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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined NASCAR in its weekly run around the track interview and opened up about his son, dirt racing career, and golf. He also talked about the challenges of keeping composure at Martinsville due to the aggressive nature of driving on the short track.
Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track in NASCAR, stretching 0.526 miles with tight and narrow corners. This short track promtps door-to-door driving where cars are extremely close to each other, often leading to accidents. The #47 of Hyak Motorsports will feature in the Cook Out 400 at 3 PM ET and will begin in the 34th position on the 17th row in the 38-car field.
Ahead of the qualifying, Stenhouse Jr. was asked about handling emotions and maintaining composure during the race. He responded:
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"If you listen to everybody's radio, I don't think anybody stays calm. I feel like at Martinsville, so many things happen, and it's sometimes not the guy right behind you. You got to take into consideration that in short-track racing, you're going to get moved out of the way, and people get their feelings hurt."
In the candid interview, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. explained the challenges at the short track and how the only way to go past might be to bump the car ahead of you at times. Unlike other speedways, Martinsville has no escape routes, and one collision could turn into a multi-car wreck as drivers often have little room to maneuver. This bumper-to-bumper style of racing is common at the track but has also led to multiple wrecks.
Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace spun each other out in 2002 after leading side-by-side in an intense battle. More recently, Joey Logano spun Martin Truex Jr. in the characteristic bump-and-run move seen at the track on the final corner and took the chequered flag into the 2018 playoffs.
Stenhouse Jr.'s grounded response also highlights that the aftermath of such incidents could potentially lead to physical altercations. Nevertheless, Martinsville remains an iconic track in the NASCAR Cup Series, where the drivers' patience is tested.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s transition from dirt tracks to stock cars
In the interview with NASCAR, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also reflected on his dirt track roots and how he switched to stock car racing. He recalled his struggles in his initial years and getting advice from three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.
"Dirt track racing was my life. That's all I did. All I ever wanted to do. Tested a stock car in 2007 with Roush Fenway Racing, and I felt so out of play. So, Tony Stewart helped me out a lot. Called him like, 'hey, I have no idea what I'm doing,'" said Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to NASCAR.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. failed to finish in the top ten at Martinsville in his first eight attempts and is yet to win at the track in his 24 attempts. He will race at Martinsville in the #47 Madness SUNNYD Chevrolet and will hope to channel his composure into an outcome.
The Hyak Motorsports racer is currently in 19th place in the Cup standings with 129 points.
