts," he said. "It's one of those things where he wanted a father-son activity, something we could spend some time together with. He's always pretty much been my biggest backer."
Hornish won the World Karting Association U.S. Grand National Championship in 1994 and 1995 before moving to the U.S. F2000 Series for two seasons and the Toyota Atlantic Series in 1999.
Each step was done with purpose because the cars in each series, "all look like Indy cars or scaled down versions."
He signed with PDM Racing in 2000 and in eight races recorded a third at Las Vegas and ninth at Kentucky.
Despite not finishing five races because of accidents or mechanical failures last season, Panther Racing recognized potential in Hornish as it searched for a driver. Pancho Carter, a former IndyCar driver, and team manager John Barnes submitted lists of prospects to each other for evaluation.
"I think everybody knew last year that Sam was incredibly talented and that in the right circumstances he would be a threat," Barnes said. "Now, this year, he must be in the right circumstance and he is a threat."
Hornish is in the first of a three-year contract.
"I don't think he has peaked by any means," Barnes said. "He has a tremendous burning desire to win, incredible talent."
This will be Hornish's second attempt in the Indy 500. He started 14th and finished 24th last season, completing 153 laps before an accident knocked him out of the race.
"No pressure," Hornish said of this year's race. "It's a whole lot different. That makes it all the more exciting, all the more harder to wait for it."
The waiting ends in a matter of hours when seven new competitors -- six from CART and one from NASCAR -- challenge Hornish and the 26 other Indy Racing drivers.
"Yeah, they've got big names, but it's just a couple more guys I have to beat," Hornish said. "I'm sure they're tough competitors, but I race against tough competitors in my own series."
And he has defeated them with 67 percent regularity this season, a figure worthy of such billboard prominence.
AGE: 21.
BORN: Bryan, Ohio.
LIVES: Defiance, Ohio.
HT/WT: 5-10; 145.
ON THE WEB: www.samhornish.com.
2001 IRL WINS: 2 (Phoenix, Homestead).
IRL STANDINGS: 1st.
INDY 500 STARTING POSTION: 13th.
PREVIOUS 500S: 1 (24th in 2000).
WHEN/WHERE: Noon Sunday; Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5 miles).
TV: Ch. 28.
POLE-SITTER: Scott Sharp (226.037 mph).
2000 WINNER: Juan Montoya.