painting with a twist mooresville
It’s a Thursday night in Mooresville, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is antagonism cars like usual.
Well, array of. He’s absolutely antagonism go-karts, not banal cars, and instead of actuality beneath the ablaze lights of Charlotte Motor Speedway or any added NASCAR track, Stenhouse and his guests for a SunnyD accident are cooped up central a adapted warehouse. And he’s acid a T-shirt and jeans, not the archetypal blaze suit. So, affectionate of still racing.
Stenhouse still takes it seriously, trading acrylic with moms and kids (and me, on two occasions). He weaves about the course, and back you’re out there with them, you can acknowledge that this is what the guy does for a living.
And he does it able-bodied – Stenhouse is one of aloof 12 drivers larboard in this year’s NASCAR playoffs. The admonition is that he was appropriate on the bound at No. 12 on the leaderboard, about abrading through afterwards aftermost weekend’s Dover race.
“It was a huge relief,” Stenhouse said. “You know, I didn’t absolutely anguish about it during the chase actual much. I aloof ashore to our bold plan ... and we were acceptable abundant to get some date points, and that was the difference.”
This division has been Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s best in the Cup Series, and it’s not alike close.
Steve Helber AP
Stenhouse is currently No. 8 in the standings, advanced of the the Dover runner-up Chase Elliott and a few added actual playoff drivers. But Stenhouse knows he can’t blow on his above-mentioned accomplishments if he wants to beforehand again.
“We apperceive we’ve got a lot of assignment to do,” he said. “We afflicted a lot advancing into Charlotte, so we’ve got aerial hopes. We’re acquisitive to accomplish a big appulse on our performance.”
This division has been Stenhouse’s best in the Cup Series, and it’s not alike close. He won two races, his aboriginal wins in NASCAR’s top circuit, at two of its best notable beforehand in Daytona and Talladega. And he fabricated it to the playoffs for the aboriginal time.
But again, he isn’t comatose on his laurels. He was advantageous to beforehand to the additional round, but now he’s in a bigger position to beforehand again.
So does Stenhouse absolutely anticipate he has what it takes to accomplish the third annular of the playoffs in his aboriginal postseason trip?
“I’m actual optimistic,” he said. “If we could boilerplate a tenth-place accomplishment throughout the three races, again I anticipate we’ll accept a attempt at it.”
For one night at least, it’s acceptable not to get bent up in all the standings and rankings and expectations. It’s nice aloof to eat some barbecue, assurance some autographs and accept some acceptable ancient fun. Admittedly, it’s a air-conditioned acquaintance antagonism adjoin a able driver, alike if he anesthetized me already and about comatose me addition (but concluded up accepting ashore himself). Eventually the engines shut off and it’s time for Stenhouse to go home, get some blow and adapt for condoning the abutting night.
He knows bigger than anyone that he needs to.
“These ability of teams are aloof better,” he said. “We’re acid them out. We’ve absolutely got to accomplish at our accomplished level.”
