Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has had a tumultuous 2024 campaign, but the NASCAR Cup Series’ debut at Iowa Speedway could be exactly what he needs to get back on track.
The attention surrounding Stenhouse Jr. has dealt with his off-track incidents more than his on-track prowess throughout 2024, but that could change this weekend. Iowa Speedway is a track Stenhouse Jr. knows better than most, as he’s had success on the circuit in the past, during his time in the Xfinity Series.
Iowa Speedway was a regular date for the Xfinity Series, and Stenhouse Jr. won three races in a row at the track back in 2011 and 2012, including sweeping the season during the former. During the 2012 victory at Iowa Speedway, Stenhouse Jr. actually led a whopping 209 laps, showcasing his dominance.
Making it even more impressive is the fact that this was when Cup Series drivers regularly raced in the Xfinity Series, so Stenhouse Jr. battled the best in the sport for victories at Iowa. Ahead of NASCAR’s return to the track, Stenhouse Jr. elaborated on his prior success, and why he’s excited to head back.
“I’m excited to go back,” Stenhouse Jr. said regarding Iowa Speedway, via this week’s edition of 12Questions with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “I haven’t been there since 2012. The crazy thing is I like thinking about the good parts of Iowa, but I was reminding somebody the other day I’ve had the flip side at Iowa. In 2010, we actually crashed a car in practice, I crashed my backup car in qualifying and I ran Carl’s car in the race. But obviously I’ve got great memories. I got my first Xfinity win there and I’ve got three of the gas cans (trophies) sitting at home.
“I’m not sure how it’s going to race or drive. We didn’t do the test, and we don’t get data from the test. I haven’t really seen many videos of it. We are gonna get to do some sim on it, but I’m very excited to get back. I hope it races well. I know when I watched the Xfinity races after I had been there, man, they were really, really good. So I know the fans will be there and I think it’s gonna be a cool weekend.”
It remains to be seen if Ricky Stenhouse Jr. can have the same success he had over a decade ago at Iowa Speedway, but perhaps he’s a sneaky underdog pick for this weekend’s race, as he looks to get back to the Cup Series playoffs for the second season in a row, an
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