Stenhouse reclaims Nationwide Series points lead; Three Roush Fenway Fords finish top five at MIS
BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 18, 2011) – Carl Edwards passed teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with only nine laps remaining to post the victory in a dominating Roush Fenway effort in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway. On the day, Roush Fenway led 101 of 125 laps, with all three of its Ford Mustangs leading during the event. Stenhouse went on to finish second and Trevor Bayne finished fifth.
“I can remember the first win here (at Michigan),” said team owner Jack Roush. “It only seems like yesterday, but it’s great to win here in Ford’s back yard. Ford gave me my first job out of college and we had all the Ford exposure and the CFO here today. We also have 3,000 Roush Industry folks located in Livonia, Mich. and there were a lot of them here today.”
“I have to thank Fastenal; they have really stepped it up this year and they are a great company to be partnered with,” said Edwards after the race. “Ricky (Stenhouse) drove his heart out – that guy is unbelievable, just and unreal driver. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get him, but it looked like his car got a little tight there at the end.
“I also have to thank Ford,” added Edwards. “We are here in their back yard and it was a huge day for Ford Mustang. It’s very cool to be here in victory lane with a Ford Mustang. I have great sponsors and a great team. This car was very, very fast and I had a lot of fun.”
Edwards and Stenhouse combined to lead 100 laps in the event, as Roush Fenway scored its 21st NASCAR win at its ‘home track’ of Michigan. It was the fifth win for the organization at MIS and the fifth win for Roush Fenway this season in the Nationwide Series. It is Edwards’ third NNS win this season.
The finish marked the third time in the last five NNS races that Roush Fenway has finished one-two. Roush Fenway now holds the points lead in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series’.
“We just got too tight there at the end,” said Stenhouse. “It was a good one-two finish for Jack and everyone at Roush-Yates Engines. This track definitely needs a motor and we have it. This was a great day for Ford, we wanted a one-two-three finish, but three cars in the top-five and one-two is pretty good.”
“They have definitely picked their game at Roush Fenway Racing,” said Bayne after the race. “Jack (Roush) told me that last year when I came over and he’s keeping his promises, because these things have been pretty much unstoppable. Hopefully we’ll be the one sitting in victory lane soon, but I had a front row seat watching Ricky and Carl battle it out for the win there. We had three cars in the top five and a great team effort by Roush Fenway.”
The win is Roush Fenway’s eighth NASCAR win of the season. They will look for number nine in tomorrow’s Sprint Cup Series race, where the team will look for its 12th win at Michigan in the series. Tomorrow’s race will be televised live on TNT, with the green flag set for 1:00 p.m. EDT.
