Ricky Stenhouse Jr. channels Marshawn Lynch: 'I'm just here so I won't get fined' - MotorSportsTalk

Other than the fact that they both love football, it’s hard to draw any comparison between NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.

But for a few seconds Wednesday morning during Roush Fenway Racing’s presentation on Day 3 of the NASCAR Media Tour, Stenhouse did his best to channel Lynch.

“I’m just here so I won’t get fined,” Stenhouse quipped when asked how his third full-time season in Sprint Cup will go in 2015, drawing a big laugh from the 200-plus assembled journalists in attendance.

Lynch showed up at Tuesday’s Super Bowl Media Day in Phoenix reportedly under the threat of a $500,000 fine from the league if he skipped the session. He was posed 29 questions and answered each one in some variation on the same theme: “I’m here so I won’t get fined.”

NBC will televise the big game, with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.

Stenhouse has a new crew chief, with Nick Sandler replacing Mike Kelley. Sandler was previously the team engineer for Carl Edwards, who left for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015.

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SPIELBERG, Austria — Valtteri Bottas upstaged Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to take pole position Saturday for the Formula One Austrian GP.

The Finnish driver edged out the world champion by 0.012 seconds to claim the top spot for the season opener at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. He clenched his fist as he climbed out of his car and shared a hug with Hamilton.

“It’s something special when you push the car to the limit,” said Bottas, who is chasing an eighth career win. “Feels so good. It’s very impressive (from the team).”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third, and Lando Norris gave McLaren a boost by finishing fourth. Verstappen has won the past two years here, including 2019 when he started third behind Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

“It’s going to be interesting quite a bit warmer tomorrow and hopefully this will play to our advantage,” Verstappen said. “Today, Mercedes was on a different level, unfortunately. Last year we were also a little bit off in qualifying so I expect we will be a bit better in the race.”

Bottas had the leading time when drivers embarked on their final laps and beat his own mark before sliding off the track into the gravel.

Hamilton was chasing a record-extending 89th career pole. He was ahead but then dropped off slightly as Bottas secured a 12th career pole.

“Great job by Valtteri. It’s a great start to the season,” Hamilton said. “We show year on year that we continue to be the best team. We’re open-minded … constantly learning from each other and pushing the boundaries.”

Ferrari struggled for speed, with Leclerc nearly one second behind in seventh and Sebastian Vettel failing to make it into the third and final part of qualifying, known as Q3. He starts the race from 11th on the grid.

Vettel is leaving Ferrari at the end of the season with his future in F1 uncertain.

Earlier, Hamilton posted the fastest time in morning practice. The 35-year-old British driver was also quickest in both sessions on Friday.

Midway through third practice, F1 newcomer Nicholas Latifi misjudged the exit of a turn and spun his Williams car into a protective tire wall.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. channels Marshawn Lynch: ‘I’m just here so I won’t get fined’

Valtteri Bottas takes pole position for season-opening Austrian GP