Why the No. 6 Team Means So Much To Me

The No. 6 team during a pit stop during the History 300
at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 26, 2012)

Since 2007, one team in NASCAR has been my favorite above all others. I have seen two of my favorite drivers both get their first wins with this team and also earn top rookie honors with the team during their respective rookie years. This team has been the reason I have made every attempt at not missing a Nationwide Series race since 2007, and they continue to be the primary reason I enjoy the series so much. This team really made a name for themselves the last two seasons as they went on to become two-time champions with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford. I have followed this team since 2007 when David Ragan won Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, through the ups and downs they had with Stenhouse in 2010 to coming out on top not once, but twice in a row with Stenhouse in 2011 and 2012. The No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing team has never ceased to amaze me, and every season, I’ve watched them accomplish things that so many others said they never would. 

When Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. joined the team in 2010, he had only run a handful of Nationwide Series races prior to that. His rookie year started off rocky, to say the least, but I was immediately drawn to the driver that everyone had begun to say would never amount to anything after he crashed numerous times that year. I’ve watched Stenhouse go from underdog to top dog during his three seasons in the series. The No. 6 team never backed down when things went wrong. They dug themselves out of holes that I’m not sure other teams could have found ways out of to win back-to-back championships.

Stenhouse told me in August 2011 at Bristol that the one key thing to helping him get everything turned around was his crew chief Mike Kelley. Can a crew chief really make that much of a difference to a driver and the team? You better believe it. Kelley became Stenhouse’s crew chief for the 7^th race of the 2010 season at Texas Motor Speedway. I began to notice a change in Stenhouse over the next few races after that, despite the fact he continued to struggle for a while. He gradually went from being a driver who didn’t think he could do something to a driver who knew he could get the job done as his confidence increased tremendously. I had known all along he had what it took. He just needed someone on that team to prove to him they knew he had the potential to rise to the top. I definitely agree with Stenhouse. His crew chief really made the difference.

Of course, I can’t forget about Stenhouse’s spotter Mike Calinoff. He definitely had a hand in helping Stenhouse getting things turned around too. In 2010, I heard Calinoff tell Stenhouse that he “drove like a champion” during multiple races. It was proof that Stenhouse had at least two people on his team who knew he could one day be the one to hold up that championship trophy at the end of a season.

Just watching the No. 6 team accomplish so much in the last few years has been like a wild roller coaster ride. However, there are so many more reasons the No. 6 team means so much to me other than just their accomplishments on the track. In May, I went to Roush Fenway Racing’s annual Fan Day. While there, a representative from NOS Energy Drink spotted me in my Stenhouse gear and stopped me to talk. She asked me if I was going to the race that Saturday. I told her I hadn’t planned on it because I couldn’t afford tickets. The next thing I knew, she handed me two company suite tickets to be a guest of the sponsor. So that Saturday, my dad and I left our home in Tennessee just before 3:00 a.m. to make the drive to Charlotte. Once we arrived, we went to the suite to check in with the sponsor representatives. Then we were taken to the infield for a tour of the garage before Nationwide Series qualifying then had a meet-and-greet with Stenhouse in the team hauler. I can definitely say that when I went to Fan Day in May, I never thought I would end up doing any of that just two days later!

Then of course, there was Bristol in August of this year. Thanks to some amazing friends, I had a Hot Pass for both races at Bristol that weekend. I spent almost all day in the pits just watching the No. 6 team in action during practice. Then for the race, I was in the team’s pit area behind the pit box. I never even sat down that whole race. I was on my feet, and ready to make the sprint to victory lane if Stenhouse managed to get the win, but he unfortunately finished 2^nd.  That was, hands down, the most memorable time I have ever had at Bristol. It was my first time ever being in the pits for a race, but Stenhouse’s awesome run that night is not what made it so memorable. It was the fact that the No. 6 team made me feel welcome with them that day. I know I unintentionally got in the way at least twice during practice while trying to watch them work, but nobody ever told me to go away or to even move back. Every crew member smiled at me and never seemed to mind that I was there. I’m not even sure that more than just a couple of them even know my name, but they made me feel as though I really belonged there that night. I never once felt like I was just some fan who had gotten lucky to get a pit pass for the race.

I could write a whole lot more in regards to the memories I have thanks to the No. 6 team over the last few years. They will always be the team I pull for during races. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for the team as they once again prepare for a new season with a new driver. As Stenhouse moves up to take over the No. 17 in the Sprint Cup Series, Trevor Bayne will get behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford.

I truly believe Trevor Bayne is in good hands with this team, and with Mike Kelley as his crew chief and Mike Calinoff as his spotter, I don't see any reason why he can’t win his first championship and get the No. 6 team their 3rd consecutive championship in the process. I wish the team the best of luck, and I hope to see them celebrating another championship once the checkered flag waves at Homestead to end the 2013 season!