Ricky Stenhouse Jr – Sprint Unlimited Advance
Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Nick Sandler
Primary Chassis: last raced in Talladega by No. 99 team – finished 21st.
ADVANCE NOTES
· Stenhouse in the Sprint Unlimited
o Stenhouse will compete in his second consecutive Sprint Unlimited in only his third year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
o Last year after jockeying in the top-five for much of the first 30 lap segment, the Olive Branch, Miss. native was collected in the nine-car melee on lap 36 of the 75-lap race.
· Stenhouse at Daytona International Speedway
o The two-time Xfinity champion has 11 career starts at DIS.
§ Five Cup starts with an average finishing position of 18.2 and best career finish of seventh in last year’s Daytona 500.
§ Six Xfinity starts with an average starting position of 8.2.
· Fastenal in the Sprint Unlimited
o Fastenal has appeared in the Sprint Unlimited as a primary sponsor the past three years earning a best finish of ninth in 2012.
· Crew Chief Nick Sandler’s career stats in the Sprint Unlimited
o In the past four Sprint Unlimited races with Sandler as the lead engineer, the Asheville, N.C native has an average finishing position of 11.75.
· Fastenal
o Fastenal has served as the primary sponsor in the last three Sprint Unlimited races on the No. 99 machine.
o Fastenal will serve as the primary sponsor for Stenhouse in the 2015 NSCS season for 15 races.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the Sprint Unlimited:
“We weren’t originally in the Sprint Unlimited but some cards fell our way and we will be racing Saturday night. I can’t wait to get to Daytona. As a racer, the off-season is tough because all I want to do is race. The entire Roush Fenway organization has been working really hard this off season and I’m ready for the season to get started. Since we didn’t get to test the normal Daytona test, the Sprint Unlimited will be very beneficial for us to measure our car versus other teams but with it being a non-points race we will definitely take some chances. I’m looking forward to climbing back in the seat on Saturday, and I hope I can get this Fastenal Ford into victory lane.”
Nick Sandler on the Sprint Unlimited:
“Our No. 17 Fastenal team is really excited about the opportunity to race in the Sprint Unlimited. This will be a great opportunity for Ricky and I to work together in race conditions and get ready for the Daytona 500. Without any testing, this is a great opportunity to evaluate our cars and see the results of all our hard work over the off-season. We have nothing to lose so we will take some chances and go for the win and hopefully bring home our first trophy.”
