Photo Credit: Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR
SONIC Drive-In® To Sponsor Hornish and No. 9 Team at Texas Motor Speedway
It’s been one of the most popular paint schemes on the No. 9 Ford Fusion all season, and this weekend, it makes its return. SONIC Drive-In® restaurants will be the primary sponsor of Sam Hornish and the No. 9 Ford Fusion this weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway. It’s the second time that the largest chain of drive-in restaurants will adorn the hood and sides of the car that Hornish will compete in during Sunday’s AAA Texas 500. Hornish first raced the SONIC No. 9 at the Kansas Speedway.
Hornish, the popular driver from Defiance, Ohio, is no stranger to Victory Lane at the mile-and-a-half Texas Motor Speedway. He’s a three-time winner at the Ft. Worth track in the Verizon IndyCar Series and transitioned his success from open wheel to stock cars. Hornish has three Top-10 and one Top-Five finish at Texas in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Hornish will make his ninth start at the track on Sunday. His best start in the Cup Series at Texas is the outside pole and best finish is 17th.
The popular @sonicdrivein scheme returns to the No. 9 and @SamHornish this weekend. #NASCAR
@Sam Hornish Jr. has the popular colors of @SONIC Drive-In aboard his No. 9 Ford Fusion this weekend at the @Texas Motor Speedway.
“I think everyone liked seeing SONIC on the car at Kansas. It’s a very popular place to go and eat and has everything on the menu you want. I’ve got a family, and we love going there. The car looks cool, too. Once it gets dark in Texas, this car will really ‘pop’ under the lights. It will be a fan favorite.
“The Texas Motor Speedway is a fun track. Obviously, I’ve had some good moments there in other series, and now, I’m concentrating on making more in the Sprint Cup Series. The track itself has a lot of character to it. It’s getting rough now, after 15 years or so, and the track will eat at the tires and wear them down quicker. We also have this daytime, to dusk and into a bit of the night timeline of the race. You will see guys coming and going throughout the 500 miles. It’s a deal where it’s not really a day race, not really a night race, but a mixture of both.
“You will see teams adjusting all throughout the race trying to keep up with the track and the temperatures. And, you can adjust while driving too. You can race anywhere from the white line to the wall. It’s not a track where you just have to race one groove. I think everyone in the garage enjoys Texas and the racing there.”
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP and Fresh From Florida, and Sam Hornish Jr. drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Medallion Bank and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
