WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 9, 2015) – In the final road course race of the 2015 season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was running in the 21st position when the inside lane stacked up on the restart causing nose damage to the No. 17 Ford. Stenhouse Jr. was scored in the 10th position with less than 30 laps remaining in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen but differences in pit strategy and a tire rub forced Stenhouse to settle with a 34th-place finish.
“Road courses aren’t my specialty,” Stenhouse said. “We were working our way up through the field after struggling in qualifying on Saturday. The No. 9 machine missed a shift on the restart stacking up the inside lane and I had nowhere to go. We thought we are going to be okay with pit strategy but the damage to the nose hurt the handling. We will go to Michigan which is the backyard for Ford and Jack and hopefully can have a decent run.”
After qualifying in the 30th-starting position, Stenhouse Jr. patiently maneuvered his Ford Ecoboost Ford up to the 23rd position by lap 25.
On the third restart of the 90-lap race, the two-time XFINITY champion lined up in the 21st position but the No. 9 machine missed a shift stacking up the inside line causing a chain reaction resulting in nose damage to his Ford.
After multiple pit stops to repair the damage, the Olive Branch, Miss. native restarted in the 36th position but with the race going green for the remaining laps , Stenhouse was forced to settle with a 34th-place finish.
Next up for Stenhouse and the No. 17 team is the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 16. Race coverage begins at 2p.m. EST on NBCSN. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SIRIUS radio channel 90.
