After a caution-free day in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the checkered flag 21st in his No. 17 Roush Performance Thanks DW Ford Mustang.
Stenhouse started the 90-lap event 17th and held steady for the majority of the stage. The driver reported that his No. 17 machine was very tight and had no front turn. At lap 16 the team pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure returning to the track with three laps left in the stage. Stenhouse finished stage one in 24th.
Pit strategy came into play when the team elected to stay out during the stage ending caution. As a result, Stenhouse gained major track position and restarted stage two in seventh. He held steady inside the top-10 for the majority of the stage and even drove his way into the top-five. The driver finished the second stage fifth, earning six stage points.
The team pitted with the stage-ending caution and restarted the final stage 27th. After reports of a tight No. 17 Mustang, Stenhouse remained quiet on the radio. The two-time Xfinity champion worked his way up to 25th and held steady until the team decided to toy with pit strategy. With 15 to go, the No. 17 Roush Performance ThanksDW Ford made its way down pit road for four tires and fuel. Unfortunately, the caution flag never waved, resulting in a 21st-place finish at the series’ first road-course race of the season.
Stenhouse and the No. 17 team return to the track on Sunday, June 30 at 3 p.m. EST.
RFR PR
