Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Watkins Glen Advance
Team: No. 17 Ford Ecoboost Fusion
Crew Chief: Nick Sandler
Twitter: @PR17RFR, @stenhousejr, and @roushfenway
ADVANCE NOTES
Stenhouse at Watkins Glen
Stenhouse has two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) starts at Watkins Glen with an average starting position of 27.0 and average finishing position of 19.0.
Stenhouse has two XFINITY Series starts at the road course, earning his career best finish of fourth in 2012.
A Year Ago At Watkins Glen
After qualifying in the 21st-starting position at the 2.45-mile track, the two-time NASCAR XFINITY champion ran consistently inside the top-20 for the first half of the 90-lap race. Under the red flag, the No. 17 team discovered that the left rear axle was missing the cap. Once the race resumed, the Olive Branch, Mississippi native brought his Ford to pit road for repair and four fresh tires since he would be starting at the tail end of the field, but still on the lead lap. With a couple of cautions and another red flag in the final 10 laps, Stenhouse patiently maneuvered his Ford up through the field to take the checkered flag in the 20th-position.
On the Car
The No. 17 Fusion carries the Ford EcoBoost colors this weekend at Watkins Glen. Ford EcoBoost technology combines smaller overall size with turbocharging, direct injection and variable valve timing to bring customers outstanding performance and fuel economy.
Stenhouse Jr. on racing at Watkins Glen:
“Road courses definitely aren’t my specialty, but we had a solid run at Sonoma earlier this season. Our road course cars have been strong in the past. This race usually comes down to fuel mileage and pit strategy, so if we can keep our Ford Ecoboost Ford on track and play the right strategy then I think we can leave the Glen with a solid finish.”
Nick Sandler on racing at Watkins Glen:
“Our road course cars have been strong the past couple of years and we had a decent car at Sonoma earlier this year. I like road course racing because it is different and challenging. In the past, the races came down to fuel mileage and pit strategy, so hopefully we will have the right strategy and can leave Watkins Glen with a strong run.”
