Ricky Stenhouse Jr. still isn't happy.
He finished 16th at The Clash at Daytona last weekend after a costly penalty ended any chances of him having a solid finish. In several interviews since, Stenhouse Jr. has repeated a threat he made after the race.
"I guess the next time somebody gets to the inside of me I'll force them below the yellow line, and then they'll have to pit, and they'll be in the same position that I was in," Stenhouse said. "If that's the way they're [NASCAR] going to call it, then I guess we'll race that way, but we'll see if they get back to use before we race [in the Duels] tomorrow."
That's a little more measured then his comments immediately after the race, when he said this:
But as Daytona 500 comes up. Stenhouse Jr. is still steamed.
He also said he's still waiting to hear clarification from NASCAR officials on the yellow-line rule because he doesn't feel like he should have been penalized. He said thought he had advanced his position when he was forced below the line.
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"I was in the process of advancing before I got below the yellow line," Stenhouse said. "I would definitely say I advanced it. I think we all thought that in the rule, if somebody forced you below (the yellow line), they'd be penalized and not yourself.
Here's the rule: "If in NASCAR's judgement, the vehicle goes beneath the double yellow lines to improve its position, vehicle will be black-flagged. If in NASCAR's judgement, a vehicle forces another vehicle beneath the double yellow lines, the [blocking] vehicle may be black flagged."
Stenhouse might not agree with NASCAR's interpretation of the rule, but even after Busch forced him underneath the yellow line, Stenhouse tried to improve his position.
Stenhouse wasn't too pleased with the decision, but he did break the rule. He probably won't like what NASCAR has to say when they get back to him.