Getty Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has landed a contract extension with JTG Daugherty Racing.
A big question from NASCAR‘s Silly Season now has an answer. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will continue to drive the No. 47 Kroger Racing entry for JTG Daugherty Racing after signing a new contract extension.
The Cup Series team announced the news on June 24, ahead of the practice session at Nashville Superspeedway. JTG Daugherty Racing confirmed Stenhouse’s return before providing an important detail. This extension is for multiple years instead of one. This provides some security as he continues to gain experience in the Next Gen era and continues to serve as the only driver in the building.
Excited to announce that I’ve signed a multi-year agreement with @JTGRacing to continue driving the 4️⃣7️⃣ car!
Nothing but love for this whole team and our great partners, excited for the future 🤝
“We’re pleased to announce Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is returning to the company,” said Tad Geschickter, co-owner of JTG Daugherty Racing with Jodi Geschickter, Gordon Smith, and Brad Daugherty. “Ricky has done a solid job on the racetrack and off the track during Kroger Racing in-store activations for our esteemed partners. We’re continuing to learn the new car and we’re making progress. We’ve led laps, earned stage points, and been close to winning this year.”
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This Extension Follows Some Positive Strides
GettyRicky Stenhouse Jr. has made positive moves in 2022.
The new deal is a sign of faith for JTG Daugherty Racing considering that Stenhouse is below the playoff cutline with 10 races remaining in the regular season. However, it follows some positive strides by the Mississippi native.
Stenhouse’s year began with only one top-10 finish in the first 10 races, which he secured at Auto Club Speedway. Though he was in contention for the win in the Daytona 500 before contact from Brad Keselowski sent him into the wall with six laps to go in the Crown Jewel race.
Once the Cup Series headed to Dover, Stenhouse began rattling off some strong performances. He finished second at the Monster Mile, eighth at Darlington Raceway, eighth at Kansas Speedway, and seventh at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This run of top-10 finishes actually made history for JTG Daugherty Racing.
“I’m ready to continue our progress together as a team,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve made some strides with this new car at some tracks and we know there’s some work to do on others. I look forward to that process with the good group of people we have in place at JTG Daugherty Racing. I’m grateful to our partners for giving us an opportunity to continue to make our program better. I’m really happy with the first three years here at JTG Daugherty Racing.”
1 Big Question Remains for Stenhouse & JTG Daugherty Racing
The contract extension locks Stenhouse into the No. 47 entry for the 2023 season and beyond, and it removes one seat from the Silly Season equation. Now there is only one big question remaining.
FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass noted that the press release did not specifically state that Stenhouse will drive a Chevrolet Camaro during the 2023 season. JTG Daugherty Racing does not have a manufacturer deal for next season and beyond, which creates some intrigue heading toward the offseason.
JTG Daugherty Racing has been a Chevrolet team since the 2014 Cup Series season when AJ Allmendinger took over as the primary driver of the No. 47. Marcos Ambrose, the previous driver of the entry, controlled a Toyota from 2009 until the end of the 2013 season. The team also fielded a Ford during its time as JTG Racing.
Geschickter also relied on a variety of manufacturers in the Xfinity Series from 1995 until 2008. The team fielded both Ford and Chevrolet entries as a large number of drivers combined to make 633 starts.
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Lands New Contract Extension: Details