Stenhouse Suffers Early Setback, Finishes 32nd at Martinsville Speedway

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove his No. 17 Fastenal Ford Fusion to a 32nd-place finish Sunday afternoon in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. An incident on lap 138 left severe damage on the left side of the Fastenal Ford Fusion and put Stenhouse a lap down to the leaders.

Stenhouse started the race 13th, his best-ever qualifying effort at the short track, but struggled to find grip and  cycled back to the 25th position by lap 30. The Fastenal Ford Fusion’s handling would even out as the run went on, with Stenhouse trending upward to the 18th position by his first pit stop at lap 90.

A wreck on lap 138 derailed Stenhouse’s hopes of staying on the lead lap, but the swift work of his pit crew left him only one lap down to the leaders in 34th place. The damaged Fastenal Ford Fusion couldn’t keep pace, however, and Stenhouse ultimately placed 32nd.

RFR PR