Daytona 500 Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Yog Nyob Los Ntawm 'Career-Defining Moment'

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. chim rau ib pliag tom qab nws yeej 2023 Daytona 500. Nws suab vwm, txoj cai? Zoo, qhov ntawd yog vim tus tsav tsheb ntawm Chevrolet No. 47 rau JTG Daugherty Racing tsis tuaj yeem ua kev zoo siab. Nws khiav tawm ntawm roj.

Yog li Stenhouse ua dab tsi? Zoo, nws tau nce lub laj kab zoo li peb-sijhawm Cup Series tus yeej Tony Stewart thiab plaub zaug Indianapolis 500 tus yeej Helio Castroneves tau siv los ua. Tsuas yog lub sijhawm no, Stenhouse tau rub tawm ntawm lub laj kab pem hauv ntej ntawm cov neeg muag khoom ntawm Daytona International Speedway.

"Nws yog surreal, paub tseeb," Stenhouse hais rau sawv ntxov tom qab yeej lub Great American haiv neeg. “Nws yog qhov tshwj xeeb rau txhua tus neeg txoj haujlwm. Muaj cov yeej ntawm kev ua si nawv uas xav kom lawv tau txais Daytona 500 thiab lawv yeej tsis tau ua. Lawv sim thiab sim, thiab lawv tau txais oh heev ze. Nws yog qhov kev sib tw uas ze dua koj tuaj, qhov nyuaj dua nws yuav ua kom tiav.

"Peb tau los ze rau xyoo tas los, thiab kuv muaj kev ntseeg siab tiag tiag hauv kev mus rau txoj kev yeej xyoo tas los, tab sis peb tuaj txog tsib ntu luv. Muab lub sijhawm ntxiv, kuv xav kom peb ntes tau qhov ntawd. Nws yog ib qho kev pab loj, rau ib qho, kom rov qab mus rau txoj kev yeej hauv Nascar Cup Series, tab sis ua nws hauv Daytona 500. Qhov kev tos yeej tsim nyog nws. "

Stenhouse tau ntes Harley J. Earl Trophy rau hnub Sunday yav tsaus ntuj hauv kev yeej rau pab pawg Nascar underdog. JTG Daugherty Racing yog ib lub tsheb ua haujlwm ua ke los ntawm Jodi thiab Tad Geschickter thiab yav dhau los NBA player Brad Daugherty.

Pab neeg no muaj kev koom tes nrog Hendrick Motorsports, tab sis nws yog ib qho ntawm cov koom haum ib leeg xwb. Txij li thaum JTG Daugherty Racing koom nrog Cup Series hauv 2009, nws tsuas yog lwm qhov yeej tuaj hauv 2014 nrog AJ Allmendinger ntawm Watkins Glen International.

Jodi tau hais tom qab hnub Sunday yeej, "Peb muaj siab tawv. “Peb tsis tawm. Peb khawb hauv. "

JTG tau qhib nws lub qhov rooj hauv 1995 raws li pab pawg Xfinity Series. Tus lej tsheb uas lawv siv - No.

Feem ntau ntawm tag nrho cov, rau JTG Daugherty Sib Tw, Daytona 500 yeej yog qhov tseem ceeb ntawm kev ua haujlwm hnyav ua ke ib qho ntawm cov kev sib tw muaj tswv yim tshaj plaws rau kev txhawb nqa. KrogerKR
thiab Kimberly-ClarkKMB
muaj kev sib koom tes tshwj xeeb nrog JTG Daugherty Racing, sib cais cov decals ntawm lub tsheb No.

"Txhua tus peb muaj yog Fortune 500 cov npe sib koom ua ke," Tad hais. “Kroger tsis poob. Rau lawv los tom qab peb thaum lub sijhawm nyuaj, lawv xav pom tus yeej. Peb pheej hais tias, nyob tom qab peb. Peb mam li khawb mus txog thaum peb muab koj tus yeej.

"Peb muaj 125 tus neeg txhawb nqa ntawm no, txhua tus neeg qib C, thiab nws zoo heev saib lawv seev cev nyob rau hauv txoj kev yeej, yog li kuv zoo siab uas peb tau ua ua ke."

Rau Stenhouse, leej twg paub tias yog ib qho ntawm Nascar tus neeg tsav tsheb hnyav tshaj plaws ntawm txoj kev nrawm zoo li Daytona, qhov no yog nws txoj haujlwm thib peb Cup Series yeej. Nws ob qhov kev sib tw dhau los ob leeg tuaj hauv 2017 ntawm superspeedways, thaum nws tau sib tw nrog dab tsi yog Roush Fenway Racing (ua ntej nws dhau los ua RFK Racing).

Qhov qab zib saj ntawm thaum kawg rov qab mus rau txoj kev yeej tom qab tsib xyoos ntxiv yeej tsis muaj kev sib tw yog qhov tseem ceeb rau cov neeg hauv Mississippi. Nws lub neej, nws hais tias, tam sim no txawv kiag li.

