Ricky Stenhouse Jr – STP 500 Advance
Team: No. 17 Ford Ecoboost Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Mike Kelley
Primary Chassis: RK- 858–last raced at Martinsville–finished 31st
Backup Chassis: RK-815 – last raced at Dover – finished 17th
ADVANCE NOTES
· Stenhouse at Martinsville
Stenhouse has two career Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville Speedway.
Stenhouse has scored one top-five and two top-10 finishes this season.
He is currently 15th in the point standings, 54 points behind the leader.
· The Car
§ Chassis RK-858 is a chassis that the No. 17 team ran various times in 2013, but most recently at Martinsville where Stenhouse finished 31st after being involved in a wreck early on in the 500-mile race.
· Last year recap of Martinsville
§ The 2013 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year was involved in early accidents at the paper-clip shaped track in both races last year.
· Martinsville Native
§ Engine Tuner, Jonathan Salmons, grew up in Bassett, Virginia. He is an active supporter of Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center where his nephew attends. For more information on the center, visit www.braacroanoke.org.
Stenhouse on Martinsville:
“Last year we were involved in accidents early in both races. Martinsville is a tough track. Last year was my first time to race there and I learned a lot that I can carry into this weekend. Our main goal is to stay out of trouble and hopefully leave Martinsville with a top-15 finish.”
Kelley on Martinsville:
“Martinsville has been a tough track for our organization. We have made great strides on our short track program this season. Last year, the team got caught up in an accident early on and it is hard to recover from that. Hopefully the rain holds off and we can make a lot of laps and get Ricky some seat time. After Fontana issues, we need to have a strong run at Martinsville.”
