Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – IRWIN Tools Night Race Advance
Team: No. 17 Ford Ecoboost Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Mike Kelley
Primary Chassis: RK- 888 – last raced at Bristol – finished second
Backup Chassis: RK-877 – last raced at Loudon – finished ninth
ADVANCE NOTES
· Stenhouse at Bristol
o Stenhouse has three Sprint Cup career starts at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile earning one top-five and one top-10 finish.
o Stenhouse has an average starting position of 25.3 and average finishing position of 12.
o In the spring, Stenhouse earned his highest Sprint Cup finish at Bristol when he finished second behind teammate Carl Edwards.
· The Car
o Chassis RK-888 is the same chasses that the team raced at Bristol in the spring, earning a second place finish.
· Ford EcoBoost
o Delivering up to 20 percent better fuel economy than conventional engines, EcoBoost uses smaller overall size combined with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection to bring customers the power they want and the fuel economy they need.
Stenhouse on Bristol:
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend after finishing second at Bristol in the spring. You can feel the excitement of the fans at the Bristol night race. Since track position is so important, we will focus on trying to qualify up front and then stay up front with pit strategy. I think this weekend could be the breakout weekend for the No. 17 team.”
Mike Kelley on Bristol:
“I think as a team we have all looked forward to returning to Bristol after our second-place finish there in the spring. Bristol is a tough track because anything can happen so quick. It is 500 laps and you have to be there at the end. I feel confident that we will be a contender for the win this weekend.”
