Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a really succesful superspeedway racer. His first-ever Cup win got here at a drafting observe, alongside together with his second, and his third, and now his fourth. Two Cup wins at Talladega and two at Daytona since shifting to the collection full-time over a decade in the past, together with a dramatic victory within the 2023 Daytona 500.
However Talladega nearly ended very otherwise for Stenhouse, who crossed the end line with an apparent gap within the door after getting clobbered by the spinning Austin Cindric in an enormous 20+ automotive crash earlier than the ultimate restart. He stored it straight as the sector piled up in his rearview mirror. He went on to win the race over Brad Keselowski to his inside and William Byron to his exterior, and the margin of the victory was solely 0.006s.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger Well being/Palmolive Chevrolet Camaro
Picture by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Pictures
“When the 24 [Byron] jumped out to the surface, it was like a parachute hit my automotive,” defined Stenhouse. “I used to be simply hoping that we’d get to the start-finish line earlier than them. It was a drag race at that time. Once I obtained to the again stretch, they had been fairly assured that we had gained, and an enormous sigh of aid for certain.”
One other issue that performed a task in his victory was the truth that it was three Chevrolets versus one Ford (Keselowski). Regardless of that, Kyle Larson nonetheless gave Keselowski sufficient of a shove that he obtained away from Stenhouse exiting Flip 4. To the shock of many together with the race winner, Keselowski selected to not block Stenhouse and Byron as the surface line surged ahead within the ultimate seconds of the race.
To dam or to not block
“I used to be actually shocked,” mentioned Stenhouse. “I used to be ready for the block, and I used to be going to determine whether or not I used to be clear sufficient to get to his inside and get in entrance of the 5 [Larson] or hold a proper and take our momentum with the 24 [Byron]. Yeah, I used to be tremendous shocked that he did not make that right-hand.”
Earlier this 12 months, Michael McDowell tried to dam from the lead at Talladega, which ended with him dropping the race and crashing into the wall. Keselowski, a veteran superspeedway racer with extra wins at Talladega than another energetic driver, later defined that he knew the Chevrolets would stick collectively and he did not wish to get cut up coming to the road.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger Well being/Palmolive Chevrolet Camaro
Picture by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Pictures
Stenhouse would have dealt with issues otherwise, declaring that he “was going to dam anyone. I did not care who it was.” Kyle Busch, who obtained right into a bodily altercation with Stenhouse earlier this 12 months, tried to make a 3rd line work in these ultimate moments, however ended up falling again. In the long run, Stenhouse simply wanted to remain precisely the place he was on restart to seize the checkered flag.
“It is so powerful to win these races. It is so powerful to overlook the wrecks, put your self in the suitable place with sufficient gas. These races are type of chaos when it comes all the way down to the tip. I used to be grateful that we had a profitable green-white-checkered with out having one other warning. It has been a very long time since we have been ready to do this within the Cup Sequence, in order that was type of good.
“I all the time clearly really feel assured coming again to a spot that we have gained at earlier than and a superspeedway the place we all the time really feel fairly assured in our race automotive … We have misplaced a pair right here by inches, so it was cool to win one.”
Watch: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: ‘This win is admittedly actually particular’ after Talladega
The win clearly meant loads to him. That was very obvious from his speedy ascent up the catch-fencing earlier than climbing into the flag stand to the roar of the group. Not solely was this his first victory since February, 2023, nevertheless it was his first since changing into a father too. He was capable of FaceTime together with his spouse Madyson and his toddler son Stetson after the race, however he was ‘bummed’ that they weren’t there to have a good time in-person.
Stenhouse is the third non-playoff driver to win within the final 4 weeks, and did so by placing JTG in Victory Lane for simply the third time within the workforce’s 15-year historical past.
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