NASCAR Phoenix Nationwide Series Results: Sam Hornish Jr. Wins First NASCAR Race

Sam Hornish Jr. admits there have been many times when he shook his head at himself and said, “Why did I do this?”

The three-time IndyCar Series champion had left the open-wheel world, where he was ultra-successful, for the new challenge of NASCAR.

And until Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway, it was pretty much a failure.

Seemingly out of nowhere, though, the part-time Nationwide Series driver won his first career NASCAR race and proved to the garage – and himself – that he’s capable of stock-car success.

“It’s been a tough couple years,” said Hornish, who got choked up in Victory Lane. “Been awhile since I got to carry a checkered flag around.”

Hornish left IndyCar after 2007 and joined the Sprint Cup Series with Penske Racing, but wasn’t able to provide any results.

He had just eight top-10 finishes in three full seasons of Cup racing, and his ride at Penske disappeared after last season.

Though he probably could have tried to return to IndyCar, Hornish wanted to prove he could succeed in NASCAR. He settled for a part-time Nationwide Series schedule with Penske this season (he’s driven just 12 races), and he finally broke through on Saturday.

Hornish led the final 61 laps and held off his challengers on the final restart – a group that included teammate Brad Keselowski (second) and Carl Edwards (third).

“The guys that are the week-in, week-out regulars – we beat ‘em,” crew chief Chad Walter said. “We beat the pants off ‘em.”

Hornish became the third first-time Nationwide winner this season, and it was the fifth win by a non-Cup regular.

“Huge, huge day for Sam,” said Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, who finished second. “Sam has paid a lot of dues in this sport. It’s good to see him have some success. It looks like this is a good fit for Sam.”

Hornish said he’s close to running a full Nationwide schedule and hopes his win helps that cause. Team owner Roger Penske backed that assertion, saying he may have moved Hornish to Sprint Cup too quickly but vowed to “stay together.”

“He’s been real humbled here for the last 12 to 18 months,” Penske said. “Maybe I made a mistake putting him at the top (too fast).”

“I’m glad that I stuck it out,” Hornish said, his voice wavering. “I came over here not because it was more money or anything like that, but it’s because I was interested in it...and I got to see there was something different out there, something that challenged me again. Is it the challenge I thought it was? Heck yeah.”

Meanwhile, the Nationwide Series title chase is all but over. Elliott Sadler was crashed by Jason Leffler after the latter driver misjudged the distance between them when Sadler cut up in front of him off the apron.

“The 38 car just ran completely into the back of us,” Sadler said. “This all gets thrown away in a blink of an eye. I don’t understand – I actually thought Jason had a little more respect for people than that, especially people running for the championship.”

Said Leffler: “He stopped sooner than I expected, but ultimately it’s my responsibility. ... It wasn’t on purpose. It was a mistake on my part.”

The wreck ended Sadler’s championship hopes and gave Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a 41-point lead. Because there are so many start-and-park drivers in the Nationwide Series, Stenhouse is virtually assured of a title no matter what Sadler does.

Stenhouse only has to finish 37th or better at Homestead to win his first championship.

“I was a little cautious on those last restarts, just for that fact that I didn’t want to get in trouble,” Stenhouse said. “I think we can get a little more aggressive on restarts next week and Homestead is one of my favorite places to go, so I am looking forward to it.”

Here are the NASCAR Nationwide Series results from Phoenix International Raceway: