Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Weekly Rewind
No. 21 TSR/Chevrolet/SPIKE (USAC National Midget Car Series)
No. 22 TSR/Chevrolet/MAXIM (USAC Silver Crown Series)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES AT MACON SPEEDWAY – AUGUST 17
USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES AT THE ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS – AUGUST 18
Fri., August 17 – USAC Midget Car Series Macon (Ill.) Speedway — (1/5-mile dirt oval)
- Stenhouse was taken out of contention and ended the night early after two on-track incidents caused damage to the No. 21 in the feature. He was credited with a 22nd place finish.
- The first feature event incident involved Stenhouse and the third place car. After the third place driver spun and collected Stenhouse, the No. 21 was sent to the rear of the field. The second collision later in the race bent the front end, concluding the team’s night.
- Stenhouse won the first heat race event.
- Qualifying was omitted in favor of a pill draw for heat race starting positions.
Sat., August 18 – USAC Silver Crown Series - Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield – (one-mile dirt oval)
- Stenhouse won the 75-lap Tony Bettenhausen 100 event, posting his second series victory of the 2007 season.
- The victory was Stenhouse’s first win on a one-mile track.
- Stenhouse is the youngest winner in the event’s history.
- Due to rain, qualifying was canceled. Stenhouse started from the third position.
- Stenhouse led laps 29 – 75.
- Feature was shortened from 100 laps to 75 after persistent rain caused officials to change the event length due to curfew.
To date:
- Stenhouse has won two USAC Silver Crown Series event this season.
- He has won one USAC National Sprint Car Series feature event and five USAC National Midget Car Series features, making him the first driver to win in all three USAC National Series in 2007.
- Stenhouse is ranked fourth in the USAC Midget Series championship standings with 747 points.
- He is ranked fifth in the USAC Sprint Series title chase with 850 points.
HE SAID IT…
RICKY STENHOUSE ON THE NO. 21 TSR/CHEVROLET/MAXIM TEAM’S MISFOURTUNE AT MACON SPEEDWAY:
“We drew the fastest heat race of the night at Macon. Levi and I were in the same heat. We started fifth and went to the front for the win. We had a really good car. In the feature, we had a decent starting spot – sixth – and I got a good start at the green. I drove up to third in the first few laps. I was trying to run the middle. When I couldn’t move off the middle, I tried the bottom. In the middle of everything Jerry (Coons, Jr.) and I ended up barely getting together but neither of us could keep going. When we went to the tail of the field for the restart, we got oing again but we got caught up again in another accident. The front end was bent to the point of where we were done for the night. It’s one of those deals where you had some bad luck and it ended the night early for TSR and Chevrolet. The Chevy engines are running really well right now. We’ve just got to figure out how to get them to take off a bit better in the lower RPM range. On the big tracks where you’re wide open we couldn’t ask for anything more from them. We’re looking forward to the three midget races coming up this weekend.”
RICKY STENHOUSE ON TAKING THE LEAD EN ROUTE TO HIS SECOND SILVER CROWN SERIES VICTORY:
“I knew from the start of the race that we had a really strong car. I could run up on him (Levi Jones, teammate) at any time. In the early laps of the race, I got on his back bumper a little bit on the straightaway. We were pretty fast. On the second restart, I used the clutch to get by him. I know you’re not supposed to use the clutch because it’s hard on it but I pulled it in to pass him when the green flag dropped. It worked and we got a good jump. The car ran really well up front and we held on to win the race. It was pretty cool to be the youngest event winner in the Tony Bettenhausen 100, especially with the list of drivers who have won this race. It was also pretty cool to race that hard against Levi. It was fun to have the TSR teams dominate the event. I’m glad we were able to get the first silver crown series win for Chevrolet.”
FAST FORWARD…
Fri., August 24 – Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – (1/3-mile dirt oval)
- Stenhouse is scheduled to compete in a one-day event with the USAC National Midget Car Series.
- The event will conclude with a 30-lap feature event.
- This Friday’s race will be Stenhouse’s first appearance at the 1/3-mile facility.
- Pit gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. CDT. Grandstands will open at 4 p.m. Hotlaps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
- For tickets or information regarding Plymouth Dirt Track, race fans can call 920-893-5751.
- Visit the official web site of the Plymouth Dirt Track is www.plymouthdtr.com.
Sat., August 25 - Sun., August 26 – Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. – (1/3-mile dirt oval)
- Due to a scheduling conflict involving USAC National Sprint & Midget Series events, Stenhouse will compete in the two-day USAC Midget Series event at Angell Park Speedway. He will miss the USAC Sprint Series event at Sharon Speedway on August 25.
- Angell Park Speedway is a 1/3-mile dirt oval.
- The event will feature the USAC Midget Series. The feature event will be 30 laps in length.
- Grandstand gates will open at 4:30 p.m. CDT. Racing is set to begin at 7 p.m.
- Stenhouse will make his first-ever appearance at Angell Park Speedway this week.
- Ryan Durst won the last series event at the facility on August 26, 2006.
- For tickets or information regarding Angell Park Speedway, race fans can call 608-837-5252.
- Visit the official Web site of Angell Park Speedway.