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Does Stenhouse let up knowing he might avoid Victory Lane, but also the dog house?
“I’m not going to let up for a win. You race as hard as you can,” Stenhouse Jr. said during the Daytona 500 media day on Wednesday. “This race, you gotta put yourself in the right position. You’re not going to crash anybody on purpose. I’d make sure it’s a calculated move if I try to make a move.”
Stenhouse Jr., who drives the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Fusion for Roush Racing, makes his 149th career Monster Energy NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Daytona on Sunday. Will win No. 1 follow? Patrick, who has 154 career starts, is also waiting for her first victory.
Here are five questions with Stenhouse, the former USAC sprint car driver and 2013 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year:
1. Describe what the first lap of the Daytona 500 feels like for a driver.
I think the first lap is kind of crazy. You’re wanting to go forward but not wanting to make anybody mad. You’re wondering who will be the first person to go three wide. You don’t want to be the one that gets stuck in the middle on the first lap. You want to be aggressive and make moves first, but you don’t want to be the person that makes everybody mad because then you won’t have anybody to work with toward the end of the race. The first lap is pretty fun at Daytona.
2. Do you let yourself think about what it would be like to win the Daytona 500?
You definitely think about it because you want to win it so bad. If we could win the Daytona 500, it just changes your whole season from the beginning. You get to focus on other things. I haven’t had a first Cup win yet, so to get one at Daytona would be huge. What I’d do if I did win? I have no clue yet.
3. Do you feel like you are close to getting that first Cup victory?
We’ve been close at times. Yes and no. I think we need to be more consistent to give ourselves a chance at it. We’ve been good at certain race tracks but I’d like to be more consistent at all race tracks before I think that win is right around the corner. There’s no reason why we can’t get it done here. … I don’t really think about how many races I’ve ran in the Cup car. I run as hard as I can and if we have a car that can win that’s great. If not we’ll go on to the next weekend.
4. You won the USAC midget feature at the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway in 2007. What do you remember from that night?
Eldora is fun. Man, we were so fast. We were so close to the wall. I think Brad Loyet and I were racing. I put a slide job on him and he put a slide job on me back. We banged Nerf bars a couple times at Eldora, which is crazy to do. It was a fun race and glad we were able to get a win there.
5. What’s tougher on a driver: the first lap or the final lap of the Daytona 500?
The last lap. Everybody is trying to get each position they can. They’re pushing and shoving. You don’t lift for anything hardly. The last lap is definitely more reckless. … You can’t do it on your own at Daytona. You gotta have help. You have to make sure you align yourself with the right people and see what happens come Sunday.
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