When it comes to NASCAR drivers who have made significant improvements since last season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would have to be at the top of most anyone’s list.
After finishing 16th in Nationwide Series points last year, with just three top-five finishes and a host of disappointing runs, he’s now the series points leader and has two wins, 12 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. He also has run one Sprint Cup race, in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford at Charlotte, where he qualified ninth and finished 11th.
He heads to Dover with a 14-point lead over Elliott Sadler and a 47-point separation over third-place Reed Sorenson.
Stenhouse told reporters from Ford Motor Company that to maintain his points lead through the remaining races, he’ll need a string of top-five finishes.
“Top-fives are going to be what wins it,” he said, adding that his challengers tend to finish in the top 10 every week, so it’ll take better finishes than that to stay ahead.
He also said that his more-experienced Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards has helped him focus on the title.
“When we are racing and it is late in the race and a caution comes out, he will switch over to my radio and be like, ‘Hey man, make sure you keep it calm. You have a really good points day going, and that is what you need to think about,’” Stenhouse said. “Little things like that have helped me out.”
Stenhouse said that despite his rookie struggles last year, he and his crew chief Mike Kelley never doubted they could make a title run this year.
“I have been thinking about it ever since we were in Homestead last year,” he said. “We won Rookie of the Year last year, and we were at the banquet watching the 22 team up on stage winning that championship trophy.
“Mike and myself were sitting there at the table and told each other that we wanted that to be us next year. ...You daydream about it a little bit, but we still have a job to do.”
Etc.
Sunday’s Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway posted some strong TV numbers compared to last year’s running of the 300. The ESPN telecast earned a 3.1 household coverage rating, averaging 4,235,000 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. Last year’s race drew a 2.6, making this year’s numbers 19 percent better than last year’s. ... Lawrenceville’s Casey Roderick, who excelled in Legends racing at tracks such as Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway, is set to drive the No. 70 Dodge fielded by Jay Robinson Racing in this weekend’s OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway.
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