JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will drive Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 Ford next year on the Sprint Cup circuit.
Stenhouse, last year’s Nationwide champion, replaces Matt Kenseth in the No. 17. Kenseth is moving to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Best Buy, Fifth Third Bank and Zest are all returning to the team as primary sponsors in 2013, and each will increase commitment for Stenhouse’s Cup entry.
Co-owner Jack Roush says the No. 17 is a good fit for Stenhouse and he’ll be flanked by a championship-level team from the beginning. It wasn’t clear until Friday whether Stenhouse would drive the No. 17 vacated by Kenseth, or possibly Roush’s flagship No. 6.
