Ricky Stenhouse Jr: "Nothing compares" to Daytona 500 win

Such is the life of the newly crowned Daytona 500 champion.

The promotional appearance was scheduled long before anyone thought Stenhouse would kick off the 2023 NASCAR Cup season with a win in the season’s biggest race last Sunday.

But business is business, and appearances like Friday’s by Stenhouse are what help maintain the valuable sponsor relationships that keep a single-car team like JTG Daugherty Racing in operation.

“Not many understand, you’re out here at a grocery store event in the rain on a Friday, where he’s meeting fans and meeting our sponsor people and does everything with grace and dignity,” said team co-owner Tad Geschickter.

“He’s happy to do it. No question is too dumb or no extra appearance is too much. I think he’s enjoyed it.”

While Stenhouse’s ‘Victory Tour’ in the days following his Daytona 500 win has included stops in New York City and Chicago, he still appreciates the importance of events such as Friday’s.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Race winner Daugherty Racing, Kroger/Cottonelle Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: NASCAR Media

“I feel like one of the things I’ve always tried to do in my career is take care of our partners, go above and beyond what they expect,” Stenhouse told Motorsport.com. “I felt like I did that at Roush. I feel like I do that for my sprint car team and I feel like I do that for JTG.

“Obviously, here at JTG, it’s a little more intensive just because we have so many partners with just the way the program is run with Kroger. But it takes every single one of them to make this work.”

Coming off a Daytona win certainly makes the schedule easier to deal with, Stenhouse said, but the appearances are just as important when things aren’t going well.

“I feel like even when we were grinding it out and struggling at the end of last year, we were still going around and doing all these same things in parking lots for Kroger or Ralph’s or Dillons or Fry’s all across the country,” he said.

“This sport has changed a lot. To be in this sport you have to show results on the track but you also have to be willing to go do things like this. You can’t just sit back and expect it all to just happen.

“I recognize that and feel like it’s part of the work I have to put in – not just in the gym, not just looking at data. It’s all part of it.”

Living the dream

Stenhouse said he had some idea what the winner of the Daytona 500 experiences but living it is another thing.

“I was really tight with Trevor Bayne when he won in 2011 and saw how busy he was and was a little jealous of that, right? You want to be that guy,” Stenhouse said. “It’s been a lot of fun being ‘Team No Sleep’ for the week – it’s been huge.

“But I feel like it’s all so different. We’ve won at Daytona in the Cup Series. We’ve won at Talladega. You know, nothing compares to this. Winning the Nationwide Series championship and going to Columbus (Ohio) and going to their headquarters, that was huge for our team and I enjoyed it.

“But now we’re going out and promoting our sport and in New York City, Chicago – that’s wild to me. For the week, we’ve been able to be the face of NASCAR’s 75th year and getting it started. I’ve been able to do a lot of things I didn’t think I would ever get to do.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Race winner Daugherty Racing, Kroger/Cottonelle Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: NASCAR Media

Stenhouse had last won in the Cup Series in 2017 – a winless streak of 199 races. JTG Daugherty’s only previous Cup victory came in 2014 with driver A.J. Allmendinger at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Did Stenhouse still believe a “big moment” was possible in his NASCAR career?

“I felt like there was still an opportunity if you stay in the game and persevere through ups and downs. I look at people like Kevin (Harvick),” he said. “Obviously, he’s had success all of his career, but he didn’t break through and get that championship until 2014.

“I look at (Martin) Truex (Jr.), he put his time in, won some races here and there but really didn’t have success he was looking for, I feel like, until he got with Furniture Row. Looking at them, I’m like, ‘There’s still time.’

“But you never know when it’s going to happen. You just have to be there and keep putting yourself in the best position you can and never give up.”