Rumor Mill: Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Headed to Spire Motorsports?
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Amid ongoing rumors that Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could leave Hyak Motorsports at season’s end, the 2023 Daytona 500 Champion has clarified that, despite these rumors, he has no plans to leave his long-time ride in the No. 47.
Last week, a rumor surfaced that Stenhouse was considered an option to replace Justin Haley in the No. 7 should Spire Motorsports move on from the 26-year-old driver.
For about a month now, rumors and comments from co-owner Jeff Dickerson have placed Haley, who is in his first full-time season with Spire, on the proverbial hot seat. While nothing is confirmed as to whether or not Spire will move on from Haley, the rumor mill is flourishing with names that could replace them.
Initially, key amongst these was Trackhouse Racing veteran Daniel Suarez, who is being replaced by Connor Zilisch in 2026. Though Suarez may not be the best statistical replacement for Haley, the two-time Cup Series winner does bring along notable sponsorship and a decent track record.
Nonetheless, last week, another report from Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic claimed that Stenhouse was a potential replacement for Haley if the team were to move on at year’s end.
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Of course, at the time, many noted that Stenhouse recently signed an extension with Hyak Motorsports, formerly known as JTG-Daugherty Racing, last season. Still, Bianchi did note that Spire could negotiate a contract buyout if they wanted the veteran driver.
All things aside, Stenhouse finally spoke up and clarified that he is not leaving the team after 2025, during a recent review with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, saying, “I’ll be at the 47 the rest of this year and the offseason and going into ’26,” Stenhouse said.
He even joked about the matter, saying he is at Hyak “unless they tell me otherwise, or unless we redo another one and stay there for longer.”
While this seemingly shuts the door on Spire making this move, it would be interesting to see what would happen if the team were to inquire about Stenhouse’s availability.
While Spire may not be the best organization in the NASCAR Cup Series, it is an upgrade on Hyak, making this move a tempting offer. If he were offered the ride, it could even be the most stable Cup-level team that Stenhouse has raced for full-time, as his time at Roush-Fenway Racing was during a downturn in the team’s history.
Though the former Xfinity Series standout is aging, at 37 years old, Stenhouse is still a consistent threat to win on drafting tracks. In fact, Stenhouse and Hyak are both coming off a 2024 season in which they won a race in back-to-back seasons for the first time.
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