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Chat Reel: Sam Hornish Jr.

IRL puts drivers first

CNNSI Host: Welcome to today's Indy 500 chat with Sam Hornish Jr. Welcome Sam and thanks for joining us.
Sam Hornish: Thank you!

From Brian Kijovsky in Chicago: Hey Sam, great job with the qualifying run over the weekend. I know it's early, but wanted to know about your strategy for the race. Are you going to try and get up near the front right away or hang back and wait to make your move?
Sam Hornish: I'm probably just going to get up in the top five, then we'll run there all day long and be patient until the last few laps to make a move.

From Jim: Did you expect to do as well as you did in your rookie season with the IRL?
Sam Hornish: I expected to do better last year. I guess that's why you come back and try again.

From Doug: What do you think of Tony Stewart racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca Cola 600? Do you think you will switch to NASCAR?
Sam Hornish: I think it's great that he has the desire to run in both races. And if I ever have that desire to run NASCAR, if that's what I feel I want to do, I'll probably do it.

From AJ LaFollette in Savoy, Ill.: In your win at Homestead you used a high line on the track that nobody else seemed able to use. Was your advantage mental, mechanical or just good old-fashioned guts?
Sam Hornish: It was a little bit of all three. I had been running a bit higher than everybody all day, it was a little bit of everything.

From Fin: Do you have any concerns about any tracks where the banking is high, especially Texas Motor Speedway?
Sam Hornish: The only concern that I have for those tracks is that it makes the pack a little bit tighter. You don't have to have as good a handling car. It takes away the advantage of someone who has a good handling car.

From Nucleus: How does the tradition of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway effect you as you prepare for the Indy 500?
Sam Hornish: Last year, when I had was preparing for my first start, I was trying to go about it by keeping everything in perspective. When you stop to think about all the history behind the race and the track that is when you get sidetracked.

From Chipper: Giving the recent safety issues surrounding motor sports do you think IRL and CART may be ahead of the curve as opposed to NASCAR?
Sam Hornish: I think IRL is really ahead of the curve. The biggest thing in our series is keeping the drivers safe. We're driver-based, and when drivers get hurt, it doesn't look good for our series.

From Indy Renegade in Indianapolis: You've been quoted as saying the IRL needs a WWF-style rivalry. Here's your chance to start one. I say Greg Ray is a whiny pretty boy who puts his car into the wall whenever the handling isn't perfect. In identically prepared cars, you'd whip him every single race. What do you think?
Sam Hornish: I think that he is a really good qualifying driver. He's fast, he has problems maintaining the car. The days when he is on, he's going to win.

From Savman: Do you think CART and IRL will ever resolve their differences? Wouldn't make for great racing if they did?
Sam Hornish: It depends on what you think of CART racing a couple of years ago. If you thought it was good, that's what it will turn into. It would become more of a money issue if it happened.

From Spinman: Have you ever had feelings of dizziness or vertigo that the CART drivers talk about after running at Texas a couple of weeks ago?
Sam Hornish: Never had that problem. Our cars don't run as fast because the IRL won't let us. They want us to have a safe, competitive race.

CNNSI Host: That's all the time we have today with Sam Hornish Jr. Sam, thanks for joining us and good luck in the Indy 500.

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