All race long, and even in the 24 hours leading up to it after listening to some of his comments post-qualifying on Saturday, I had the sense that Hornish was pushing for something more. This wasn’t just about owners points, or prize money or even proving something to his other competitors.
This race was about Hornish proving to himself that he still had what it took to be successful in a race car, despite the fact that he had seemingly moved on from that chapter of his life, and about giving his children (ages eight, five and two) their long-awaited moment to revel in their father’s success at least one time at motorsports’ upper levels.
You could see it in the aggressiveness he pushed with on the race track all day long, in the fierce battles he had with his teammate Daniel Suarez for the lead and in the way he powered away from Ty Dillon and Brad Keselowski over the final stint to the checkered flag. He was a man determined, and he wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way.
He left no doubt, by the time all was said and done Sunday afternoon, that he had done everything he set out to — even if the opportunity hadn’t come about under the best of circumstances.
Hornish knew that the only reason he was given the chance he was given was due to an injury for fellow Ohioan Matt Tifft, who was originally scheduled to drive the No. 18 Toyota on Sunday, and showed his class by giving a shout-out to Tifft during his victory lane interview.
But, regardless of the circumstances, Hornish proved that he was still capable of seizing the moment and making great things happen behind the wheel of a race car — something that those who have watched his career from the start, spanning back to his open wheel days, never doubted he could do.
Now, I know that there’s probably people yelling at me for titling this column the way I did when Hornish has two additional XFINITY starts scheduled this season with Richard Childress Racing at Iowa (July 30) and Kentucky (Sept. 24), but let me be clear: I don’t consider those two races to be important in the grand scope of things.
Let’s be honest with ourselves. This season in the XFINITY Series has been the Joe Gibbs Show, with a few guest appearances thrown in due solely in part to pure, dumb, bad luck on the part of the JGR teams. The car that Hornish will be stepping into (the No. 2 Chevrolet primarily shared by Austin Dillon and Paul Menard) is not one that’s been in race-winning contention consistently this year, and the only reason it has a win is because Kyle Busch blew a tire on the last lap at Fontana and nearly won the race anyways on three wheels.
I don’t expect Hornish to be able to replicate his run today in that car later in the summer. No one should. Gibbs still has the field covered, and until the rest of the RCR bunch shows they can carry the consistent race pace to challenge for wins, Hornish ought to be happy with solid top 10s in both of those races — maybe a top five if he plays his cards right.
To make a really long point a bit shorter, Sunday’s win was about so much more than a driver breaking a winless streak. It was about a driver knowing that he had to capitalize on (perhaps) his final shot in top-tier, race winning equipment for personal reasons as much as professional.
In the end, he did just that, and I don’t think there was anyone watching who begrudged him that moment in the sun.
Listen, don’t get me wrong. I’ll be the first one to give credit where credit is due if he can pull another rabbit out of his hat and win again, or at least overachieve, later on this year when Iowa and Kentucky roll back around.
But if that moment in the sun was indeed Hornish’s swan song in top equipment at the national level? Then it was one hell of a closing statement.
The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Race Chaser Online, Speed77 Radio, the Performance Motorsports Network, their sponsors or other contributors.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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