After only running a handful of events in the NASCAR Nationwide Series last year, former IndyCar champ Sam Hornish Jr. will run the entire schedule in 2012 thanks to increased support from Alliance Truck Parts and a new partnership with Wurth Group.
Alliance Truck Parts will increase its primary sponsorship role on the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Challenger from six to 26 events in 2012. Wurth Group, a German-based automotive and industrial supply company, will be the primary sponsor of the car in seven events and an associate sponsor in the other 26.
“I'm really excited about this season. Last year was a little difficult to say the least,” Hornish said Thursday during NASCAR's Media Tour stop at Penske Racing's headquarters in Mooresville, N.C. “I was able to learn a lot last year. I just feel like we've got a lot of things going for us [in 2012].”
Hornish strengthened his case for a future with Penske's NASCAR team by winning last fall at Phoenix International Raceway, when be topped teammate Brad Keselowski and a field full of Sprint Cup regulars to win his first Nationwide Series race. He is hoping the momentum from that victory carries over to 2012.
“Phoenix has always been good to me,” said Hornish, who earned his first IndyCar Series triumph at the track in 2001. “We've definitely got a lot of things headed in the right direction.”