Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the YellaWood 500 race at Talladega last weekend in a photo finish ahead of Brad Keselowski. Although he’s not in the playoff hunt, the win broke Stenhouse Jr.’s 65-race dry spell, marking his fourth Cup race victory, having won all four on a Superspeedway.
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Last season, the JTG Daugherty Racing driver started his year with a win at Daytona International Speedway, which advanced him into the playoffs. But the #47 Chevy driver couldn’t break into the upper echelon, failing to advance beyond the top 16.
However, this season, the #47 driver has been in the spotlight more for his off-track antics, rather than his on-track performance, particularly after a heated exchange that led to him punching Kyle Busch following the North Wilkesboro race.
Back then, even Kyle Larson threw his support behind the JTG Daugherty Racing driver, remarking, “Oh, Ricky, for sure. He’s a scrapper. And he doesn’t stop. He won’t stop,” in reference to the altercation between the #47 and Busch.
The 37-year-old began kart racing at six and entered the NASCAR scene with ARCA Racing in 2008. He moved up to the Xfinity Series in 2009 and, after three seasons where he won the final two in 2011 and 2012, Ricky ascended to the top level of competition.
Although his first full-time Cup Series season in 2013 saw him finish 19th in the standings, Stenhouse was navigating new terrain in his personal life as well, having begun a relationship with Danica Patrick. At the time, Patrick was carving out her niche in NASCAR, having transitioned from Indycar in 2012. The couple, however, parted ways in 2017.
As for his professional achievements in the NASCAR Cup Series, Stenhouse‘s highest finish in the standings came in 2017, when he ended the season 13th overall.
How did Stenhouse Jr. win the YellaWood 500 race despite starting P32?
Stenhouse’s victory at Talladega marked him as the 18th driver to win a race this season and made him the third non-playoff driver to win in the first five playoff races.
Starting from P32, at the back of the grid, he quickly made his way to the front, finishing Stage 1 in second place, though he dropped back to 20th by the end of Stage 2.
In the final laps of Stage 3, specifically on lap 176, Stenhouse was vying for the lead, positioned on the outside of Austin Cindric. The race took a turn on lap 185 when a massive crash involving 23 drivers occurred, prompting NASCAR to display the red flag. Despite taking a hit to the door during the melee, Stenhouse managed to keep his car under control.
In the ensuing overtime, Ricky seized the lead on the outside track while Keselowski battled from the inside. And then finally the #47 held his ground to the checkered flag, securing a hard-fought victory at the YellaWood 500.
