Ricky Stenhouse Jr. facts for kids

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stenhouse at Sonoma Raceway in 2025

Born

Richard Lynn Stenhouse Jr.
October 2, 1987 (age 37)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Height

5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)

Achievements

2023 Daytona 500 Winner
2011, 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion
2020 Daytona 500 Pole Winner
2007 Knoxville Midget Nationals Winner
2015 Junior Knepper 55 Winner (inaugural race)
2007 4-Crown Nationals Midget Winner

Awards

2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year

NASCAR Cup Series career

436 races run over 14 years

Car no., team

No. 47 (Hyak Motorsports)

2024 position

25th

Best finish

13th (2017)

First race

2011 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)

Last race

2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix)

First win

2017 GEICO 500 (Talladega)

Last win

2024 YellaWood 500 (Talladega)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
4	63	3

NASCAR Xfinity Series career

110 races run over 7 years

2022 position

104th

Best finish

1st (2011, 2012)

First race

2009 Nashville 300 (Nashville)

Last race

2022 Wawa 250 (Daytona)

First win

2011 John Deere Dealers 250 (Iowa)

Last win

2012 Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
8	63	8

Statistics current as of November 10, 2024.

Richard Lynn Stenhouse Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Ricky drives the No. 47 Chevrolet ZL1 for Hyak Motorsports.

Stenhouse was named Rookie of the Year in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series. He then won two championships in a row in the Nationwide Series in 2011 and 2012. He also earned the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year award. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the winner of the 2023 Daytona 500.

Racing Journey
About Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Images for kids
See also

Racing Journey

Starting Out in Racing

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. began kart racing when he was just six years old. He won 47 races and finished in the top three 90 times. In 2003, he moved into sprint car racing.

He started his sprint car career in 2003 and was named Rookie of the Year. In 2007, he won Rookie of the Year honors in both the USAC sprint car and midget series. He finished 6th in sprint car standings and 3rd in midget standings.

In 2008, Ricky started racing stock cars in the ARCA Racing Series. He drove for Roush Fenway Racing. On May 10, 2008, in only his sixth stock car race, he won his first ARCA RE/MAX Series event. This win was at Kentucky Speedway. He won two races out of 21 and finished fourth in the season as a rookie.

NASCAR Career Highlights

Early NASCAR Years (2009–2012)

Stenhouse's 2009 Nationwide Series car at the Milwaukee Mile

In 2009, Stenhouse started racing part-time in the Nationwide Series. He earned his first top 10 finish at Kentucky Speedway. At the next race in Milwaukee, he led 46 laps and finished fifth.

The 2010 season was tough at first for Stenhouse. After some crashes, he got a new crew chief, Mike Kelley. Ricky then improved, getting seven top 10 finishes. He won the Rookie of the Year award after finishing fourth at Homestead.

2011 Nationwide championship car at Road America

On May 22, 2011, Stenhouse won his first Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway. It was his 51st start in the series. He held off other top drivers like Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski.

Stenhouse made his first Sprint Cup Series race in 2011. He finished 11th at the 2011 Coca-Cola 600. Later in 2011, he won his second Nationwide race at Iowa. His engine blew at the end, but his teammate Carl Edwards pushed him across the finish line for the win!

At the end of 2011, Ricky won the Nationwide Series championship. He had 16 top 5 finishes that year.

2012 Nationwide car

In 2012, Stenhouse raced in the Daytona 500 for the first time. He finished 20th.

He won his first Nationwide race of 2012 at Las Vegas. He also won races at Texas Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway. Ricky had three more wins that year at Atlanta, Charlotte, and Kansas. He won his second Nationwide Series championship in a row.

Racing with Roush Fenway (2013–2019)

On June 26, 2012, Roush Fenway Racing announced Ricky would race full-time in the Sprint Cup Series in 2013. He would drive the No. 17 car.

Stenhouse during practice for the 2013 NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

In 2013, Stenhouse raced in all 36 Sprint Cup Series races. He finished 12th in his second Daytona 500. He led his first lap in a Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Later, he qualified third and led 26 laps at Kansas.

Ricky earned his first top 10 finish at Richmond, placing 10th. He then finished eighth at Chicagoland. His best finish of the season was third place at Talladega. Stenhouse was named the Cup Series Rookie of the Year.

In 2014, Ricky's best finish was second place at Bristol. He finished 27th in points that year.

In 2015, he had a strong fourth-place finish at Bristol. He ended the season in 25th place in points.

Stenhouse racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2017

Stenhouse started 2016 well with a top 10 finish in Atlanta. He got another top 10 at Fontana. On August 21, 2016, he had his best career finish at the time, coming in second at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In 2017, Stenhouse won his second career Cup Series pole position at Talladega. He then won the 2017 GEICO 500 at Talladega. This was his first Cup Series win! It also ended Roush Fenway Racing's long winless streak. Ricky then won his second race of the year at Daytona in July. These wins helped him make it into the 2017 Playoffs. He advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

In 2018, Stenhouse had consistent races but no wins. At Daytona, he was involved in some incidents. He finished 18th in the final points standings.

In 2019, Ricky signed a contract to stay with Roush Fenway Racing. However, the team later announced he would be replaced.

JTG Daugherty Racing (2020–Present)

Stenhouse's No. 47 competing in the 2020 Daytona 500

On October 16, 2019, JTG Daugherty Racing announced Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would drive for them in 2020. He would drive the No. 47 car.

On February 9, 2020, Stenhouse started strong by winning the pole position for the 2020 Daytona 500.

He nearly won the 2020 GEICO 500 at Talladega, finishing very close behind Ryan Blaney. Stenhouse earned three top five finishes and four top 10 finishes in 2020.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. races at Martinsville in 2022.

Stenhouse Jr. started the 2023 season by winning the 2023 Daytona 500. This was his third career victory. This win allowed him to compete in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. He was eliminated after the first round of the playoffs.

Stenhouse after winning the 2023 Daytona 500

In the 2024 season, Ricky had an incident with another driver, Kyle Busch, at the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race. NASCAR later issued a fine to Stenhouse for the incident. His father and some team members also received penalties. Despite this, Stenhouse won at Talladega by a very small margin.

Other Racing Adventures

Outside of NASCAR, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also owns and sometimes races sprint cars and midget cars. In 2012, he started Stenhouse Jr. Racing.

After his first NASCAR Cup Series win in 2017, Stenhouse became one of only eight drivers to win in the NASCAR Cup Series and in the USAC Silver Crown, National Sprint Car, and National Midget series. This is a very special achievement!

About Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi. He is the first driver from Mississippi to race full-time in NASCAR since 1997. He started racing on dirt tracks before moving to stock cars in 2008.

Ricky is a big fan of the Ole Miss Rebels football team. In 2014, he even led the team onto the field before a big game.

He is a devout Baptist. Ricky also enjoys listening to classic country music.

In November 2021, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. announced his engagement to Madyson Goodfleisch. They were married on October 26, 2022, in Charleston, South Carolina.