Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Brian Pattie
Twitter: @Stenhouse17Team, @stenhousejr, @FastenalRacing and @roushfenway
ADVANCE NOTES
Stenhouse Jr. at Martinsville Speedway
Stenhouse has eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Martinsville with an average starting position of 24.0.
Last time at Martinsville
After gaining six positions in the opening laps, the Fastenal Ford wheel hopped on lap 21 sending Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for a spin. The damage was too sufficient for the crew to repair, resulting in a 40th-place finish.
In the Points
After five races, Stenhouse sits in the 24th position in the driver point standings, just 28 points out of 16th place.
Virginia Natives
Two members of the Blue Team grew up close to Martinsville Speedway. Engine tuner Jonathan Salmons was raised in Bassett, Virginia which is approximately 15 miles north of Martinsville Speedway. Veteran truck driver DeWayne Zirkle is from Roanoke, Virginia which is approximately an hour north of the track.
On the Car
Fastenal is currently in its sixth season as a primary partner in the MENCS 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 Martinsville:
“Martinsville is a difficult half-mile track that I have struggled at in the past. I’m going to spend some time this week in the simulator to get more comfortable with the feel of the track. It’s a long race, so I need to remind myself to be patient. My crew chief Brian Pattie really likes Martinsville, so hopefully I can learn some things from him and can earn a solid finish this weekend.”
