Although Ricky Stenhouse Jr. now often finds himself making headlines for on-track altercations, with names like Carson Hocevar and Kyle Busch never far from the fray, his roots trace back to a time when he stood shoulder to shoulder with the best.
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Long before he first strapped into a Cup car, Stenhouse had already turned heads as a force in USAC National Sprint Car racing. That breakout stretch paved his way into Tony Stewart’s midget and sprint car stable, ultimately putting him on NASCAR’s radar.
Recounting his early days during an episode of Nashville Game Changers, Stenhouse said, “My dad dirt raced growing up, when I was growing up. So, I went to the racetrack. I was six weeks old the first time my mom ever took me to the racetrack.
“I started BMX racing when I was three years old; started go-kart racing when I was five years old. And then I switched to full-size dirt cars, raced out at the Memphis Motorsports Park, where the Nationwide Series, [now] Xfinity Series, used to go as well back in the day.
“That’s how I got my start, just racing dirt tracks… So, just started figuring out my skills in dirt track racing, and that’s what I knew growing up, and that’s all I really wanted to do. Then things just evolved where it ended up. I got a shot to race stock cars and get to the NASCAR Cup Series and that’s been a dream come true.”
The No. 47 Hyak Motorsports driver’s career took flight in 2007 when he stole the limelight at Manzanita Speedway, bagging two wins in three starts during the Copper on Dirt showcase. By sweeping both the USAC National Sprint Car and Silver Crown main events, Stenhouse proved his talent behind the wheel. Soon enough, a window of opportunity opened.
When Tony Stewart Racing’s Tracey Hines was sidelined due to an off-track injury, Stenhouse was handed the reins. He wasted no time leaving his mark. Just two races into his TSR stint, he drove the No. 21 entry to a win in the USAC National Midget Car Series at Tri-State Speedway in Indiana. With that achievement, Stenhouse believed his life had shifted for good.
Now in his 13th full season in the Cup Series, Stenhouse has four wins in 458 races, including the 2023 Daytona 500. The big league of stock car racing may have clipped his wings to some extent, but his résumé does include back-to-back Xfinity Series championships in 2011 and 2012. He has eight wins from 110 starts in NASCAR’s second tier along with 40 top-fives and 63 top-10s.
