Catchfence

CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 21, 2010) – From how Ricky Stenhouse Jr. started the 2010 season to how he is finishing it, is remarkable.  With four races to go, Stenhouse is in position to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.    However, after the race at Road America in June, Stenhouse was 35 points out of the rookie lead and was nothing more than an afterthought for the award.  Since then, Stenhouse has recorded two top-fives, five top-10s and has an average finish of 13.6 over the last 15 races he has run.  Heading into Gateway this weekend, Stenhouse holds a six point lead in the rookie standings and has his sights set on finishing the season strong.  Should Stenhouse remain on top of the standings, it would be the largest deficit a driver has overcome to win rookie of the year.

“It is awesome to be in contention to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year,” said Stenhouse.  “The award means so much to me, Jack (Roush) and everyone on this No. 6 team.  Being in the lead is a testament to how hard all of the guys are working.  We dug ourselves a big hole at the beginning of the year, but we are out of that hole and making big gains each week.  I feel like I have improved on the race track and Mike (Kelley) has given me great Fords to race.  We still have four races left and I am looking forward to continuing to race up front.  We need to knock off more top five finishes and contend for a wins; this team is capable of doing that for sure.”

Catch Stenhouse and the No. 6 CitiFinancial team in the 5 Hour Energy 250 at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 23, 2010 with race coverage beginning at 3:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. Stenhouse finished ninth at Gateway earlier this season.

About CitiFinancial

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating nine motorsports teams.  Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and five in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Trevor Bayne, Colin Braun, Brian Ickler, and Paul Menard.  For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway.  For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release