CONCORD, N.C. (May 20, 2017) – After securing a spot in the Monster Energy All-Star race with his victory at Talladega, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. battled with an ill-handling machine ultimately forcing him to settle with a 14th-place finish in Saturday night’s feature.
“Track position was really important,” Stenhouse said. “Our Fastenal Ford was tight for most of the race so we just couldn’t make any gains on the restarts. I definitely think we learned some things for next week.”
With the unique qualifying format where each car is required to make three laps and a four tire pit stop, Stenhouse was 10th overall but a loose lug nut added five seconds to his final time lining him up in the 16th position for the 70-lap shootout.
The Olive Branch, Miss. native lost a few positions in the first segment due to a tight-handling condition. During the break after segment one, crew chief Brian Pattie took a big swing at the Fastenal Ford.
For the final 20-lap segment, Stenhouse Jr. restarted in the 17th position with the softer tire option picking up three position before the green checkered waved at the end of segment three.
With only ten cars advancing to the final 10-lap shootout, Stenhouse settled with a 14th-place finish in his second All-Star appearance.
Next up for Stenhouse and the No. 17 team is the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28. Race coverage begins at 6 p.m ET on FOX. Coverage can also be heard on PRN and SIRIUS radio channel 90.
