Hornish seizing a chance, Suarez fast after first win as NXS hits Iowa Speedway

NEWTON - The NASCAR Xfinity Series has made its annual pilgrimage to Iowa Speedway this weekend, and with it comes the now-yearly-tradition of new and different faces in rides normally occupied by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers.

Iowa Speedway has been the place where more drivers have made their debut in the Xfinity Series than any other, and has served as an opportunity for drivers without full time rides.

One such driver certainly isn't making his debut, but is making his first laps since the Sprint Cup finale in Homestead last November. Sam Hornish Jr. got the call early this week that Joe Gibbs Racing needed a sub for injured driver Matt Tifft. After the whirlwind week, is in the No. 18 NXS car and back with JGR for the first time since his 2014 stint in the No. 54 car.

Oh, and he was fast right out of the gate.

'I'm still knocking the rust off a little bit, but the car is fast, and that's the main thing,” Hornish said. 'There was a whole lot of scrambling that needed to be done to get me (here). … It seemed really hectic, and in the past I probably would've shorted out about everything, but the spot I'm in with all that's gone on and how blessed I feel to be doing this. Everything rolled off like water.

'I've said a lot of times, if I'm going to be away from my family and doing this, I want to do it with someone good. You can't get much better than this 18 car, and that brings a high expectation with it. I'm pumped up about it.”

Hornish finished the first practice second and final practice third to Ben Kennedy, who was fastest in both sessions. Hornish spent nearly the entire opening session at the top of the leaderboard, and ran 45 total laps - more than just four other drivers - in an effort to re-familiarize himself with the rigors of driving a NASCAR racecar in the heat and on a slick racing surface.

The Ohio native said he'd done what he could in the last several months to try to stay in shape, but there's nothing that can actually simulate being in the car.

He spent last season in the No. 9 Sprint Cup Series car for Richard Petty Motorsports, but since that fell through, Hornish has been searching for chances that were the right fit. This weekend's ride may have been last minute, but it's of the caliber he knows can win. He did so in the May 2014 race at Iowa Speedway.

'I've worked hard to try to stay in shape, but there's really nothing that prepares you for being in the racecar with the heat and the steering loads you get at a place like Iowa,” Hornish said. 'Hopefully I've gotten all that figured out today. I thought being out of the car for six or seven months that it was going to take me a while to get up to speed, but we went out and ran four laps and I felt pretty comfortable with the car.

'I know what I want out of the car, sometimes it's just hard to figure out exactly what you need.”

Hornish was among a group of drivers who set themselves apart during Friday's practices at Iowa Speedway.

Aside from Kennedy, who makes his Xfinity Series debut Sunday, Erik Jones, Elliott Sadler and last week's winner Daniel Suarez all posted top-five times. Suarez is one of two drivers, with Kennedy, doing double duty in the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series races.

Suarez's whirlwind week after winning at Michigan took him home to Mexico and was filled with media and other appearances, and getting back into the car allowed him to at least try to pick up where he left off. Even if he wasn't totally content with either car or truck after Friday, he too was fast enough that he'll be heard from in both races.

'We have some work to do. The speed is decent, but we have to make the car more comfortable,” Suarez said. 'This week has been really cool, honestly - a lot of stuff going on, a lot of media. But it's time to get back at it.

'It's good, though. We have room to improve.”

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