The Car That Exploited the Car of Tomorrow

[Music] in 2007 NASCAR introduced the car of Tomorrow a complete redesign of what stock car racing was gone were the differences between manufacturers all cars looked the same teams were put in a box seemed unlikely that a car could be Innovative when the rules were so tight but then a car at the back of the field figured something out it was a rare moment when a car is obviously different completely legal and immediately banned this is the story of Sam hornish's 2008 All-Star Race 77 looks like a Drifter coming through the TR that thing is bad [Music] fast the story of this revolutionary car began over 10 years prior for decades teams complained that different manufacturers had advantages based on their body shape and I G were known for their ability to shape bodies just a little better than others by the mid 2000s teams would manipulate the metal in radical ways to generate more downforce or be more aerodynamic cars affectionately known as Twisted Sisters the introduction of the car of tomorrow in 2007 uniform body panels were enforced using a template claw and inspections which kept a strict eye on body shape any tweaks to the body were strictly penalized in June 2007 at somoma Chad canos and Steve lart were suspended six races and fined $100,000 for altering the right front fenders of cars driven by Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon and the reason why we can't work in those areas is that Nascar has said look we wanted to leave it alone this is not something you can do you can put make and work inside these uh other areas but you're not allowed to do this guys and when you do basically what we're going to do we're going to make you pay a price in 10 years common templates went from a scary idea to a reality it looked like creativity was taken away for good but an unlikely team was the first to strike back one that was 36 and owner points found a loophole to get around the main point of the car tomorrow the idea that all cars would go around the track the same way this car would go around around the track sideways the fact that the rebellious car came from a big organization like team Pensky wasn't a surprise but the driver behind the wheel was it wasn't Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman or former Series champion Kurt bus but rather rookie Sam Hornish Jr hornish's path to NASCAR was different than most three indie car championships and a win in the 2006 Indie 500 made Hornish America's top open wheeel driver but with nothing left to accomplish an indie car team Pensky moved him to NASCAR in 2008 a strong run in the Daytona 500 was the only lead laap finish in a difficult season for the 77 team entering the All-Star Race leading the team was longtime crew chief Chris carrier from Henderson Motorsports in the 1980s to Victory Lane with Joe nimich in 2001 carrier was a highly respected racer with a few tricks in mind common templates a NASCAR Outsider and a smart veteran crew all combined in May of 2008 to create a car so radical that it threatened to change all race cars from that point forward if you couldn't change the body you could change how it went around the track the rear end housing on hornish's car was angled pointed the rear wheels toward the outside wall this meant the car wouldn't even roll straight with a rear end sticking out further than the front skew yaw crab walking whatever it was called the effect was that the entire right side was used to hit air generate side force and add grip in the turns that meant the car could be set up loose and as we know Loose as fast and on the edge of out of control a Sam Hornes Jr 2936 on his first lap that is second fastest by less than 100 that that makes that old lap by Joe neim looked pretty good because Sam Hornish was actually one of the faster cars in practice earlier today your car is obviously dog tracking or whatever you want to call it pretty much down the straightaway do you have any sensation of it driving differently down the straight when you're doing it and where exactly in the corner does that help you it's one of those things where it kind of helps all all the way around and if you look at every car out there is is is dog tracking to a little bit of a degree um you know we we just maybe push the envelope a little bit further than some of the other people have um you know it's uh something that we saw other people doing earlier on in the year and decided that we wanted to try it out and um actually you know there's been you know people running it all year so uh it's just uh it's not really a weird sensation because you're in the you know in the car and you're kind of looking forward but about the toughest thing about driving that car the way it is is getting it in out of the garage stall because you know you only got a concrete box to go into so wide and uh back in you always backing in and out it's hard May 17th 2008 was the third day of qualifying for the Indie 500 for the first time the former Indie Car Champion was 500 miles away in Charlotte North Carolina as part of his first season in