NASCAR Cup Series

Sam Hornish Jr. blows tire, clobbers inside wall at Pocono Raceway

Published Jun. 7, 2015 3:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Sam Hornish Jr.'s return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has not exactly gone as planned.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner had high hopes after returning to full-time action with Richard Petty Motorsports this season, but 2015 has been a struggle, to say the least.

Those struggles continued Sunday at Pocono Raceway, where Hornish was mired mid-pack for the majority of the event when the No. 9 Ford made heavy contact with both the outside and inside retaining walls, bringing the driver's day to an end.

Going into Sunday's race at Pocono, Hornish had recorded 10 finishes of 19th or worse this season, with four of those finishes being 32nd or worse.

The incident brought out the fifth caution of Sunday's Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400. With fuel mileage a growing concern for many of the frontrunners, the caution brought the field to pit road for a much-needed stop.