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| Full “Sten”house: Mississippi Native Wins First Career Silver Crown Race |
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FEBRUARY 11, 2007 - In only his sixth USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K&N Engineering race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gave Carl Edwards/R.E. Technologies its first career series victory Saturday in the “Copper on Dirt” at Manzanita Speedway in front of a capacity crowd. Stenhouse, who started seventh in the No. 199 Ford/Red Line Oil J&J/Ford, moved into the Top 5 shortly after the green flag flew and led twice for nine laps, including the final eight to win the series opener and first away from Phoenix International Raceway since 2000. “This is awesome, and it’s great to give this team this victory,” said Stenhouse, who hails from Olive Branch, Miss. “Without my sponsors and team, I couldn’t have done this.” Stenhouse trailed Shane Cottle for much of the final half of the race. He stole second from Shane Hollingsworth on Lap 32, then began working Cottle in any way he could. Stenhouse waited until Lap 36 to finally get by, inching Cottle at the line after diving to the bottom, but Cottle got him back on the next lap. Former series champion Dave Darland worked his tail tank for the next couple laps before the final caution on Lap 42 came out. Darland, trying desperately to pick off Stenhouse on the inside, spun in Turn 3 and slid up into the upper groove of the half-mile. With nowhere to go, Hollingsworth popped into Darland’s left side, forcing the departure of both drivers from competition. Stenhouse didn’t wait after that caution, however. Cottle got the jump at the flag stand but slid just high enough in Turn 1 to allow Stenhouse a run. He snuck underneath Cottle entering Turn 2, then completed the pass on the backstretch. He was never challenged thereafter. “I joke around saying these guys (crew members) are my stepdads,” Stenhouse said. “They gave me great engines and a great car, and I’m ecstatic that we were able to end up in Victory Lane.” Several drivers behind Cottle, Hollingsworth and Stenhouse went two- and three-wide throughout the event. Defending series champion Bud Kaeding, who was repositioned to the tail of the field midway through the event, made his way back to fourth after working the top groove with newer tires. Paul White, the last driver to win a season opener prior to Dave Steele’s five-year run (won at PIR in 2001) to start a season, was sandwiched in at third. A.J. Fike finished fifth in the 50-lap race. Mat Neely was not seriously injured in the race’s only flip, which occurred in Turn 1 on Lap 26 and brought out the race’s only red flag. Billy Wease was the only other driver to bring out a caution when he spun on Lap 26, which perpetrated the ensuing restart which involved Neely’s incident. Thirteen of the 20 starters finished the race on the lead lap. The series makes its way next on March 24 to Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida for the “Homestead-Miami 100.” |
