Stenhouse dusting off dirt for ARCA shot with Roush

A rite of passage for a young man can be graduating from high school, applying for a first-time home loan or perhaps proposing marriage.

For 20-year-old Ricky Stenhouse Jr., it was making the A Main at the Chili Bowl, drafting for the first time on the Daytona International Speedway, and, most of all, hearing Jack Roush say his name on a national stage before the Roush Fenway Racing stable and Ford family.

"I think my heart stopped," said Stenhouse, an Olive Branch, Miss., native who grew up dirt racing and is a recent graduate of the Tony Stewart Racing program. "I'm just glad he actually knows who I am."

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stenhouse made his debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series last weekend, at the ARCA 200 in Daytona -- another rite of passage for a young man looking to one day become a household name in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, the Mecca of motorsports. On Lap 54, Stenhouse was involved in a multi-car crash that forced him into a 25th-place finish.

The well-mannered, emergent Stenhouse, piloting the No. 99 Ford for the full 2008 ARCA season, signed a contract to be a development driver for Roush in October. Prior to that, he raced in USAC's National Sprint Car and National Midget Car series. He piloted Roush driver Carl Edwards' Silver Crown car. Upon Edwards' suggestion, Stenhouse pursued a position at Roush Fenway Racing.

Before he signed with Roush, Stenhouse lived in Brownsburg, Ind., and every morning rode his bike to the Tony Stewart Racing shop where he learned from some of the best in the business.

Now, Stenhouse is meeting his final transition from dirt to pavement.

"We tested the ARCA car four times. I have a lot of DVDs and I'm watching the races, learning as much as I can from watching. The tapes will help," he said.

During the recent December open test session in Daytona, Stenhouse was at the top of the charts in a field of 68 cars, a record turnout.

"I feel like our team is starting to gel and I'm getting more and more comfortable in the car with each lap," he said. "The test sessions have been good but I'm definitely ready to race."

Stenhouse has made all the right moves and necessary preparations to be a success. After the holidays, he moved to Cornelius, N.C., to bunk with Chip Ganassi's development driver Bryan Clauson and travels to the Roush shop daily.

Some higher ups in NASCAR look at Stenhouse, as well as other young drivers in his shoes, and say he's not mature enough for the sport's high level of racing.

They want to increase the legal age to race in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series to 21, which is fine with Stenhouse as he still has a full season in the ARCA series.

"I actually think it's a good rule," he said. "It takes a lot of maturity to run with the best drivers, week in and week out. Not everybody is up for that."

As for Stenhouse, he said he's ready. He has been racing since he was 6 years old -- first go-karts then sprint cars at 15.

"I think I matured faster than my buddies at school because in racing I was always on the road hanging out with my dad and his buddies, an older group of people," he said. "And last year moving out on my own to Brownsburg was a good experience."

And experience is what he needs to get where he wants to be; expectations are high for Stenhouse, son of a racer and successful engine builder.

"We want obviously rookie of the year," he said. "We'll have the best equipment out there so there's no reason why we should ever finish outside of the top 10 and win at least five or 10 races; that's what we are setting out to do. We are out there to win."

Stenhouse is confident with his equipment and rightfully so since NASCAR decided to use its new car full time for the 2008 Sprint Cup season, which has created an extensive fleet of fine-tuned racecars obsolete. The Cup Series' loss is ARCA's gain.

"The Sprint Cup cars passed down to us will make for some great racing and we are making our own history with these cars," Stenhouse said.

And making racing history is what his team owner Jack Roush is all about.

"We're very excited to have Ricky as part of our Roush Fenway Racing stable of drivers," he said. "He has shown tremendous talent in the USAC series with six wins and we feel he'll do a great job for us in the ARCA series in 2008."