BRISTOL, Tenn. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had finished in the top five before, six times in fact in his up-and-down Sprint Cup career. He had even finished second once — at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2014.
But none of those career-best performances meant more to him than his runner-up finish Sunday at Bristol. His second-place finish to Kevin Harvick came on the heels of one of the most emotional weeks and months of his life.
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For the past two weeks, Stenhouse has mourned and honored his close friend and fellow racer Bryan Clauson, who died Aug.