In 2008, he began his major-league stock car racing career in the ARCA Racing Series, driving for Roush Fenway Racing. On May 10, 2008, in only his sixth race in a stock car, Stenhouse won his first ARCA RE/MAX Series event at the Drive Smart! Buckle Up Kentucky 150 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. He had two wins in 21 races and finished fourth in the season ranking as a rookie.[6]
NASCAR
2009–2012
Stenhouse's 2009 Nationwide Series car at the Milwaukee Mile
In 2009, Stenhouse began competing in a partial schedule in the Nationwide Series at events that conflicted with the Sprint Cup schedule. He had his first Top 10 finish at Kentucky Speedway when he finished ninth. At the following race in Milwaukee, he led 46 laps in the later stages of the race and finished fifth.[7]
The 2010 season started horribly for Stenhouse, but he showed signs of life as the year went on. After crashing out of four out of the first ten races of the season (and crashing in practice also), Stenhouse was replaced by Brian Ickler for three races and Billy Johnson drove at Watkins Glen. After taking on veteran Mike Kelley as crew chief, Stenhouse immediately responded with a third-place finish at Daytona. He proceeded to take seven top tens and was locked in a tight battle for Rookie of the Year (ROTY) with Brian Scott. With Scott struggling after his release from Turner Motorsports, Stenhouse took the ROTY award after a fourth-place finish at Homestead.
Stenhouse had dominated the Kroger 200 Nationwide Series race at Lucas Oil Raceway before being passed by Brad Keselowski late in the race. Stenhouse took his second Nationwide win at Iowa in August, again holding off teammate Carl Edwards, but more bizarrely as Stenhouse's engine blew coming off of turn 4. Edwards subsequently rear-ended his teammate, pushing him across the line to the win.
At the end of the 2011 season, having scored 16 Top 5 finishes, Stenhouse won the Nationwide Series championship by 45 points over Elliott Sadler.[10]
2012 Nationwide car
Stenhouse drove the No. 6 Sprint Cup Series car for Roush Fenway Racing in the 2012 Daytona 500,[11][12] finishing 20th.[13]
In the Nationwide Series the previous day, Stenhouse had been caught up in a 10-car wreck on the final lap of the series' season-opening event; a week later he finished 3rd at Phoenix, while a week after that Stenhouse won his first race of 2012 at Las Vegas, winning the Sam's Town 300, holding off Mark Martin to take the checkered flag;[14] he would win races at Texas Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway before suffering a run of bad luck starting at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Stenhouse would score 3 more victories at Atlanta, Charlotte, and Kansas. He once again held off Sadler to take his second consecutive Nationwide Series championship.
To prepare for the 2013 season, Stenhouse ran in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway where he finished 12th, the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he finished 35th because of engine problems, but he was running near the front of the field. He also ran in the season finale Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in which bad luck struck again as he cut a tire and smacked the wall, similar to what happened to Marcos Ambrose two races before, in Texas. In all of these races he ran in the No. 6 car of Roush Fenway Racing sponsored by Cargill, Best Buy, and Fifth Third Bank respectively.
In 2013, Stenhouse competed full-time in the No. 17 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series. He was paired with rookie crew chief Scott Graves, who was formerly an engineer for Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse placed 12th in his second Daytona 500 (his first with the No. 17 team) despite suffering crash damage on lap 134. Stenhouse led his first lap of Sprint Cup competition at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Later in the season, Stenhouse had his breakout race at Kansas, where he qualified third and led 26 laps, before finishing 11th.[citation needed] In qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Stenhouse won the pole position with a 29.227 lap time.[17] Stenhouse recorded his first Top 10 finish with a 10th-place finish at Richmond, followed by an eighth-place finish at Chicagoland. His best finish of the season was a third-place finish at Talladega behind Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stenhouse was eventually named Cup Series Rookie of the Year.[18]
In 2014, both Stenhouse and Roush-Fenway suffered through a dismal season. Stenhouse's best finish was a second-place showing at Bristol in the spring, a race won by teammate Carl Edwards, one of the few impressive showings by Roush in 2014. Stenhouse failed to qualify at Talladega in October and finished 27th in points.
After a slow start in 2015, Stenhouse nearly won the Food City 500 where he came home in fourth. After a weak summer, he had a consistent run of 15th or better in six of the last 10 races, including two top 10s at Dover and Talladega. After poor performances at Martinsville and Phoenix where he was as high as 22nd in the points standings, he fell to 25th at the season's ending.
