Top Dog: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
No matter the skeptics in the past or focusing on what he has not done, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has already accomplished some respectable feats in his career.
He is a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, has won three NASCAR Cup Series races, and one of those was a victory in this year’s Daytona 500.
One thing that he has not done though, despite being with RFK Racing and a road course-winning team in JTG-Daugherty Racing, was earn a top 10 on a road course.
That all changed in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (March 26).
After starting in 18th, Stenhouse was quick early on, running top-10 lap times and progressing up the leaderboard through the first two stages. By the end of stage two, Stenhouse picked up five stage points in sixth.
In the final stage, Stenhouse had a close call during a pit stop under yellow when he stopped short in his pit box, costing him time on the stop. With just over 25 laps remaining, he had to restart in 31st.
Within six laps, the No. 47 made it to the top 20 before sliding back to 22nd. Fortunately, another caution with 13 to go allowed him to pit for four tires and fuel.
Another caution on lap 59 left Stenhouse with left-rear damage, forcing him to pit once again.
More trouble struck on lap 61 when Stenhouse suffered a flat tire, relegating him to 31st with five laps to go. And that is where the comeback began.
As they say, cautions breed cautions and that was certainly true at COTA. Not one, not two, but three overtimes allowed the 35-year-old to climb back into contention.
By the time the white flag flew, Stenhouse had fought all the way back to seventh, where he would stay when the checkered flag waved.
It was quite the comeback for Stenhouse and the No. 47 team, as he gained 24 spots in the final 10 laps.
For Stenhouse, it is another bright spot to a solid start this season. While the result is his first top 10 since his Daytona 500 triumph, it’s his fifth top 20 in the season’s first six races. To compare, he only had one in the first six races of 2022.
The Olive Branch, Miss. native fought all day long, and that certainly signals a lot of optimism for this team going forward.
Who Impressed
Todd Gilliland is no stranger to success at COTA. Two years ago, he won the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the track. Now, he has earned a Cup top 10 on the 3.41-mile track.
Gilliland…
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