Hyak Motorsports driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is not the only driver who will benefit from the altered Damaged Vehicle Policy heading into the 2025 season. However, the #47 Chevrolet Camaro driver seems to be the only one being bashed on social media for giving his opinion on the same.
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NASCAR fans did not hold any prisoners recently as Stenhouse Jr. elaborated on how the DVP could help him and his team, looking back at an example from Watkins Glen International where he crashed out on the first lap in 2024. “He’s gonna be on the DVP a lot this year,” savagely wrote one fan, opining on how Stenhouse Jr. has been regarded as an accident-prone driver, at least in the fans’ eyes.
“Well his team will more than likely need it the most,” joked yet another follower of the sport, alluding to how the 37-year-old driver’s general perception is. Despite not being as crash-prone as some fans might deem him, Stenhouse Jr. certainly has found himself to be the butt of such jokes.
“Well yeah he always wrecks lol,” wrote another fan, clearly voicing their opinions while another insinuated, “If anyone could benefit from an extended clock, it’s Stenhouse.”
they gonna need it
— Make RCR great again (@kfbnumber8) February 12, 2025
“I think my guys are very capable of being able to get our car back on track if need be. There will be times when that will be an advantage to get back out. There will be times when it might seem like a waste to get back out there. Back to Watkins Glen, we were crashed on the first lap. If we had a little bit of time we could’ve fixed it,” opined Stenhouse Jr. while seemingly tickling the fans’ funny bone.
NASCAR’s DVP policy for the 2025 season relaxes the rules around damaged vehicles and how they were previously relegated out of the race if teams could not repair them within a set timer on pit road. Crash-stricken cars out on the track being towed to the garage area also meant the driver’s day was over.
However, all that changes for this year as teams and drivers will not be ruled out of the event even if they are towed to the garage area. Pit road repairs can continue in the garage area, with the teams making the call of whether to send their drivers back out or not, after taking as long as they please.
With the regular season-opening Daytona 500 just around the corner, a race known for its spectacular crashes, the altered DVP policy might be the saving grace for a lot of drivers and teams this weekend.
