Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

At 21, Hornish on Racing Streak to Stardom

Aired May 08, 2001 - 09:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We've been talking about cars and gas all morning, it seems.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, how do those race car drivers pay for their fuel, that's what I would like to know.

HARRIS: Good question. Laura, what's going on?

LAURA OKMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was worried that you were look at me for the answer. I don't know. I'm just going to talk about a great story we've got -- one driver.

At the age of 13, Sam Hornish Jr. already had a need for speed, starting with go-carts, only to graduate to the youth Indy car ranks in road racing, street and oval courses.

So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that heading into this weekend's qualifying for the Indy 500, Hornish is the IRL points leader after three races. But can the 21-year-old hotshot keep it up?

CNN Sports Illustrated's Mike Galanos tries to keep up with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE GALANOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's perhaps the brashest of the Indy racing league's kiddie corps -- a 21-year old hotshot in a flashy yellow car.

SAM HORNISH JR., 2001 IRL POINTS LEADER: I have a rivalry with everybody out there on the track. It doesn't matter if it's Al Unser, Jr. or Eddie Cheever or Sarah Fisher -- same thing. I want to beat them just like they want to beat me.

GALANOS: The second-year driver shocked the series by the winning the season's first two events in Phoenix and Miami. The victories were the first of his IRL career -- the kind of results Panther Racing had hoped for when it hired Hornish last October to succeed veteran driver Scott Goodyear.

HORNISH: I pretty much came into the year saying to myself, if I finished -- if I won a race or two this year, that I'd be really happy. You know, I managed to win the first two, so a little bit of luck there, but it kind of takes a little bit of pressure off. EDDIE CHEEVER JR., 1998 INDY 500 WINNER: That speaks for the series right there. They changed drivers. They worked very hard with the same equipment all the way through the winter. And Sam came in and won the first two races -- a very talented driver, a very motivated team.

GALANOS: An Ohio native, Hornish competed in eight events last year for PDM Racing. His top rookie finish was third at Las Vegas. He also placed 24th in the 2000 Indianapolis 500.

HORNISH: I'm trying to learn every time that I go out on the track and every time that I have any opportunity to deal with any of the guys from the team, because everybody brings a different characteristic into the team. And the more you can learn about it, put little things together, the better off you'll be in the end.

KEVIN BLANCH, HORNISH'S CREW CHIEF: He just really wants to be good. And that's what it takes anymore. It takes a young guy that really wants to try hard, wants to do more than just drive in the car, wants to learn about the car and understand the car and continually get better every race.

GALANOS: Hornish is also the poster boy for the IRL's roster of 20-somethings, a fast-paced group that includes fellow Ohio native Sarah Fisher and Felipe Giaffone.

GREG RAY, 1999 IRL POINTS CHAMPION: I think everyone expects great things from them. But as long as they're one place behind me, that's even better.

(LAUGHTER)

HORNISH: If we had the choice between winning the 500 or winning the points championship, I'd probably guarantee that we'd win the -- want to win the 500 first. But the next thing on that list is the points championship.

GALANOS: Both goals worth speeding for.

I'm Mike Galanos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKMIN: Hornish had the 11th fastest time in Monday's practice. His fastest lap was 219.185. That is so fast, can you imagine that?

HARRIS: Fast, that is very fast.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com