Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Bio
Richard Lynn Stenhouse Jr., known professionally as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., is an American professional stock car racing driver. Born on October 2, 1987, in Memphis, Tennessee, he competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 47 Chevrolet ZL1 for Hyak Motorsports. He is the 2023 Daytona 500 winner, one of the most prestigious races in all of motorsports, and a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion.
Stenhouse first gained national attention by winning back-to-back NASCAR Nationwide Series championships in 2011 and 2012. He was also named the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2013. Over more than fifteen years of national-level competition, he has built a reputation as a determined racer with a strong background in dirt-track racing.
Early Life and Background
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but was raised in nearby Olive Branch, Mississippi, where he still resides. He is the son of Ricky Stenhouse Sr. and Lisa Stenhouse. Growing up in the Mid-South, he was surrounded by a deep motorsports culture, and he started kart racing at just six years old. By the time he moved on to bigger cars, he had racked up 47 karting wins and 90 podium finishes.
His early success on small tracks gave him a strong foundation in race craft and car control. He is a devout Baptist and a fan of classic country music, and he has long supported the Ole Miss Rebels college football team. In 2014, he led the Rebels onto the field before the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State, a moment that reflected his ties to his home state.
Path to NASCAR
Stenhouse stepped into sprint car racing in 2003, racing in 360 cubic-inch winged sprint cars. He quickly earned recognition, winning the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Driver Poll and Dirt Winged Sprint Car Rookie of the Year that same year. By 2004, he was competing in the USAC sprint car series, and in 2006 he added National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Driver Poll Wild Card honors in both the 360 and 410 winged divisions.
In 2007, he won Rookie of the Year in both the USAC sprint car and midget series. That same year, he also won the Knoxville Midget Nationals and the 4-Crown Nationals Midget, proving his talent on dirt. In 2008, he made the leap to stock cars, joining Roush Fenway Racing’s ARCA Racing Series program, where he won his sixth start at Kentucky Speedway and finished fourth in the season standings as a rookie.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Career
Early Career (2008-2009)
Stenhouse’s first two years in major-league stock car racing came in the ARCA Racing Series with Roush Fenway Racing. He scored two wins in 21 starts and finished fourth in points as a rookie, a strong start that showed he could adapt quickly from dirt to pavement. He also began running a partial schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2009, posting his first top-ten finish with a ninth place run at Kentucky Speedway.
Later in 2009 at Milwaukee, he led 46 laps and finished fifth, marking him as a rising talent in the Roush system. These early results helped him earn a full-time Nationwide Series ride for the 2010 season.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Breakthrough (2010-2012)
Stenhouse’s 2010 Nationwide Series season started with crashes, including four in the first ten races, and he was even replaced for three events. The arrival of veteran crew chief Mike Kelley changed everything. Stenhouse responded with a third-place finish at Daytona and added seven more top-ten runs, locking up Rookie of the Year honors over Brian Scott.
In 2011, Stenhouse broke through with his first Nationwide win at Iowa Speedway in the John Deere Dealers 250, holding off Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski for the final eighteen laps. He added a second Iowa win later that season in dramatic fashion, when Edwards rear-ended him after his engine blew coming off turn four, pushing him across the line. With sixteen top-five finishes, he captured the 2011 Nationwide Series championship by 45 points over Elliott Sadler.
He repeated as champion in 2012, winning races at Las Vegas, Texas, Iowa, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Kansas. He again held off Sadler to claim the title, making him a back-to-back Nationwide Series champion and one of the top prospects in the Roush Fenway stable.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (2013-2016)
Stenhouse made his Sprint Cup Series debut in 2011 at the Coca-Cola 600, substituting for teammate Trevor Bayne and finishing eleventh. In 2012, he ran a limited Cup schedule in the No. 6 car, then was announced as the full-time driver of the No. 17 car in 2013, replacing Matt Kenseth. Paired with rookie crew chief Scott Graves, he earned his first top-ten at Richmond, an eighth at Chicagoland, and a career-best third at Talladega, earning Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors.
The 2014 and 2015 seasons were difficult for both Stenhouse and Roush Fenway Racing, with weak results across the board. He bounced back in 2016, recording a then-career-best second place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, signaling that his best days in Cup were still ahead.