NASCAR as he hadn't won a race in 2008 Hornish would have to advance through the preliminary Sprint Showdown before getting to the All-Star Race we feel that we've got a pretty good race car uh ran real well in practice yesterday didn't qualify quite as well as we thought we were going to but uh I think that we've got a really good car here and hopefully uh we we'll make all the right decisions as far as whether fit whether not fit all that good stuff and hopefully we can rise our way in 11 drivers have won their first ever Sprint Cup trophy here on Allstar night Sam Hornish Indie 500 Champion hopes he is going to make it number 12 he's got a good starting position and a fast car [Applause] the boy their strategy all over the place there we had a lot of cars that stayed out including David Reagan AJ almond Dinger Sam Hornish and Johnny solder so it's going to be interesting here they only had 13 Laps on their tires though David Reagan AJ almond ding are up front Free Horn spun the tires in the 77 car couldn't get going that's what happens sometimes you stay out right around there on your tires can pick up a lot of debris and Sam had made a great run he was sitting there in like fourth or fifth spot and that's really going to put him back on the field with the guys that got new tires now senson Kane for fourth place oh boy Kane got way out of shape that's going allow Vickers to come alongside of him and make the pass senson clears solder Here Comes Hornish Vickers advances on Kane clears him I still say that 77 car Larry had he had knock spun the tires on that restart he would have been a guy that they' have had to work with absolutely no question he's got a fast race car he has all weekend long [Music] but every race fan believes that when there's a full moon on Saturday night race cars develop a magnetic attraction for one another yeah the Earth starts breathing in and out and the cars seem to react to it and I tell you that's 77 checking up look out here he comes him on the high side I think that Reagan seeing Reagan drove into three right there and over drove the corner got up the hill I don't know how Sam will be on the bottom this is going to be real testy right here his car seems to work good around the top Reagan takes it in right with him and they almost touch hang on to her buddy David Reagan got away with it look at the Run he got off turn two in that six car this time yeah Sam had to get out of the gas I don't I don't think Sam's good on the bottom it's got to be an outside pass well that 77 is fast that thing is bad fast third place goes home they'll be coming to eight to go this time Harnish has a run coming off turn four Reagan up to block Harnish to the bottom squeezes down there I don't like this I don't like him going in on the bottom unless he can clear him he's got to clear him to make it he stuck it he stuck it on the bottom and he's going to make the pass clear all clear all clear slit up in front of him he'll get second place away remember this is not for second place this is for who will race in the allstar he you know Sam Horn is so fast on the top he's got that thing ya out I don't know how many what he's got going on there but it's looking good it looks like Sam Hornish was marching to the front of the Carl he looks like a one of those GL what do you call those cars the sliders the gliders a drif a Drifter at 77 looks like a Drifter coming through the tri yeah and I'm sure David Ray could tell you all about how it looks right now I bet I bet he's Furious you know he can see the left side number going down the straightaway corers should doing an unbelievable job right now guys you know he is and Carl he ran the most laps of anybody in practice and look at that thing going down the stre straight away yeah and I really like how he's going in on the top he's sing it down in there and I can't believe he made it stick on the bottom that thing looked loose and he he made it happen I mean it is you know we're coming up on Memorial Day weekend I think Sam would love to get a something going in next finished Chris carrier telling Sam Hornish that he basically beat AJ alinger that time by almost two10 of a second that thing accelerates off the corner like it's shot out of a cannon oh Hornish looked loose Checkers are recers now these two guys somebody needs to tell them both hey you're in the next race take it easy absolutely absolutely at this point you just want to finish right where you are and you know what the man that would normally be up on the roof telling Sam Hornet that he's in Indie right now car owner Roger Pensky just ride it on Out Boys you're in the next race ride it out bring them home take what you good take what you can get Bo behind last Corner Harish High dips low almond Dinger covers the bottom and wins the Sprint Showdown Sam Hornish is second third doesn't matter well Sam Hornish this stock car stuff isn't so easy how big is this for you uh it's it's real big uh you know all the guys on the mobile one Dodge did a great job for me uh you know we put together a good car that we think is pretty equal to our our