Team: No. 17 Ford Performance Fusion
Crew Chief: Brian Pattie
Twitter: @Stenhouse17Team, @StenhouseJr, and @roushfenway
ADVANCE NOTES
Stenhouse at Texas Motor Speedway
Stenhouse has eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) with an average starting position of 18.8 and average finishing position of 21.6.
Stenhouse knows how to get to victory lane at TMS. In 2012, he held off MENCS veteran Denny Hamlin to claim his first victory at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
Last time at Texas
With rain approaching, crew chief Nick Sandler told Stenhouse to take the wave around after the caution flag waved on lap 255 to get back on the lead lap. A much needed caution came just a mere two laps later giving the two-time NASCAR XFINITY champion the opportunity to bring his Ford to pit road for four fresh tires and a chassis adjustment.
With rain reported just five miles away from the track, Stenhouse took the final green flag in the 16th position, where he maintained until the final yellow flag was displayed for rain, ultimately shortening the race by 41 laps.
On the Car
The No. 17 Fusion carries the Ford EcoBoost colors this weekend at TMS. Ford EcoBoost technology combines smaller overall size with turbocharging, direct injection and variable valve timing to bring customers outstanding performance and fuel economy.
Texas Natives
The No. 17 team has two Texas natives. Drew Beason, tire specialist, is from Del Valle which is just outside of Austin. Kenny DeGuisto, the underneath mechanic, is from Garland which is northeast of Dallas.
Stenhouse Jr. on racing at Texas:
“Texas is one of my favorite tracks. So far this season, we’ve had some strong runs at the intermediate tracks. With the repave, I’m not really sure what to expect. Turns 1 and 2 will be interesting and Turns 3 and 4 should be super fast. Last weekend we had a solid finish at one of my worst tracks, so hopefully we can carry that momentum into this weekend and leave Texas with a solid finish.”