Bill Text: MS SC561 | 2013 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognize accomplishments of NASCAR's 2012 Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., of Olive Branch, Mississippi.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 4-2)
Status: (Passed) 2013-03-13 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC561 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2013-SC561-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2013 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Massey, Parker, Burton, Butler (38th), Lee, Jackson (32nd)
Senate Concurrent Resolution 561
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE STELLAR CAREER OF NASCAR'S 2012 NATIONWIDE SERIES CHAMPION RICKY STENHOUSE, JR., OF OLIVE BRANCH, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, with his dominating performance in the 2011 Nationwide Series, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., a native of Olive Branch, Mississippi, became Roush Fenway's sixth all-time NASCAR Champion. Leading the point standings for the final 13 weeks of the season, Stenhouse accumulated 2 wins, 16 Top 5 and 26 Top 1O finishes during his championship campaign that saw this young Mississippi native win the Nationwide Series Driver's Championship by 45 points. The title marked the third Nationwide Series Championship for Roush Fenway Racing. He is a rookie competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the #17 Best Buy/Zest/Fifth Third Bank Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Stenhouse was the 2010 "Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year" and won back-to-back Nationwide Series Championships in 2011 and 2012 driving the #6 Ford Mustang; and
WHEREAS, at just 26 years of age, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., has been racing for 20 years. At the age of 6, Stenhouse began racing go-karts and by age 15, he had earned 47 A-Main Karting victories and more than 90 podium finishes. He moved into 360 winged sprint cars in 2003 and won the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Driver Poll and Dirt Winged Sprint Car Rookie of the Year. He was also named the Memphis Motorsports Park Rookie of the Year that same year; and
WHEREAS, in 2004, Stenhouse made his first USAC National Sprint Car Series start at Memphis. The 2006 season served as Stenhouse's breakout year. He was the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Driver Poll Wild Card title winner in both the 360 and 410 winged sprint car divisions. Winning 4 USCS main events, Stenhouse expanded into the USAC ranks and several other racing divisions to help gain valuable experience; and
WHEREAS, Stenhouse kicked off the 2007 season by winning 2 of 3 races at Manzanita Speedway in the Copper on Dirt event. Capturing both the USAC National Sprint Car and Silver Crown feature events, he proved he could successfully make the transition from winged sprint cars to nonwinged machines. Stenhouse then got the call from Tony Stewart Racing to drive the team's USAC National Sprint and Midget cars. In only his second start with TSR, Stenhouse drove to victory lane during USAC National Midget Car Series Competition at Tri-State Speedway; and
WHEREAS, Stenhouse went on to gain the respect of some of USAC's best drivers demonstrating week-in and week-out why he was considered one of the best at just 19 years of age. In 26 USAC National Midget starts, Stenhouse racked up 5 wins, 10 Top 5 and 14 Top 1O finishes. In the USAC Sprint car, Stenhouse was equally as impressive garnering 2 wins, 9 Top 5 and 16 Top 10 finishes in 29 starts. He also captured 2007 Rookie of the Year honors in both the USAC Midget and Sprint car divisions; and
WHEREAS, in the summer of 2007, Stenhouse joined Roush Fenway Racing and went on to become one of the top contenders in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2008; posting 2 wins (Kentucky and Pocono), 3 poles, 10 Top 5 and 14 Top 10 finishes in 21 starts. He led the point standings for 13 weeks, before a late-race accident in the season finale derailed his title hopes; and
WHEREAS, Stenhouse moved to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2009, scoring his first career pole at Iowa Speedway along with one Top 5 and two Top 1O finishes in 7 starts; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, he added the NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year title to his list of accomplishments, winning the honor after coming back from the largest point deficit in the award's history. In 32 NNS starts in 2010, Stenhouse scored 3 Top 5 and 8 Top 10 finishes, and finished outside the Top 15 only 5 times in the final 18 races, laying the groundwork for his championship run in 2011; and
WHEREAS, Stenhouse made his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2011 and finished a memorable 11th. He made his second career Sprint Cup start in the famed Daytona 500 in 2011; and
WHEREAS, at the end of the 2011 season, having scored 16 Top 5 finishes, Stenhouse won the Nationwide Series Championship by 45 points. Stenhouse drove the No. 6 Sprint Cup Series car for Roush Fenway Racing in the 2012 Daytona 500, finishing 20th. In the Nationwide Series, Stenhouse had been caught up in a 10-car wreck on the final lap of the series' season-opening event; a week later he finished 3rd at Phoenix, while a week after that Stenhouse won his first race of 2012 at Las Vegas, winning the Sam's Town 300, holding off Mark Martin to take the checkered flag, then he won races at Texas Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway. Stenhouse would score 3 more victories at Atlanta, Charlotte, and a miraculous victory in Kansas; and
WHEREAS, when he is not racing, Stenhouse enjoys golf, racquetball and basketball and is an avid fan of country music; and
WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we pay tribute to this rising American racing driver whose exciting style brings honor to his home community and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize NASCAR's 2012 Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and extend the best wishes of the Legislature to this racing professional and his family.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Ricky Stenhouse and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
