first laps of the series (eight), but a mid-race accident relegated him to 39th place. Late in the season, Hornish drove one race in the Craftsman Truck Series (the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway) for Bobby Hamilton Racing in its No. 4 Dodge Ram, starting 16th and finishing ninth. In the 2009 Sprint Cup season Hornish returned to Penske, now known as Penske Championship Racing. For the second straight year, his team changed owners' points (purchasing them from Dave Blaney and Bill Davis Racing this time) to guarantee him a starting spot in the first five races. At the season-opening Daytona 500, Hornish started 29th and finished 32nd (one lap behind). He had his first top-ten finish of the season (ninth place) at Phoenix, followed by six more throughout the year. Hornish's victory in the Sprint Showdown at Lowe's Motor Speedway qualified him for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, where he started 19th and finished 16th. Later that season, he had two top-five finishes: a career-best fourth at Pocono and a fifth at Michigan. At Watkins Glen, Hornish was involved in a very violent crash. Coming off of turn 9, Hornish was racing with Kasey Kahne where Kasey got loose and got into Hornish causing Hornish to spin. He hit a tire barrier on the left rear of the car and shot him back across the race track spinning like a top where he was then t-boned by Jeff Gordon and then hit again by Jeff Burton where it nearly sent Hornish on his side. Gordon's impact into Hornish was so vicious, it ripped the fuel cell out of Hornish's car. Fortunately, Hornish, Gordon, and Burton walked out under their own power uninjured. Hornish finished 28th in the final standings, with 3,203 points. Hornish joined Penske again in 2010. At the season-opening Daytona 500, Hornish started 26th and was involved in an early accident on the race's ninth lap; he finished 37th, completing 160 of its 208 laps. His qualifying results improved slightly during the rest of the season, with three top-fives. Hornish's only top-ten finish of the season was tenth place at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He finished 29th in the standings, with 3,214 points. After the season Hornish's longtime sponsor, Mobil 1, left him and Penske for Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing. In the 2010 Nationwide Series he drove the season-ending race at