Team: No. 17 Nationwide Insurance Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Mike Kelley
Primary Chassis: RK- 799 – last raced in the 2012 Shootout by Edwards – finished ninth
ADVANCE NOTES
· Stenhouse in the Sprint Unlimited
o By winning the pole award at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Stenhouse qualified for his first career Sprint Unlimited.
· Stenhouse at Daytona
o The 2013 Rookie of the Year has three starts at DIS with an average starting position of 19.3 and average finishing position of 14.3.
· The Car
o Chassis RK-799 has served as a back-up car for the No.17 team for the past year. It was last raced in the 2012 Shootout by teammate Carl Edwards finishing ninth.
· Nationwide Insurance
o Nationwide Insurance will be on the No. 17 Ford this season seven times, including all of Daytona speedweeks.
o Be sure to watch the races in Daytona to see the launch of Ricky’s first national TV commercial spot titled “Spotter” that begins airing on Sat. Feb. 22
Stenhouse on the Sprint Unlimited:
“I can’t wait to get to Daytona. Our No. 17 team has been working really hard this off-season and I feel that we have confidence going into this 2014 season. The Sprint Unlimited will definitely be exciting as all the drivers are ready to get the season started. It’s a non-points race so we will definitely take some chances and hopefully get our Nationwide Insurance Ford in the historical victory lane at Daytona.”
Kelley on the Sprint Unlimited:
“I’m really excited to be back with Ricky and to get the season started. The Sprint Unlimited is a great non-points race that will allow us to work out any kinks as a new team before the big race, the Daytona 500. Everyone wants to win at historical Daytona. We’re bringing a fast Ford Fusion so hopefully we can get Nationwide Insurance into victory lane for their first Cup race this season.”