Iowa: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. pre-event notes

Stenhouse Jr. Rides Wave of Momentum into Iowa Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. (July 30, 2010) -- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been all smiles during the month of July. Over the last four weeks, the rookie driver has an average finish of 10.5. During that time, Stenhouse has moved up five positions to 19th in NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings. More importantly, the team has also moved into the top 30 in owner points. Heading into Iowa, the No. 6 CitiFinancial team sits 23rd and for the fourth consecutive week is guaranteed a spot in the U.S. Cellular 250 on Saturday night.

Stenhouse has run every lap in the last five races and is gaining valuable experience in his first full season in the Nationwide Series. By doing this, the young wheelman is building momentum during the summer months. The 22-year old driver will make his second career start at Iowa Speedway on Saturday night. In 2009, he won the pole for the inaugural race on the .875-mile oval.

"I am looking forward to going back to Iowa," said Stenhouse, who finished 22nd there last year. "We have had fast cars all year and we are starting to get the finishes that we deserve. This entire CitiFinancial team is working hard and I can't be more proud to be associated with these guys. The last month or so has been awesome for us and I feel like we are only going to get better. We set certain goals at the beginning of the year but with the way we started the season, it looked like it was going to be hard to reach those goals. Now, with the way we have been running lately, we are getting closer each weekend."

-source: rfr