BROOKLYN, Mich. – Roush Fenway Racing teammates Ryan Newman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will try to give team owner Jack Roush a happy homecoming at Michigan International Speedway.
Roush is a native of Michigan and Roush Industries is located in Lavonia. His teams have experienced great success at the 2-mile MIS oval over the years with 23 wins across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Roush Fenway’s 13 wins in the Monster Energy Cup Series at Michigan are the most of any track on the schedule.
Newman will make his 36th Cup start at the MIS this weekend. In 35 prior events, Newman has two wins, nine top-10s and six top fives. He has an overall average finish of 16.4 and starting spot of 13.5 with one pole with three previous teams.
The veteran driver has been consistent in recent weeks and looks to continue that trend in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 when he makes his first Michigan start with Roush Fenway Racing.
“I’ve always loved racing at Michigan, a track that I’ve been coming to for a long time,” said Newman, who will carry a Coca-Cola paint scheme at Michigan. “We’ve been fortunate to have some pretty good success here in years past. It’s always been a fun track to drive since it’s so wide, which can make for some exciting side-by-side racing.”
Stenhouse Jr. has 12 Cup starts at Michigan with an average starting position of 19.4 and average finishing position of 21.4. Like Newman he looks forward to racing at the track and hopes to make his team owner proud with a solid performance on Sunday.
“Michigan is a track that Roush Fenway, Ford, and Jack have had a lot of success,” said Stenhouse Jr., who will be sponsored by NOS Energy this weekend. “With this being the home track for Ford and Roush Industries, we always want to have a strong showing. I think we will see a race similar to Kansas this weekend.”
Stenhouse Jr. believes this year’s rules package was built for a track like Michigan.
“I think we’ll be all over the place and there will be a lot of wide open,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “It’s been pretty well noted that some tracks have been better than others, which in our sport that’s the way it’s always been. A package is not going to be perfect for every racetrack. Pocono was tough to pass. I think Michigan is going to be the opposite. I think we all are going to run a lot closer together. California is the same size and shape, but it’s not as smooth and have a lot of grip like Michigan does. I think Friday’s practice we’ll all be out there drafting more like you would at Daytona, Talladega.”
