It was no surprise that the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was back in victory lane Sunday, but it was astonishing to see who was behind the wheel and dominating the American Ethanol E15 250 at Iowa Speedway.
Sam Hornish Jr. hadn’t been in a race car for 210 days and was working as a substitute teacher in Ohio. When he got a call on Monday to race for Gibbs as a replacement driver, he jumped at the opportunity. Gibbs planned to use Matt Tifft in the No. 18 car but doctors recommended he not race due to a disc condition in his back.