Hyak Motorsports Era (2017-Present)
Stenhouse’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory came in May 2017 at Talladega Superspeedway, where he passed Kyle Busch on the final lap to snap Roush Fenway’s 101-race winless streak. He added a second win that July at Daytona, which locked him into the 2017 Playoffs. He advanced out of the Round of 16 but was eliminated in the Round of 12.
After losing his Roush ride following the 2019 season, Stenhouse signed with JTG Daugherty Racing in 2020 to drive the No. 47 Chevrolet, a partnership that continues today under the Hyak Motorsports banner. He captured his third career Cup win in the 2023 Daytona 500, securing a Playoff spot for the first time since 2017. In 2024, he won again at Talladega, beating Brad Keselowski by .006 seconds in one of the closest finishes in track history.
Driving Style and Strengths
Stenhouse is best known for his strength on superspeedways, where drafting and race craft matter most. His dirt-track roots have made him comfortable in tight packs and chaotic restarts, and his pairing with longtime crew chief Mike Kelley has produced some of his strongest results, including his two Talladega wins. He is also a noted short-track competitor, and his aggressive style has occasionally put him in the middle of post-race drama.
Notable Races and Milestones
His most iconic moment remains the 2023 Daytona 500 victory, his first win in a crown jewel event. He is also one of only eight drivers to have won in the NASCAR Cup Series as well as in the USAC Silver Crown, National Sprint Car, and National Midget series, joining a group that includes Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart. The 2024 Talladega win by .006 seconds and his 2017 last-lap pass of Kyle Busch rank among the most dramatic finishes of his career.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Career Wins
Stenhouse has compiled three NASCAR Cup Series victories, two NASCAR Nationwide Series championships, and a Knoxville Midget Nationals title across a career that began in karts and grew into national prominence. His wins have come at some of the sport’s most challenging tracks, including Daytona and Talladega.
Cup Series Highlights
Stenhouse’s three Cup Series wins include the 2017 Talladega race, the 2017 Daytona summer race, and the 2023 Daytona 500. The 2023 Daytona 500 win was his first appearance in the Playoffs since 2017 and remains the crown jewel of his Cup career. He also won the 2024 Talladega race in a thriller against Brad Keselowski.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond Cup, Stenhouse is a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion (2011, 2012) with multiple race wins, and a two-time ARCA Racing Series winner. On dirt, he won the 2007 Knoxville Midget Nationals, the 2007 4-Crown Nationals Midget, and the 2015 Junior Knepper 55. He remains a car owner in sprint car racing through Stenhouse Jr. Racing.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 3 | Multiple | 2+ |
| NASCAR Nationwide/Xfinity Series | Multiple | Multiple | Multiple |
| ARCA Racing Series | 2 | Multiple | 1+ |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Stenhouse is the son of Ricky Stenhouse Sr. and Lisa Stenhouse. His father has been closely involved in his racing career, though he was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR in 2024 after a post-race altercation in the garage area. That suspension was later lifted in September 2024.
Personal Life
Stenhouse was previously in a long-term relationship with fellow driver Danica Patrick from 2012 to 2017. He became engaged to Madyson Goodfleisch, originally of Ashville, Ohio, in November 2021, and the couple married on October 26, 2022, in Charleston, South Carolina. They have a son named Stetson Steele Stenhouse. The family continues to make their home in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season began for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with an 18th-place finish at the Daytona 500, a quieter start than his win in that same race two years earlier. Through the first 15 races, he showed promising pace, scoring ten top-20 finishes and climbing as high as 13th in the championship standings.
Despite that strong early form, the second half of the regular season was a struggle. He managed only three top-ten finishes over the full year and was unable to make a run at a Playoff spot, ultimately ending the season 30th in the final standings. Crew chief Mike Kelley continued to lead the No. 47 team at Hyak Motorsports throughout the campaign.
Looking ahead, Stenhouse and the Hyak Motorsports group will look to build on the speed shown in the spring of 2025 and translate it into more consistent finishes. With superspeedway wins still a strength, another Daytona or Talladega result could be the spark to return to Playoff contention in 2026.