[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”215″]
[/media-credit]Concord, NC- Ricky Stenhouse Jr, the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion, will take over the No. 17 Ford in the Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2013. Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing will part ways at the end of the 2012 season.
“Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has more than proved his abilities on the race track,” said team co-owner Jack Roush. “We feel that he is not only a key piece of our team’s future, but a key piece of the future of the sport. Roush Fenway is an organization with a wonderful past and present, as well as an extremely promising future, and I can’t think of a better candidate than Ricky to usher in the next era of success for the team.
“Of course, I’d like to thank Matt Kenseth for his many years of loyal service,” added Roush. “Matt has been an integral part of this organization for well over a decade, and we are extremely appreciative of his accomplishments and contributions to the team, and will always consider him a part of the Roush Fenway family.
“We’re fortunate that we were able to tap into Matt’s potential and bring him on board many years ago, and I’m proud that together we were able to combine the tools and the resources of Roush Fenway with his talent and determination to forge a partnership that yielded a championship at the Cup level and all of his 22 Cup victories, including two Daytona 500 wins,” continued Roush. “The No. 17 is positioned extremely well this season, and I’m committed to providing the team the best resources to continue their run for the 2012 championship. I have no doubt that Matt will do his part.”
Roush- Fenway Racing currently has three drivers in their development program. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Trevor Bayne, 2011 Daytona 500 winner, and Chrris Buescher, ARCA driver who has won seven races in 42 starts. Buescher is also being trained for a future in Sprint Cup with Roush Fenway.
