NASCAR
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is Red Hot Heading into Phoenix
This Sunday the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to ISM Raceway, for the secondrace on its new layout. One driver who is certainly looking forward to getting back behind the wheel is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse is currently off to the best start of his Cup Series career 3 races into the season.
Heading into the race at ISM Raceway this weekend, Stenhouse finds himself sitting 7th in the series points standings. Which happens to be 4 points positions better than his previous 3-race-best of 11th, which he’s achieved twice. Ricky has stated that he believes that his relationship with crew chief Brian Pattie has made a big difference in performance this season.
“Brian brings me a lot of confidence. We believe in each other on this team,” said Stenhouse Jr. As seen before, confidence can go a long way in aiding the performance of a driver. The fact that the team believes in each other can be the beginning of great things this season.
Stenhouse Jr. Career Stats at ISM Raceway
While Stenhouse is off to the best start of his career, there are certainly many tracks he’d rather race on to keep the momentum going. Throughout his career, ISM Raceway has been one of Ricky’s worst tracks by far. Stenhouse Jr. has an average starting position of 18.5 in his 12 starts at the track. This means he is consistently behind the 8-ball from the start at a track where track position is important.
With an average starting position around mid-pack, you would expect his average finish to at least be an improvement. Unfortunately that is not the case, as Ricky has an average finish of 20.33. He has also never managed to lead a lap in his 12 trips to the track. So if he wants to keep his momentum going, he’s gonna have his work cut out for him on Sunday.
