NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Las Vegas
By Cole Mentzel
Winner: The No. 17 Team
As a middle-of-the-pack driver last season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and his team came into 2016 looking to rebound with Roush Fenway Racing.
His 22nd-place finish at Daytona was okay considering the fact that it was at Daytona, but he has been putting together solid races since then. In Atlanta, Stenhouse Jr. qualified 5th before finishing 10th. More of his luck returned at Las Vegas as he put together another top-15 finish, ending his day in 12th place. He has been overlooked due to the fact that he has not been competing for the win but his last two finishes could be telling of the future.
RFR struggled mightily last season but had a new outlook this year. Last week, one of Stenhouse Jr.’s teammates, Trevor Bayne, gave a little insight that could explain why we’ve seen the No. 17 car race better:
"“This season, we’re really looking forward to this low downforce package. We felt like our best races were at the low downforce tracks (last year), Kentucky and Darlington, so everybody that’s wondering what’s going on at Roush Fenway Racing, a lot of hard work and a lot of attention to detail.”"
Though we’re just three races into the season, take note of what Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has done so far. He could be in for a decent 2016 campaign.
Next: Not Dominant This Week