"Peb tau muaj qhov siab tshaj plaws ntawm qhov siab thiab qhov qis tshaj plaws," Stenhouse hais txog nws txoj haujlwm. “Tab sis qhov ntawd yog kev sib tw. Peb muaj 38 hnub so hauv ib xyoos uas peb ua qhov no. Peb xav kom muaj kev sib tw ntau dua thiab yeej kev sib tw ntau dua, tab sis qhov kev ua si no nyuaj heev. Qhov zoo tshaj plaws ntawm qhov zoo tshaj plaws nyob ntawm no. Nws yog qhov loj heev rau kuv txoj haujlwm - lub sijhawm ua haujlwm txhais tau meej. Peb xav coj qhov no thiab mus rau qhov seem ntawm 36 lub lis piam [xws li Kev Sib Tw Txhua Hnub Qub] peb tau tawm mus thiab yeej qee qhov kev sib tw ntxiv. "

Pab pawg No. 47 muaj qhov nrawm nrawm ntawm lub sijhawm xyoo tas los, tab sis Stenhouse muaj nws lub caij nyoog tsis zoo tshaj plaws txij li xyoo 2015, tau txais qhov txiaj ntsig nruab nrab ntawm 22.8 thiab ua tiav 26th hauv qhov sawv. Nws qhov kev sib tw ua tiav ntawm Dover yog pab pawg qhov chaw ci ntsa iab loj tshaj plaws, ua rau lub koom haum ntiav Stenhouse tus thawj coj qub, Mike Kelley, los ua tus thawj coj hauv lub tsheb no.

Lub duo yeej xyoo 2011 thiab 2012 Xfinity Series cov npe ua ke. Tsis muaj ib txoj hauv kev zoo dua los ncaws tawm lawv qhov kev txhaj tshuaj thib ob ua ke dua li yeej qhov kev sib tw loj tshaj plaws.

"Nws yog ib feem tseem ceeb ntawm kuv txoj hauj lwm thiab nws tau pab kuv mus rau qhov chaw hauv tsheb sib tw," Stenhouse hais ntawm Kelley. "Peb tau tawm tsam nrog Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards thiab ntau tus txiv neej uas tau yeej hnub Sunday. Peb muaj kev ntseeg siab heev tias peb tuaj yeem ua nws ua pab pawg. Yog tias koj saib hnub Sunday dhau los no, ntau tus txiv neej uas peb yuav tsum tiv thaiv kom tau txais qhov yeej yog cov txiv neej uas tau yeej ib tuj hauv kev ua si nawv thiab yog cov yeej dhau los. "

Thaum txhua yam tau txiav txim siab nyob rau hnub Sunday tsaus ntuj, Stenhouse tau ntsib nrog Stewart, uas nyob hauv Fox Sports lub rooj muag khoom thoob plaws hauv kev sib tw. Stewart koom nrog pab pawg Ford - Stewart-Haas Kev Sib Tw - tab sis nws tau tsim kev sib raug zoo nrog Stenhouse ntau xyoo, vim tias ob qho tib si yog cov neeg nyiam taug kev taug kev.

Stenhouse tau hais tias, "Thaum tham nrog Tony Stewart tom qab ntawd thiab pom nws kom paub tseeb tias kuv nyiam qhov no nrog kuv pab neeg, kuv cov phooj ywg thiab kuv tsev neeg uas peb muaj nyob rau hauv kev sib tw - ib tug neeg uas yog tus yeej ntau lub sijhawm uas tsis tau yeej Daytona 500 - Kuv tuaj yeem ua tau. qhia seb nws tseem ceeb npaum li cas kom tau txais qhov no los ntawm koj daim ntawv teev npe thoob. Peb xav kom yeej kev sib tw thiab yeej kev sib tw ntau dua, tab sis qhov no yog qhov kev sib tw saum toj kawg nkaus uas txhua tus xav kom yeej hauv lawv txoj haujlwm. Peb muaj peev xwm ua tiav qhov ntawd. "

Rau Stenhouse, yuav tsum tau crowned ib Daytona 500 tom qab muaj ntau yam tsis paub thaum nws tawm RFK xyoo 2020, nws yog surreal tiag tiag. Thaum nws raug hu mus rau Cup Series hauv 2013, kev cia siab siab tau muab tso rau nws raws li Matt Kenseth hloov. Txawm li cas los xij, nws tau tsaws lub rooj zaum nrog pab pawg thaum nws pib poob, thiab Stenhouse tau ua siab ncaj rau lub koom haum uas muab nws thawj zaug.

"Kuv yeej muaj cov phooj ywg yav dhau los uas tau hais tias, 'Hav, Kuv tsis xav tias nws yog lub sijhawm zoo los nyob hauv qhov chaw no," Stenhouse hais. "Tab sis nws yog qhov kuv muaj thiab kuv yuav tsum coj nws, yob nrog nws thiab ua kuv qhov zoo tshaj plaws nrog nws. Peb yeej tsis muaj qhov kev vam meej uas kuv xav tias peb tuaj yeem muaj. Peb tsis tau ua tej yam kom raug.

"Nws yog ib qho ntawm cov kev ua si no uas koj saib tib neeg txoj haujlwm, lawv hloov pab pawg tom qab nyob rau hauv qhov kev ua si no rau 10-ntxiv xyoo thiab tam sim no lawv yog tus yeej khob. Kuv tseem xav tias kuv ua tau li ntawd. Tau txais Daytona 500 yeej no yeej txhawb kuv txoj kev ntseeg siab tias peb tseem tuaj yeem ua tiav yam zoo. "

Tam sim no, Stenhouse yog lub ntsej muag ntawm JTG Daugherty Sib Tw. Nws tsis muaj cov phooj ywg los sib tw rau pab pawg cov cuab yeej zoo tshaj plaws thiab nws tuaj yeem ua nws tus kheej hauv qhov xwm txheej no. Raws li Daytona 500 tus yeej, nws tau npaj los qhia tias vim li cas pab pawg no tuaj yeem tsa pob muag ntau dua hauv 2023.