Getty Ricky Stenhouse Jr. prepares for practice at Richmond Raceway.
The No. 47 Chevrolet is going to have a bright, new scheme for the trip to Watkins Glen International. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has landed a new NASCAR partner in Sugarlands Distilling Co.
JTG Daugherty Racing provided the first look at the new scheme on August 15, following a trip to Richmond Raceway. Sugarlands Distilling Co. will take over the hood of the No. 47 with a silhouette of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ball Park Buns and Rolls will serve as the co-primary partner while taking over the sides and rear of the stock car.
Sugarlands Distilling Co. has a history in motorsports. The company partnered with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Amy Earnhardt to release High Rock Vodka. Additionally, Sugarlands has released limited-edition products for some of NASCAR’s most popular tracks. However, the race will mark the first time that Sugarlands has sponsored a Cup Series car.
“We have a deep appreciation for motorsports and are excited to team with JTG Daugherty Racing to showcase Sugarlands this weekend at Watkins Glen,” said Patrick Sullivan, Sugarlands Chief Revenue Officer, in a press release. “We’re especially grateful to the race team for their collaboration and the opportunity to bring brands together for this special paint scheme.”
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Stenhouse Continues To Focus on Road Course Improvements
GettyRicky Stenhouse Jr. turned in a top-15 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Stenhouse has achieved success at multiple styles of tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has wins at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, as well as 10 combined top-five finishes across the short tracks and intermediates.
Road courses are a different story. Stenhouse has made 29 starts at NASCAR’s road courses with an average finish of 22.9. He hasn’t posted a top-10 finish, but he was close with his 13th-place finish during the 2022 trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway‘s road course.
Watkins Glen International has been a solid destination for Stenhouse throughout his career. He has eight starts with six top-20 finishes. This includes a career-best 15th-place finish during the 2019 season.
“It’s special to have Sugarlands Distilling Co. on our No. 47 Camaro at Watkins Glen because it’s their first time on the hood of a Cup car,” Stenhouse added. “Good news is that Watkins Glen is one of my better road courses and our chances will be better there.
“We’ve had a better trend on finishes at road courses overall. We feel good going there and we’re going to try to put together a good race for Sugarlands and all the fans around the racetrack. We really want to have a solid race going into Daytona International Speedway.”
Stenhouse Has 2 More Opportunities To Reach the Playoffs
The trip to Watkins Glen International will represent one of the remaining opportunities for Stenhouse to reach the playoffs again. He is currently 356 points below the cutline with two races remaining, and he can jump into the field with a win.
Watkins Glen International may not be one of Stenhouse’s best race tracks, statistically speaking, but there is still an opportunity ahead of him. The road course has the potential to be a wild card, especially with the increased aggressiveness from the Cup Series drivers.
Daytona International Speedway is a better option. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be the regular-season finale, and numerous drivers will use the race as an opportunity to steal the last spot in the playoff field.
Stenhouse has one previous win at Daytona from the 2017 season, and he has shown speed at superspeedways in 2022. He raced in the top 10 throughout the Daytona 500, and he was in a position to contend for the win before contact from Brad Keselowski ended his day and sent the race into overtime.
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Lands New Partner for Watkins Glen