There are some drivers who are content racing in one category for their entire careers. But Ricky Stenhouse Jr. isn’t one of them.
Stenhouse frequents short tracks when he’s not driving his No. 17 Ford Fusion, and always is open to trying his hand at racing various types of cars. And apparently, that includes some of the fastest single-seaters in the world.
Following his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, the Roush Fenway Racing driver said he would “love” to drive a Formula One car in the Monaco Grand Prix or an IndyCar at the Indianapolis 500. He did admit it would be tough to do, however, given NASCAR’s packed schedule.
Fernando Alonso’s entry in this year’s Indy 500 has been the talk of the racing world for nearly a month, as many are interested to see how he will fare. The two-time F1 world champion has experience in lots of open-wheel categories in Europe, but has never raced on an oval before.
Stenhouse is in the opposite boat; he has lots of practice on ovals — as was evident from his last-lap pass Sunday — but hasn’t driven in a single-seater series. Although he acknowledged that would make it difficult to be competitive, he said Kurt Busch finishing P6 in the 2014 Indy 500 proved it can be done.
NESN Fuel’s Ben Watanabe and Michaela Vernava recently talked to Stenhouse about how much he pays attention to the Indy 500 and Monaco Grand Prix every year, as well as his interest level in trying a one-off IndyCar drive.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hagy/USA TODAY Sports Images
