June 16, 2024

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start from the 35th spot in Sunday's Iowa Corn 350 from Iowa Speedway. With just two top-10 finishes and after finishing outside the top 20 in three of the last four races, it is safe to say that 2024 has been a challenge for the 14-year Cup veteran. When the most noteworthy thing that has happened to you is that your father got into a physical altercation with another driver, you find yourself in desperate need of something positive going your way -- a race that will give you some sort of momentum to build on entering the second half of the season. The question now becomes: Is that bounce-back, season-saving race going to happen this weekend at Iowa? If you look at his qualifying position alone, the answer would be no. However, if you look at the actual numbers, there is a case to be made for the JTG Daugherty Racing star this weekend at Iowa. Despite finishing last in his group's qualifying round, his speed of 131.316 mph was better than 10 drivers who qualified in Group A, which shows his car is not as bad as his qualifying spot may suggest. Likewise, his speed of 135.356 mph in Friday's practice was the 12th-fastest of the day, showing this car may have something heading into Sunday's race. Another reason to consider Stenhouse this weekend is the fact that he won three consecutive races at this track in the Xfinity Series, something no other driver has done. At a starting position that offers tremendous place-differential upside on a track he has had success on, the No. 47 should be included among your value plays in DFS this weekend.--Adam Erhardt - RotoBaller
Source: Jayski.com