Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the checkered flag last weekend at Iowa Speedway in his 51st NASCAR Nationwide Series start, and made himself one of the hottest new stars in the series.
With his win at Iowa, Stenhouse became the first series championship contender this season to post a win. He is ranked third in the 2011 season-to-date Driver Rating with 107.3, which is 44.5 points better than his 2010 Driver Rating (62.8) after 12 races.
The win moved Stenhouse to third in the standings, eight points behind the standings leader Elliott Sadler and one point behind second-place Reed Sorenson.
Stenhouse’s past two seasons resemble the plot of a sports movie classic. Coming off of a dire start to the 2010 season, Stenhouse salvaged his career by posting consistent finishes and winning Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. This season, he has built on the momentum to not only contend for a championship but stay in the top-five in the standings all season, including leading the driver standings for two weeks. In addition to Stenhouse’s win, he has tallied four top fives and a series leading nine top 10s.
Heading to Charlotte, Stenhouse has made three starts posting a best finish of 14th last fall.
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