Getty Ricky Stenhouse Jr. arrives at Daytona International Speedway.
One of the NASCAR Cup Series teams has just provided an exciting look at the future of stock car racing. JTG Daugherty Racing, the team that currently employs Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece, showed off the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro fully decked-out with No. 47 graphics.
The race team posted a series of photos on Twitter on Saturday, Sept. 4, showcasing the No. 47 with the primary Kroger sponsor paint scheme. These images provided an up-close look at the new, single-lug Goodyear tires, the splitter, and the hood vents. The stock car also included the add-ons that are part of the superspeedway package.
Stenhouse will head to Daytona International Speedway on Sept. 7-8 for a two-day tire test with seven other Cup Series teams. He will represent Chevrolet alongside William Byron, Austin Dillon, and Ross Chastain. Denny Hamlin will test out the Toyota Camry while Chris Buescher, Cole Custer, and Joey Logano put the Ford Mustang through several laps.
The No. 47 Will Be the Primary JTG Daugherty Car in 2022
The Next Gen No. 47 provides an early glimpse of the JTG Daugherty lineup. The team will only field one car during the 2022 season, most likely with Stenhouse as the primary driver. The No. 37 does not have a charter, and JTG Daugherty will not pursue the acquisition of one.
Neither Preece nor Stenhouse is under contract for 2022, but the driver of the chartered No. 47 is the likely option to return. Stenhouse was in the midst of the playoff race throughout the season, and he has the ability to win every time he heads to a superspeedway.
Preece, on the other hand, confirmed to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he has no offers for next season and that he is currently looking for a seat so he can continue racing. He isn’t only a Cup Series driver considering that he also races Super Late Model and other series, but he has the goal of continuing to compete for wins in one of NASCAR’s top three series.
The No. 47 Was Not in Full Next Gen Mode
After years of the number being centered on the door, NASCAR is moving them forward for 2022.
While the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro showcased the design of the Next Gen car, it did not include all of the details that will define the car. Specifically, the door number sat in the center of the door instead of at the front.
NASCAR revealed in late August that the door numbers will move forward for the 2022 season and beyond. The sanctioning body explained that the Next Gen cars feature smaller quarter panels than the current stock cars, so moving the numbers forward opens up more room for sponsor logos.
Kurt Busch was the first person to showcase this new design. He and 23XI Racing both posted a video on their social media channel to announce that the 2004 Cup Series champion will join the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan co-owned team on a multi-year deal.
The clip started with Busch exiting his private plane while discussing his future, but it ended with him heading to the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry with helmet in hand. The detail that immediately jumped out to viewers was the placement of the door number, prompting NASCAR to confirm the change.