Jeff Gluck

USA TODAY Sports

Sam Hornish Jr. has won three IndyCar championships, the Indianapolis 500 and nearly won the NASCAR Nationwide Series title last season.

But for all his success, Hornish wasn't able to find a full-time job for 2014.

Instead, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Monday that Hornish will drive its No. 54 car part-time in the Nationwide Series. He'll get seven races -- the ones Kyle Busch (26 races) won't run -- beginning with the May 3 event at Talladega Superspeedway.

Hornish, who formerly drove for Penske Racing, will also race at Iowa (twice), Road America, Chicagoland, Mid-Ohio and Kentucky. Except for Talladega, all of those are standalone Nationwide events where the Sprint Cup Series does not compete on the same weekend.

Despite the limited schedule, the 34-year-old Hornish called it "a great opportunity" because it allows him to race top-flight cars -- even if it's not all that often.

"It's the best possible situation for me to jump into great equipment and have the opportunity to go right out and win," he said in a statement. "After working with Penske for 10 years and now to have the opportunity to partner with Joe Gibbs Racing, I couldn't have asked for anything better."

The No. 54 car narrowly missed out on the owners' points championship last season, losing to Penske's No. 22 car by one point. Busch won 12 races in the car during 2013, a series high.

"Having an experienced guy in there to fill the role on a regular basis when I'm not there gives (crew chief) Adam (Stevens) the opportunity for real consistency," Busch said. "Sam was a strong competitor last year and I look forward to having him on our side this season."

Hornish won one race last year and finished second in the year-end standings to Austin Dillon by just three points.