NASCAR: Best substitute drivers of the 2010s
By Bryce Turner
Sam Hornish Jr.
Sam Hornish Jr. started the 2012 season as a full-time Xfinity Series driver for Team Penske. The three-time IndyCar champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner got an opportunity to move up to the Cup Series in the middle of the year.
Hornish took over the #22 Dodge for Team Penske after A.J. Allmendinger failed a drug test. Allmendinger said he wasn’t aware that a pill he took included a banned substance, but he admitted to the mistake and completed NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program.
Hornish ran the remainder of the season in the #22 Dodge, starting with the July race at Daytona International Speedway, where he finished in 33rd place.
His best result came a few races later, where he came across the finish line in fifth place at Watkins Glen International. He came close to more top 10 finishes a few weeks later, with three straight 11th place results coming at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Chicagoland Speedway.
Hornish’s next substitute call came in 2014 for Joe Gibbs Racing, when Denny Hamlin missed the race at Auto Club Speedway with a sinus infection that was affecting his vision (ironically, he was injured in a last-lap crash there the previous year).
Hornish took the #11 Toyota to a 17th place finish at Auto Club Speedway. Overall, he had an average finish of 19.3 in 20 races as a substitute driver.
His next Cup Series opportunity was a ride of his own, as he drove the #9 Ford full-time for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2015. He hasn’t competed in a Cup Series race since then.