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Nationwide
NNS: Stenhouse Jr. – From Crash To Cash
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. accomplished a U-turn in his career and won the Nationwide Series title…
Few drivers in the long history of NASCAR have made the sort of dramatic transformation new Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. produced this year.
Last year, Stenhouse was a loose cannon on-track, slipping and spinning and crashing and, in the process, putting his NASCAR major-series future in jeopardy as he tried to reach stability in his first full season.
It was tough going – and the season included team owner Jack Roush deciding to sit Stenhouse Jr. for a race, but Roush ultimately stuck with Stenhouse, and the rewards came Saturday as the 24-year-old driver won the Nationwide championship in the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“I feel as a race car driver I’ve had more patience and more focus over last year,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I think I started learning that about halfway through last year as far as what I needed to do as a race car driver to run up front and run consistent, and we kind of just merged everything together this year.”
Stenhouse Jr. said one of the keys to his success this season has been racing with a sense of preservation and being around for the checkered flag. He had only two DNFs this season.
“I’ve run for one championship before in my life, so this is still all new to me,” he said. “I think toward the end of the year I really learned how to run for a championship, whether that be not taking as many chances on restarts or making sure I got to the end of the race.
“I can think about stuff earlier in the year that at this point now I would not do on the race track. It’s just a learning process, and it’s tough to balance that act of just going out and getting all you can get and then kind of holding back. But what I’ve learned over the last two months is you’ve got to be around for those last 50 laps. You’ve got to turn it up those last 50 laps, and you’ve got to maintain and survive until you get there. Earlier this year, I probably got in some trouble and gave some more points away, but it’s all about learning.”
Stenhouse Jr., a native of Olive Branch in northern Mississippi, ran in the top five in points all year and took first place for good July 30 when he finished third at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis.
With Roush Fenway Racing still seeking sponsors, Stenhouse’s status for next season is uncertain, although he said he hopes to return to the Nationwide Series to pursue another championship and possibly run some Sprint Cup races.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Last year, Stenhouse was a loose cannon on-track, slipping and spinning and crashing and, in the process, putting his NASCAR major-series future in jeopardy as he tried to reach stability in his first full season.
It was tough going – and the season included team owner Jack Roush deciding to sit Stenhouse Jr. for a race, but Roush ultimately stuck with Stenhouse, and the rewards came Saturday as the 24-year-old driver won the Nationwide championship in the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“I feel as a race car driver I’ve had more patience and more focus over last year,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I think I started learning that about halfway through last year as far as what I needed to do as a race car driver to run up front and run consistent, and we kind of just merged everything together this year.”
Stenhouse Jr. said one of the keys to his success this season has been racing with a sense of preservation and being around for the checkered flag. He had only two DNFs this season.
“I’ve run for one championship before in my life, so this is still all new to me,” he said. “I think toward the end of the year I really learned how to run for a championship, whether that be not taking as many chances on restarts or making sure I got to the end of the race.
“I can think about stuff earlier in the year that at this point now I would not do on the race track. It’s just a learning process, and it’s tough to balance that act of just going out and getting all you can get and then kind of holding back. But what I’ve learned over the last two months is you’ve got to be around for those last 50 laps. You’ve got to turn it up those last 50 laps, and you’ve got to maintain and survive until you get there. Earlier this year, I probably got in some trouble and gave some more points away, but it’s all about learning.”
Stenhouse Jr., a native of Olive Branch in northern Mississippi, ran in the top five in points all year and took first place for good July 30 when he finished third at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis.
With Roush Fenway Racing still seeking sponsors, Stenhouse’s status for next season is uncertain, although he said he hopes to return to the Nationwide Series to pursue another championship and possibly run some Sprint Cup races.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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