Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Martinsville Advance
Team: No. 17 Zest Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Nick Sandler
Twitter: @PR17RFR, @stenhousejr, @ZestRacing and @roushfenway
Stenhouse Jr. at Martinsville Speedway
· Stenhouse has five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) starts at Martinsville with an average starting position of 22.2 and average finishing position of 30.2.
· Stenhouse has scored five straight top-15 and seven straight top-20 finishes in the past seven races.
In the Points
With his five straight top-15 and seven straight top-20 finishes, Stenhouse Jr. has jumped five spots in the NSCS point standings to 24th place and only two points out of 23rd place.
Last time at Martinsville
After a spin on lap 206 suddenly sent the Fastenal Ford to the garage, the Fastenal blue team worked feverishly to repair the mangled machine. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was able to pick up two additional positions after returning to the track to take the checkered flag in the 40th position.
Virginia Native
The engine tuner on the No. 17 machine, Jonathan Salmons, grew up in Bassett, Virginia which is approximately 15 miles north of Martinsville Speedway.
Zest
Zest is currently in its fourth season as a primary partner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway. They have spent all four years on the No. 17 machine; one year with Matt Kenseth and three years with Stenhouse.
Stenhouse Jr. on racing at Martinsville:
“Martinsville is a tough half-mile track. Last fall we finished 15th which was our best career finish at the paper clip shaped track. We are coming off five straight top-15 finishes so hopefully we can keep that statistic alive and leave Martinsville with another top-15 finish.”
Nick Sandler on racing at Martinsville:
“I think as an organization we have definitely improved over the years at Martinsville. Martinsville is a tough track and we struggled there in the spring. The key is to get your car to turn in the center but also protect your rear tires on exit. I definitely think we learned some things in the spring so if we can be mistake free for 500 miles then I think we will leave Martinsville with another solid finish.”
