A fresh new voice!
|
|
Please visit our sponsors | |||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
A fresh new voice! |
||||||||
Stenhouse Jr. Climbs Back into Rookie of the Year Battle in Nationwide Series
Concord, N.C. (August 26, 2010) – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Olive Branch has been gaining momentum during the summer months. Since Daytona in July, Stenhouse has moved up six positions in the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings to 20th heading into Montreal this week. To date, Stenhouse is second in Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year standings, just 16 markers behind leader Brian Scott. Stenhouse has captured top rookie honors three times in the last five races and six overall in 2010. In his seven most recent starts, Stenhouse Jr. has one top-five and two top-10s. He slowed down enough to answer questions before heading north of the border to Canada.
Q: What is the reason for your recent surge in consistency? A: I think experience, making more laps and just getting everything straight. We are unloading really well. The guys are working really hard at the shop putting these cars back together from the beginning of the year and they’re awesome cars. Everything is starting to come together. We’re coming back to some racetracks that we’ve been to before which has helped. Everything is coming together, everything is falling into place. I’m focusing really hard on being consistent and it’s paying off now.
Q: You have gained ground on Brian Scott in the Raybestos Rookie standings. What would it mean to you to win rookie of the year? A: It would mean a lot to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year. At the beginning of the year I really wasn’t focused on it. If we had the type of runs at the beginning of the year like we have had lately, we would be in great shape. In the last month and a half we’ve averaged like a 12th-place finish, so if we can keep doing that I feel like hopefully that will come. It would mean a lot to me, Jack [Roush, car owner] and everybody on the CitiFinancial team. CitiFinancial would love it so that’s what we’re shooting for.
Q: What would you like to accomplish between now and the rest of the season? A: I’d like to battle for more top fives. I also want to continue to be consistent. Good things happen when we run in the top 10. If we can get in the top five at some racetracks then that would be a huge bonus for this program. I feel like we are gaining a little respect out there with the veterans and that means a lot to me. This last next month and a half has been a step in the right direction so hopefully we can keep doing that.
Q: What is the main thing that you learned this season? A: I feel like the biggest thing is just staying focused, whether it’s practice, qualifying or the race. You’ve got to stay 100 percent focused. You can’t relax, you’ve got to be totally committed. I feel like at the beginning of the year I was trying to figure things out and got into some situations that hurt us. Now we are completely focused and making better decisions. For example, in Michigan we were four-wide at one point and we backed out of it. I’ve learned to eliminate as many bad situations as possible. We finished the race strong so decisions like that have been getting better.
About Roush Fenway Racing |