Chris Horn: Not enough horsepower or sponsorship on Saturday

NEWTON -- Chris Horn faced somewhat-long odds in trying to make the NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 Saturday at Iowa Speedway.

Without comparable funding to the rest of the 50 cars and teams here, Horn started from behind here. He didn't have the horsepower to make the 43-car field, a disappointment after the Cedar Rapids driver did get in the Nationwide field in Kentucky in his previous try, a month ago. He finished 38th there after qualifying 26th.

Horn hopes to make attempts to qualify in Nationwide races in Michigan and Kansas later this summer. It would help to get a sponsor.

Horn's car is owned by his father, Fred Horn of Marion, who also is the crew chief.

"I work on the car myself with my dad and a few volunteers here and there," Chris said.

It's hard to compete against entities like Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress, and Roush Fenway Racing without a semblance of the funding those big boys enjoy.

 Some of the car-sponsors here are Holiday Inn, Verizon and 3M.

But other Nationwide teams add and lose sponsors from race to race, it seems. Meskwaki Resort and Hotel in Tama picked up the sponsorship of Danny O'Quinn Jr.'s car for this particular race. Kyle Busch raced for Pizza Ranch Saturday for this week only.

"It's a legitimate $3.5 million a year for a team to run a whole year," Horn said. "Some are up to $5 million. Kyle Busch might have a salary of $1 million, $1. 5 million."

It's sort of like Major League Baseball. There are haves. There are have-nots. And it's always more fun being a have.