Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Charlotte Advance
Team: No. 17 SunnyD Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Nick Sandler
Twitter: @Stenhouse17Team, @StenhouseJr, and @RoushFenway
ADVANCE NOTES
Stenhouse Jr. at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Stenhouse Jr. has nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with an average starting position of 21.3 and average finishing position of 20.9.
The two-time XFINITY series champion made his first NSCS start at Charlotte in 2011 in the famed No. 21 finishing an impressive 11th; his best Sprint Cup career finish at the 1.5-mile track.
Last Race at Charlotte
Stenhouse lined up in the third position but lost a few positions early on before the competition yellow due to a tight handling machine. With only four cautions and long green flag runs, the Olive Branch, Miss. native lost a lap to the leaders with less than 100 laps remaining in the 400-lap race. With only 14 cars on the lead lap, a much needed caution came out on lap 339 granting Stenhouse the lucky dog position.
Lining up at the tail end of the lead lap, the 2013 NSCS Rookie of the Year lined up in the 15th position but the race went green for the final 66 laps causing Stenhouse to settle with a 15th-place finish.
SunnyD
Roush Fenway Racing has added a NASCAR twist to a 90’s commercial classic, remaking the iconic ‘purple stuff’ SunnyD TV commercial with a unique NASCAR flavor. The remake stars NASCAR champions Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chris Buescher, along with FOX NASCAR personalities Andrew Doud and Kaitlyn Vincie. Vincie plays the part of ‘Misses V’ – an unforgettably cheerful lady with a great smile and seemingly endless supply of Sunny D – while Doud delivers the unforgettable classic line “Mega gnarly Misses V.”
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
All of Roush Fenway’s race cars will carry special ‘pink ribbon Driven logos’ in each of the month’s events. The No. 17 and other Roush Fenway Racing Fords will feature special pink numbers during the Charlotte event.
Stenhouse Jr. on racing at Charlotte:
“We struggled with handling earlier this year at Charlotte but we’ve made some gains since then that should help us. The SunnyD scheme is one of my favorites and will definitely stand out under the lights. We have one practice session on Thursday before qualifying so we will have to come up with a game plan on if we focus on race trim or qualifying trim because looks like we will have to contend with weather during Friday’s practice sessions. I think if we can keep dialing in our SunnyD Ford then we should be able to leave with a solid finish.”
Sandler on racing at Charlotte:
“We always look forward to racing at our home track. We struggled with handling earlier this year at Charlotte but definitely think our intermediate program has made some gains since then as well. It would be great to have a strong showing in front of all of our family and friends in attendance.”
