Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Sonoma Advance
Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Nick Sandler
Twitter: @Stenhouse17Team @Stenhousejr @FastenalRacing and @roushfenway
ADVANCE NOTES
Stenhouse Jr. at Sonoma Raceway
Stenhouse Jr. has three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) starts at Sonoma Raceway with an average starting position of 33.7 and average finishing position of 26.0.
Stenhouse has completed 329 of 330 (99.7%) laps in his three previous starts at the 1.99-mile road course.
One Year Ago at Sonoma
When the final yellow flag waved on lap 99, the Olive Branch, Miss. native was scored in the 20th position. Crew chief Nick Sandler radioed to Stenhouse that he thought they should stay out for the track position if a majority of the field came down pit-road. Stenhouse Jr. lined up in the fourth position on the final restart but newer tires prevailed forcing Stenhouse to settle with a 20th-place finish.
In the Points
Stenhouse Jr. currently sits 20th in the NSCS point standings just 27 points shy of 16th place with 11 races remaining until the Chase.
On the Car
Fastenal is currently in its fifth season as a primary partner in the NSCS for Roush Fenway. They spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping over to the No. 17 entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 XFINITY team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.
Stenhouse Jr. on racing at Sonoma:
“I thought last year we could have had a top-15 finish so I’m looking forward to Sonoma this weekend. Last year we struggled in qualifying so we will focus on that on Friday to make sure we earn a good starting spot. Seat time is very valuable to me at these road courses and making sure I hit all my marks and don’t make any mistakes. With not many races before the Chase, we need to make sure we capitalize and get the best finish we can to stay close to 16th in the point standings.”
Sandler on racing at Sonoma:
“Last year our Ford was really good on the long runs which is beneficial at Sonoma because the race usually comes down to pit strategy and fuel mileage. I think if we can keep our Fastenal Ford on the track and stay out of others misfortunes then we should be able to leave Sonoma with a solid finish. We are close to the top-16 in the points so we want to make sure we capitalize and gain on our 27 point deficit.”
