LITTLE ROCK — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. may compete on a bigger stage now, but he always enjoys returning to race where his career started.
He also intends to make sure that never changes.
Stenhouse, who is in a battle for his second consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series title, will take advantage of a rare weekend off in the series and compete at the 25th annual Comp Cams Short Track Nationals sprint car event at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway.
After this season, Stenhouse will move up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, which will mean a longer schedule, more testing, more sponsor commitments — all things that will make it more challenging to find time for the dirt.
“I was joking with Tony Stewart the other day that I may have to catch a ride on his plane to some of the dirt tracks,” Stenhouse said, referring to the three-time Sprint Cup champion who also dabbles on the dirt tracks. “But anytime I can find the time or have an off-week or whatever, I’m definitely going to try to find a dirt race somewhere.”
A native of Olive Branch, Miss., Stenhouse is a child of the vibrant Memphis-area sprint car scene. During the early part of his career, he was a fixture at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis and spent a good deal of time on I-30’s quartermile oval.
After gaining national attention while driving for Stewart in USAC’s sprint and midget series, Stenhouse signed with Roush Fenway Racing. The Nationwide Series rookie of the year in 2010, he took the series title last season after collecting two victories. Last week’s victory at Kansas Speedway was his sixth this season, and he is in second place in the standings, six points behind Elliott Sadler with three races remaining.
“We know we need to win races, and if we win the rest we will win the championship no matter what,” Stenhouse said after Saturday’s victory. “We have good tracks coming up for us, and we are looking forward to getting to them.”
The track in his sights this week is I-30’s quarter-mile, high-banked oval.
“I don’t think I’ve ever won a feature [at I-30],” said Stenhouse, whose father was also a sprint car driver in the region. “I raced over there a bunch. It will be good to be there again.”
Stenhouse has made the field for the Short Track Nationals four times, finishing fifth in 2005, seventh in 2007, 10th in 2006 and 20th in 2003.
Jason Johnson of Eunice, La., who drives for a team owned by Stenhouse, won the event in 2006 and claimed American Sprint Car Series national event victories at the track in June and August this year.
“Yeah, it’s good to be able to bounce stuff off Jason,” Stenhouse said. “It’s pretty tough to jump into one of these cars and being racing against the best guys in the country. Real glad to have Jason in my corner.”
The event figures to draw more than 100 of the nation’s top sprint car drivers, thanks to a total purse of more than $100,000, including $15,000 to win and $2,500 to start for Saturday night’s main event.
Full preliminary events will be held tonight and Friday night, with the top-three finishers from each prelim feature gaining starting spots near the front of the field for the main event. The rest of the 20-car field will be set through a series of qualifying features Saturday night.
Short Track Nationals
WHAT 25th annual Comp Cams Short Track Nationals sprint car event WHERE I-30 Speedway, Little Rock WHEN Tonight, Friday night and Saturday night. Racing starts at 7:30 each night. PURSE More than $100,000, including $15,000 to win and $2,500 to start in Saturday’s main event. TICKETS Tonight and Friday night: Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $2 for children aged 6-12. Saturday night: Grandstand admission is $25 for adults, $5 for children aged 6-12. Pit passes are $30 tonight and Friday night, $35 Saturday night. PPV For the first time, each lap of the event will broadcast live at shorttracknationals.com on a pay-per-view basis. Packages are $15 per day or $35 for all three days, and can be purchased at the website.
FORMER WINNERS 2011 Sammy Swindell, Bartlett, Tenn. 2010 Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif. 2009 Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kan. 2008 Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, Kan. 2007 Jason Meyers, Clovis, Calif. 2006 Jason Johnson, Eunice, La. 2005 Tim Montgomery, Fredericktown, Mo. 2004 Gary Wright, Hooks, Texas 2003 Gary Wright, Hooks, Texas 2002 Paul McMahan, Nashville, Tenn. 2001 Jason Sides, Bartlett, Tenn. 2000 Mike Ward, Memphis 1999 Gary Wright, Hooks, Texas 1998 Tim Crawley, Benton 1997 Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City 1996 Pete Butler, Mabelvale 1995 Gary Wright, Hooks, Texas 1994 Terry Gray, Bartlett, Tenn. 1993 John Gerloff, Lincoln, Neb. 1992 Rainout 1991 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Ind. 1990 Sammy Swindell, Cordova, Tenn. 1989 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Ind. 1988 Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Ind.
Sports, Pages 21 on 10/25/2012