By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Sunday’s GEICO 500 saw handling become a factor at Talladega Superspeedway, as most of the field struggled to even run side-by-side without getting loose around the 2.66-mile track.
Some drivers took to the high line to steer less, others, like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., simply took advantage.
The dirt racer took his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford throughout the pack in a day that saw pit strategy and multiple single-file runs dominate the 188-lap event. The defending Talladega race winner Stenhouse showed his face once again at the end, as he brought home a fifth-place finish.
While others struggled near the end to make moves, Stenhouse was a fan of how the driver played more of a part in the result.
“The cars are hard to drive, which I like,” Stenhouse said. “There were a lot of times where we were lifting out there. But when you get down to the end, you don’t lift very much.”
Ford power was again prevalent at Talladega, as Joey Logano scored the win, topping what was six of the top seven results for Ford. Stenhouse sneaked in there to grab his second top five of 2018 and fourth in just 10 Talladega starts.
After winning the race last spring, Stenhouse backed it up with a win at the July race at Daytona. Now with another top five on a tough-handling plate track, the Mississippian hopes to see more in the next plate races in July and October, however, still wants to see quicker runs mid-pack.
“I think handling should be a factor in these races and not just hold it wide open,” he said. “I’d like to see us be able to get better runs. The package last year we were able to run side-by-side a little better for whatever reason, I have no clue why.”
In a tough year for Roush, a top five on Sunday puts Stenhouse 15th in driver points heading to Dover International Speedway.