NASCAR: Five Drivers Who Need To Show Improvement in 2015

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

No.1- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr: No.17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr has struggled in his first two seasons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Stenhouse came to the Sprint Cup Series after winning back to back NASCAR Nationwide Series championships and looked to be Roush Fenway Racing’s next superstar.

It hasn’t come to fruition. Stenhouse finished a decent 19th in points in his rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series with crew chief Scott Graves. However, the team made a change after the 2013 season and hired Mike Kelley to take over as crew chief. Kelley and Stenhouse worked together in their two NASCAR Nationwide Series championships together.

Kelley and Stenhouse struggled together and finished a dismal 27th in points. The lowest point of the season came when Stenhouse failed to qualify for the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in October. The No.17 team appeared to be confused on the rules and put an end to a tough season for the team.

However, the team did have some bright spots including a second place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. Changes were made to the No. 17 team with Kelley being moved to car chief and the team hiring Nick Sandler as crew chief. Sandler worked with Jimmy Fennig as an engineer of the No. 99 Ford the past several seasons.

Stenhouse also has a lot of pressure on him from the team he drives for. The organization lost driver Carl Edwards to Joe Gibbs Racing and Stenhouse will try to fill in and replace what Edwards had done. With the changes to the No.17 team anything less than a Chase birth would be a disappointment for the team.

Which is why Stenhouse has to have a huge 2015 season. If he doesn’t he will be entering 2016 with three disappointing seasons and it may be hard to sell sponsorship on his car and that is never a good thing.