Descending further into the depths

As if Busch racing hasn't been frustrating enough for Sam Hornish Jr, this weekend he will drop down a peg or two on the competition chart and compete in his first ARCA RE/MAX series race at Michigan International Speedway. Race fans can only ponder: Can World of Outlaws be far behind?

In all seriousness, Uncle Sam actually managed to win the pole position in his first ARCA race, which with an average qualifying speed of over 186 MPH is rather commendable. But the quotes coming from Sam during the preparation for tonight’s ARCA 200 at MIS are even more interesting than his prospects tonight.

"The team didn't really have any plans to come and run this race. I started bugging them. They said, 'That's the only off week in about three and a half, four months. Are you sure you want to do that?' It's a race. I said, I'll go try it out." - from the Detroit Free Press

So this was all Sam's idea, right?

"Even before I won Indy and the Championship last year this is something we've talked about. We haven't had that big sit down talk yet about the future and what kind of racing we'll do. And really, that isn't my decision. That's the whole team's decision." - from All Headline News

Is it me or does this read like Sam is pushing for as much seat time in any tin top while “the team” is a tad less enthusiastic? Could it be that Roger Penske is less than thrilled with Sam’s Busch series runs and would prefer to keep Hornish in the ICS? Do we dare think that standard bearer of American Open Wheel is not just interested but actually lobbying his owner – to the point of running ARCA races – in his personal quest for NASCAR?

Sacre bleu!