Stenhouse got off to a better start in 2016 than 2015 including a Top 10 run in Atlanta. He got his next Top 10 at Fontana, in 2015 It took 29 races to get two Top 10s in the year, it took five in 2016. On March 1, his team announced that Sunny D would be his sponsor in select Cup and Xfinity Series races. On August 21, 2016, Stenhouse recorded a then-career-best second-place finish in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.[19]
After a gamble to stay out, Stenhouse restarted 2nd with two to go at Phoenix on the Green White Checkered. He stacked up the line and caused Ryan Newman to cruise away to the finish. After a flat tire early on at Richmond he rebounded to finish fourth. At Talladega's 2017 GEICO 500, Stenhouse won his second career Cup Series pole and his first since the 2013 Cup Series season. It was also RFR's first pole of the 2017 season.[20] Stenhouse led the opening laps and then stayed mid-pack for the rest of the race. After Stenhouse avoided an 18-car pileup he found himself in second place chasing Kyle Busch. After the final restart, Stenhouse passed Busch on the final lap for the win. It was his first Cup Series win, while RFR snapped its 101-race winless drought, dating back to Carl Edwards' victory in the 2014 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.[21] Stenhouse later picked up his second victory of the year at Daytona in July, passing David Ragan with two to go, further solidifying his spot in the 2017 Playoffs.[22] In the Playoffs, at Chicago he had a rough showing with a not so strong car and commitment line penalty which he ended up in 25th. In the next race at New Hampshire, he hit the wall on Lap 3 but recovered to finish 15th on the lead lap to tie Austin Dillon on points for the last spot. At Dover in the elimination race, he struggled early starting in 14th, falling back to 23rd and off the lead lap but took a risk of staying on the lead lap and got a caution while in third place and finished fourth in Stage 1 getting seven Stage Points. He would not earn any Stage Points in Stage 2 but finished 19th while Ryan Newman finished 13th which proved enough for Stenhouse Jr. as he finished above Newman by two points for the last playoff spot in the Round of 12 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Stenhouse was eliminated in the second round after failing to perform well enough in the races.
2018 started with decent results for Stenhouse, as he had consistent runs throughout the season. However at Daytona, Stenhouse was mainly to blame for two accidents, and he was caught up in three crashes, ultimately finishing 17th, after winning the first two stages, and receiving a security escort after the race.[23] He dropped to 18th in the final point standings as he failed to visit victory lane, missed the playoffs, and recorded only five Top 10 finishes.
On August 1, 2019, Stenhouse announced he signed a contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing through 2021.[24] However, on September 25, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Stenhouse will be replaced by Chris Buescher in 2020, with Roush using an option in their contract with Buescher.[25][26] In the aftermath of the sudden dismissal from the team, which was criticized by some members of the racing community (Including Kevin Harvick), Roush president Steve Newmark, said that, after ten years with the team, the relationship with Stenhouse had "run its course."[27]
2020–present: JTG Daugherty Racing
Stenhouse's No. 47 competing in the 2020 Daytona 500Ricky Stenhouse Jr. races at Martinsville in 2022.Stenhouse after winning the 2023 Daytona 500
On October 16, 2019, JTG Daugherty Racing announced Stenhouse would drive for them in 2020.[28] On December 2, 2019, JTG Daugherty Racing announced that Stenhouse would be driving the 47 car, moving Ryan Preece to the 37.[29]
On February 9, 2020, Stenhouse got off to a fast start by winning the pole for the Daytona 500.[30]
Stenhouse Jr. narrowly lost the 2020 GEICO 500 to Ryan Blaney, spinning Aric Almirola about a hundred yards from the finish line, and nearly winning but coming up .007 short.[31] Stenhouse scored three top fives and four top tens throughout the season, and all top fives came in the first half of the regular season.[32]
Stenhouse started the 2023 season by winning the 2023 Daytona 500, his third career victory. This win put him in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.[33] Stenhouse was eliminated after the Round of 16.[34]
Stenhouse began the 2024 season with a 31st place DNF at the 2024 Daytona 500. At the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race, he was sent to the outside wall by Kyle Busch on lap 2. After the race, Stenhouse attacked Busch in the garage area, triggering a brawl between the drivers and their pit crew.[35] NASCAR later fined Stenhouse US$75,000 for the incident; in addition, his father, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., was suspended indefinitely while team mechanic Clint Myrick was suspended for eight races and tuner Keith Matthews was suspended for four races for their involvement in the fight.[36]
Sprint car and midget racing
Outside of NASCAR, Stenhouse is a car owner and part-time competitor in sprint car and midget racing. In 2012, he formed Stenhouse Jr. Racing and fielded the No. 41 car for Jason Johnson in the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS). In 2017, he partnered with Matt Wood to form Stenhouse Jr.-Wood Racing and fielded the No. 17 car for driver Joey Saldana in the World of Outlaws sprint car series.
Stenhouse was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and was raised in Olive Branch, Mississippi.[37] He is the first Mississippian driver to attempt a full-time schedule since Lake Speed in 1997. He started on dirt and then made a transition to stock cars in 2008.
Stenhouse is an Ole Miss Rebels football fan. In 2014, he led the Rebels onto the field before the annual Egg Bowl game versus in-state rival Mississippi State.[38]
Stenhouse was in a relationship with Danica Patrick from November 2012 to December 2017.[40] In November 2021, Stenhouse announced his engagement to Madyson Goodfleisch, originally of Ashville, Ohio.[41] They got married on October 26, 2022, in Charleston, South Carolina.[42]
In media
In 2016, Stenhouse competed on the show American Ninja Warrior which first aired on June 13; he did not make it past the second obstacle.[43]
In June 2017, Stenhouse was a pit reporter for the Fox NASCAR broadcast of the Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway. A Cup drivers-only coverage, he worked alongside Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney.[44]
Kurt Thomas Busch is a former American auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the 2017 Daytona 500 winner. He is the older brother of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing. Sadler is one of 36 drivers who have at least one win in each of NASCAR's top three series. A native of Emporia, Virginia, he is the younger brother of former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler.
