15 days down, 25Â Days to Daytona to go. Today, this series will preview the reigning, defending, undisputed Daytona 500 champion of the Cup Series: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. In the #47 JTG Daugherty, Stenhouse won the Daytona 500 and solidified his spot in the playoffs. However, 2023 was a season where the team ran better than many expected. What expectations should fans have of this team this year?
#47 JTG Daugherty
Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Crew Chief: Mike Kelley
Sponsors: Kroger Brands, Bimbo Bakeries Brands, Kimberly-Clark Brands, NOS Energy Drink
2024 Season Preview
Continue 2023’s Success
After Ricky Stenhouse Jr won the Daytona 500, it was accompanied by eye rolls from certain fans since it locked Stenhouse in the playoffs. With that rule, many fans dislike the implications of a superspeedway win. However, Stenhouse and the 47 team backed up the 500 win with a strong regular season. If the playoffs were decided strictly by points, Stenhouse would have qualified. Stenhouse had his best season since 2017, putting up similar numbers as his career best year. That success needs to carryover into this new season to continue the progression of JTG Daugherty.
Not So Wrecky Spinhouse
As Kyle Busch once unkindly called the JTG driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr did not live up to his nickname. His 3 DNFs were the fewest in his career since 2015. Not only did Stenhouse keep the car on track, but he finished on the lead lap for the most times (25) in his career. Plus, 1 of his 3 DNFs was due to a mechanical issue. His summer Daytona DNF was not hi fault either. Stenhouse did a great job burying that nickname behind him.
Better Playoff Run
If Ricky Stenhouse Jr and the 47 team can return to the playoffs, they have to put up a better showing than last year. Much like Michael McDowell, poor races at Darlington and Kansas put the team significantly behind. A solid run at Bristol was never going to be enough to advance through. Having Atlanta in the first round will improve the odds of the 47 team advancing though. However, mistakes were part of the reason they fell behind. If they can limit the mistakes, they will have a strong chance to advance.
Daytona 500 Chances
Based on last year, it would be safe to say that Ricky Stenhouse Jr has pretty good odds to repeat as Daytona 500 champion. Stenhouse has always been a gifted superspeedway racer. The big issue is that Stenhouse usually is not running at the end cleanly. In his past 7 Daytona 500 starts, Stenhouse has only finished on the lead lap twice. However, when he is not wrecking out, he usually is running toward the front.
Speedweeks Outlook
Prior to the NextGen car, Ricky Stenhouse Jr would have a solid chance at qualifying well. However, his two NextGen qualifying runs for the Great American Race have gone poorly. Somewhat surprisingly, Stenhouse does not have a duel win in his career. More often than not, Stenhouse fails to finish inside the Top-10 during the duel. It would be difficult to expect more than that from him this season. When it comes to the Daytona 500, it seems that he is due for another trip to the garage before the race is over.
Previous Days
40-36 Days: 40 – #12, 39 – #5, 38 – #24, 37 – #20, & 36 – #11
35-31 Days: 35 – #45, 34 – #17, 33 – #6, 32 – #1, & #31 – #9
30-26 Days:Â 30 – #19, 29 – #22, 28 – #4, 27 – #8, & 26 – #34
