Ricky Stenhouse Jr. eager to defend stunning Daytona 500 win

In 2023, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was a one-man show for a one-car team during the one race every NASCAR driver wants to win.

This week he’ll return to Daytona International Speedway as defending champion following a surprising outcome in a race known to produce its share of them.

Stenhouse shocked the sport and showcased its diversity during last year’s Daytona 500, ending a five-year winless stretch and delivering a seminal victory for JTG Daugherty Racing, a team co-owned by a Black man and a woman.

Former NBA star Brad Daugherty along with Tad and Jodi Geschickter stood by Stenhouse during a 199-race drought and were rewarded with the sport’s ultimate prize.

The moment plays on loop at the team’s garage in Harrisburg, N.C. — and in Stenhouse’s head as he prepares to pursue a rare repeat. Only four drivers have taken the checkered flag in consecutive years: Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin and Denny Hamlin.

“I’m actually sitting here in the shop and pictures are going across the screen,” Stenhouse told the Orlando Sentinel. “Right here I’m looking at a picture of leading [Kyle] Larson and [Joey] Logano coming down the front straightaway. I’ll replay it a lot more in the days to come, rewatch the [Bluegreen Vacations] Duels and rewatch the race to just get a better idea again of what really went on and so that I’m more prepared for the race this year.”

Rarely can anything prepare a driver for the inevitable turns of events during winning time at the Daytona 500. Stenhouse experienced potential heartbreak, a stroke of luck and the thrill of victory during the final 21 laps on the 2.5-mile oval.

A speeding penalty during his final stop on pit road left him well back of the pack but allowed him to avoid a multi-car crash.

“We probably would have been right in the middle of it,” he recalled.

With a crash occurring behind him, Stenhouse ultimately edged Logano after two overtimes and 212 laps, making it the longest Daytona 500.

“You definitely need the luck. You need the car and the skill to go out and do what you need to do,” Stenhouse said.

He also had self-belief.

The 36-year-old’s other two Cup Series wins also came on superspeedways, both in 2017 at Talladega and Daytona — during the summer race. He also won the pole for the 2020 Daytona 500.

“I’m just confident,” Stenhouse said of his superspeedway prowess.

It wasn’t always that way.

Early in his career, Stenhouse did take to the long tracks. But he began to change his mind around 2010 when Daytona International Speedway’s asphalt was still rough, slick and dating to the 1970s.

More demand fell on a driver’s skill and car’s setup.

“That was really, really fun racing,” he recalled.

Stenhouse’s outlook made sense, having come into the sport with the guidance of Tony Stewart, arguably the best pure driver of his generation. Stenhouse drove as a 19-year-old for Stewart’s Indiana-based open-wheel USAC team during the 2007 season.

The two drivers still remain close and shared a moment following Stenhouse’s career-defining win.

Stewart’s sterling career includes three Cup Series season titles and 48 wins, including four summer races at Daytona but not a 500. That hole in the 52-year-old’s Hall of Fame resumé stings but not enough to keep him celebrating last February with Stenhouse.

“His bus is always parked right behind mine in the Daytona bus lot,” Stenhouse said. “When I went over to the bus afterward, he was still there waiting on me.”

Stenhouse was shocked Stewart said he’d trade a season title for a Daytona 500, but also understood in the afterglow of his victory. Stewart even tried on Stenhouse’s championship ring.

“I was like, ‘Holy cow!’” he said. “But it shows you how much the race means to every one of us that has run it. So that was a special moment, especially for him and I.”

Stenhouse hopes to make more memories this week on a track where he’s experienced success, caused a few crashes and returns for his 13th running of the Great American Race with no idea what lies ahead.

“One wrong move can change your whole race,” he said. “It can be frustrating, but it’s part of the racing.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com.