Gregory Jack Biffle, nicknamed "the Biff", is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver.
James Christopher McMurray, nicknamed "Jamie Mac", is an American retired professional stock car racing driver and currently an analyst for Fox NASCAR. He raced in the NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time basis from 2003 to 2018 before shifting to a Daytona 500-only schedule in 2019 and 2021.
John Paul Christian Menard is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver who last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 66 Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing.
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, doing business as RFK Racing, is an American professional stock car organization that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of NASCAR's largest racing teams in the 2000s and early 2010s, Roush formerly ran teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, Trans-Am Series and IMSA Camel GT. The team currently fields the No. 6 Ford Mustang GT full-time for driver/co-owner Brad Keselowski and the No. 17 Mustang full-time for Chris Buescher as well as the No. 60 part-time for David Ragan and Cam Waters in the NASCAR Cup Series.
David Lee Ragan is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing, and is also an analyst for NASCAR on Fox on NASCAR Race Hub.
Erik Louis Darnell is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is the grandson of former USAC and NASCAR driver Bay Darnell, who also started three NASCAR races. Darnell formerly drove for Roush Fenway Racing, joining the team in 2005 after being a co-winner on the Discovery Channel program Roush Racing: Driver X, along with David Ragan.
Bryan Timothy Clauson was an American professional auto racing driver, best known for his achievements in dirt track open-wheel racing, such as USAC Silver Crown, Midget and Sprint cars. Clauson was increasingly seen competing with the World of Outlaws (WoO) sprint cars in his last couple of years. Clauson also competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Indy Lights, and IndyCar Series and was a development driver for Chip Ganassi Racing.
JTG Daugherty Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team is owned by former advertising executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi, along with former NBA All-Star center Brad Daugherty. The team currently has a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. JTG Daugherty currently fields the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Trevor Mitchell Bayne is an American professional stock car racing driver, dirt racing driver, team owner, and businessman. He is currently the Competition Advisor for Legacy Motor Club. He is the youngest person to ever win the Daytona 500, the largest event in NASCAR, doing so a day after his 20th birthday in 2011. The win came in only his second race in NASCAR's top series, and was his only victory in 187 total Cup Series starts.
The 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series was the 30th season of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season included thirty-four races, beginning with the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the 2010 season, NASCAR announced a few notable calendar changes, including race additions at Iowa Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, and the removal of Gateway International Raceway from the schedule. Jack Roush won the Owners' Championship, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing won the Drivers' Championship with a second-place finish at the final race of the season. Ford won the Manufacturers' Championship with 212 points.
Paul Brian Pattie is an American auto racing crew chief who works for Spire Motorsports as the crew chief for their No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driven by various drivers. He has achieved six wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, one with Montoya, three with Bowyer, and two with Stenhouse. He has 21 wins overall as a crew chief.
Christopher William Buescher is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing. He is the 2012 ARCA Racing Series and 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and the cousin of 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher.
Ryan Austin Reed is an American professional stock car racing driver and driver coach. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 66 Chevrolet Camaro for MBM Motorsports. After Roush closed down their Xfinity Series team after the 2018 season, Reed has mostly been without a ride in NASCAR since then and while in that situation, Reed has worked since 2020 as the driver coach for Jack Wood, who competes full-time in the ARCA Menards Series.
Carl Michael Edwards Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 99 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. He won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship and nearly won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, but lost by a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart. Edwards is known for doing a backflip off his car to celebrate his victories. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers, and in 2025, he will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
William Ryan Johnson is an American professional sports car and stock car racing driver. He is the 2016 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS champion. He currently competes part-time in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship, driving for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing UK in the No. 66 Ford GT.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series was the 72nd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 49th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 29. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the Season Finale 500, the first finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 8.
Founded in 1988, the NASCAR program is built around having multiple cars and providing engine, engineering and race car build services to other NASCAR teams fielding Ford branded vehicles. The multi-team aspect of the company allows for information and resources to be shared across the enterprise, improving the performance of all of the teams. Since the 2004 season, engines for the cars have been provided by Roush-Yates Engines, a partnership between Roush Fenway Racing and now-closed rival Yates Racing, with Doug Yates as head engine builder. Roush-Yates also provides engines, cars and parts to other Cup teams, including Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Front Row Motorsports.
Roush Fenway Racing's Xfinity Series operation began in 1992 with the No. 60 driven by Mark Martin. The No. 60 team has been dominant throughout its history, amassing many wins with Martin; three driver's championships with Greg Biffle in 2002, Carl Edwards in 2007, and Chris Buescher in 2015; and an owner's championship with Edwards in 2011. The No. 6 team won back-to-back driver's championships in 2011 & 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Following the departures of Ryan Reed, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric, Roush's Xfinity program was closed following the 2018 season.
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