Sam Hornish Jr. turns in Father’s Day treat

Parents lake house with his family or an Xfinity Series Victory Lane celebration with his family?

Sam Hornish Jr. was glad he said yes to a call from Joe Gibbs Racing Monday. It gave him an opportunity he has wanted for as long as he has been a father and a race car driver.

“I definitely want to thank the fans and happy Father’s Day to everybody,” Hornish said. “This is definitely one of the best ones I’ve ever had. I can guarantee you that.”

Hornish climbed into the Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota this weekend as a fill-in for an injured Matt Tifft. Hornish qualified third for the 2016 Xfinity Series American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen.

On Sunday, Hornish was dominant on Iowa Speedway’s 7/8-mile track on his way to his second victory at the track and fourth career Xfinity Series win. He shared it with his three children, which he had never been able to do in his long racing career on the Verizon IndyCar Series and in NASCAR.

“What an unbelievable day. I feel so lucky and blessed to have come out and raced today. I knew the car was good,” Hornish said. “I feel like Iowa has been a special place to me in the fact that this was my first opportunity to bring my kids to Victory Lane. In my racing career, I always wanted them to have the opportunity for them to experience that.”

Hornish was joined in the Casey’s General Stores Victory Lane by his wife, Crystal, and their three children, Addison, Eliza and Samuel III. Hornish led 183 of the 250 laps of the race.

Hornish even had help at his post-race press conference from his son, who had a couple of words to say over a microphone. Hornish said he loves short-track racing, and he enjoys running at Iowa Speedway.

Hornish and Joe Gibbs Racing’s teammate Daniel Suarez battled up front from the green flag on. Suarez went to the lead early and led the field through the first 22 laps before Hornish claimed the lead. Suarez, who finished fourth in the race and maintained his Xfinity Series points lead, would lead 62 laps in the race.

The only other drivers to lead laps in Sunday’s race were Darrell Wallace Jr. (4) and Brennan Poole (1). Poole ended up eighth, and Wallace was ninth at the finish line. Ben Kennedy, who made his Xfinity Series debut at Iowa, ran 10th.

Pole-winner Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski had to start the race from the rear because of unapproved body modifications. Joining them at the rear of the field to start was Ross Chastain for unapproved adjustments.

Jones never made a move up through the field as he had fuel-pressure issues. He finished 27th — seven laps down — after he went to the garage for a fuel cell repair.

Ty Dillon made a charge on Hornish on a late restart. Hornish held Dillon off and Dillon finished second. Keselowski, who has three Xfinity Series wins at Iowa speedway, was another late contender for lead but settled for third.

“We still got some speed to gain, but all in all, proud of our guys,” Dillon said. “We executed on pit row and put ourselves in a position to win.”

Keselowski raced at Iowa Speedway during a weekend off from NASCAR Sprint Cup action. He hosted a party in the Newton Club on Friday night benefiting his Checkered Flag Foundation and offered fans a ticket package, “Brad K’s Father’s Day Special for 2.”

“I thought we had a shot at the 18 (Hornish), but we got stuck behind the 3 (Dillon) car there and couldn’t quite clear him,” Keselowski said. “All in all, a decent day. We wanted a lot more than that, of course. But that’s where we ended up.”

It was not the first time Hornish climbed into an Xfinity Series car at a week’s notice and won at Iowa Speedway. In 2014, he drove the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 to victory in the same race at Iowa then returned in to finish second to Keselowski in the Xfinity U.S. Cellular 250 in July of 2014.

“I love short track racing. I’m always in a good groove here at Iowa. The fans are great here,” Hornish said.

Hornish will return to Iowa for the July 31 Xfinity Series U.S. Cellular 250 for Richard Childress Racing.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com