Coca-Cola 600 car so we're real happy that we made it through The Showdown um you know one mistake by myself which uh put us back in the pack and we had to work our way through so I was just real happy I knew we had a car that could do it and uh we feel like we got a real good car over the long run so hopefully will run well in the All-Star Race as well 147,000 Spectators packed Charlotte Motor Speedway for one of the biggest crowds in Allstar history and here we go boogy Boog Boog let's go allar racing boys Hornish started 23rd within two laps he climbed to 18 was trying to pass W bublo Montoya for 17th but the night was almost over before it began carall turn one dny Hamlin is it no it's Hornish 77 that's a shame he he just got it with the right rear H it maybe it'll just straighten that car out so it runs straight he's got a little to give over there after the race Hornish explained Montoya had been running the low Grove and in this lap entered turn one high he was faced with either hitting Montoya or running High into the marbles seven laps later Sam had to pit under green to fix damage he returned to the track two laps down after each of the first two stages Hornish got the free pass and thus got his laps back after 50 laps he was back on the lead lap but running last in a night where track position was important Hornish slowly came through the field a two Tire Pit Stop at the end of the third stage set Hornish up for a charge in the final 25 lap run w't believe who else is coming in that lead pack remember San Hornish was three laps down he's nin and moving on the outside I tell you and he's had a bad fast car all night long he was way on the outside that time he's got some right rear to give though guys that thing goes through the corner with it look at it hung out going down in there now Sam horish in the 77 car he's gotten by Carl Edwards in the 99 that moves Sam up to the ninth spot and Daryl just pointed out Sam hornet in the 77 he's get him another one just keeps on trucking Harnish has been amazing tonight he really is I'm glad for Sam cuz he's such a good guy and so is this cat right here and here comes Casey Kane the fan favorite wins the Sprint Allstar race and add a boy to Sam Hornish to come from three laps down get a couple of free passes impressive and finish seven passing cars right to the end Cornish finished the race in seventh afterwards Sam felt he could have finished in the top three if he didn't give everyone else a 50 laap Head Start he drove Pinsky chassis 559 in the All-Star Race team was preparing chassis 568 for the K 600 a week later a car they thought was even better than the All-Star car picture the sight of Sam Hornish America's top open wheel driver just 2 years after winning the nd500 now winning one of NASCAR's Crown Jewel races on the same day day is ending but their speed was their downfall their Dodge was so fast from this point forward every car would need to be angled if they wanted to win faced with the possibility of a full field of crooked cars NASCAR had to act cornish's 77 brought back memories of Jeff Gordon's T-Rex car in the 1997 All-Star Race completely legal at the time but the rule book changed quickly we built that car by the rules it's 100% legal by the rule book and said it won't be [Laughter] tomorrow in the days following the All-Star Race Nascar issued a series of rule changes that limited the angle the rear end housing could be mounted after the K 600 a rule clarified how the wheels could be positioned on the rear axles with their advantage mostly taken away Hornish finished 13th in the Koke 600 his best finish of 2008 team Pensky struggles as an organization continue during one of their worst seasons he ALS star chassis raced two more times at Pocono and Atlanta they were finishing better than 24th Chris carrier was replaced as crew chief in late August proving that his performance in 2008 wasn't entirely a fluke Hornish returned to the All-Star Race in 2009 and this time won The Showdown to advance to the main event well we've called him sideways Sam sudden Sam and Sam I am but right now call him a winner skew returned in a lesser but noticeable way in the years that followed cars at Indianapolis had a distinct sideways look in the summer of 2012 Hendrick Motorsports teams angled their sway bars to turn their car sideways hendri cars won five out of six races between May and June before NASCAR wrote a new rule requiring all sway bars to be perpendicular to the ground opposite skew appeared with the next gen car the 2022 Daytona 500 not to create side Force but to reduce the air hitting the rear spoiler NASCAR quickly made a rule Banning that but ARA doesn't have any rules Banning skew and teams there push the limit at tracks like Pocono an entire field of cars following the idea made Popular by Sam Hornish and Chris carrier

Channel: nascarman History

Views: 2,444,950

Keywords: nascar, cheating, all star, sam hornish, penske, car of Tomorrow, Charlotte Motor Speedway, nascar classics

Id: pJUtHtPjSqI

Length: 18min 42sec (1122 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 17 2022