JTG-Daugherty Racing’s potential ownership shakeup could send shockwaves throughout the garage. However, no one could be impacted quite as much as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He’s in his 5th season with JTG-Daugherty Racing, and by potentially losing a major sponsor, what does the future hold for the 2023 Daytona 500 winner?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in danger of losing at least his primary sponsor, Kroger. Sponsorship is key to any driver’s success because it’s how drivers and race teams pay to race. Jeff Gordon talked about how reliant race teams are on sponsors in a recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download, and it’s a big reason why race teams are looking for a larger split of the media rights revenue in the next charter agreement.
The future of JTG-Daugherty Racing is also an uncertain situation. Should the race team move on and sell a charter or fold entirely, that means Stenhouse Jr. likely loses his ride, but, what about if the team stays in NASCAR? Stenhouse Jr. signed a multi-year contract extension in 2022, which could technically expire as soon as 2024, even though nothing has been officially said about the length of his contract.
Should Stenhouse Jr. be forced to leave JTG-Daugherty Racing, what other destinations can he head to? He has 3 career wins, all on superspeedways, so his superspeedway prowess means that a smaller team can bank on Stenhouse Jr. potentially getting them into the Playoffs. Here are a few teams to watch out for.
Rick Ware Racing
Rick Ware Racing has taken large steps to increase performance over the last year. Signing Justin Haley was one step, but, what about signing another Cup Series race winner? Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could add a solid veteran presence to the race team, should he get the funding together.
The Wood Brothers
Harrison Burton continues to underwhelm with The Wood Brothers in 2024. He is well outside of the top 30 in points currently, and he needs to pick it up if he wants to keep his ride. The Wood Brothers are a similar race team to JTG-Daugherty in terms of caliber and equipment, and Ford is always a force to be reckoned with on superspeedways.
More teams will open up as silly season rolls on, but, those are the two most likely teams for right now to land Stenhosue Jr. His superspeedway prowess gives him some value to race teams, but, the lack of funding could hinder his hopes.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. may need to find a new ride for 2024. Will he find it should JTG-Daugherty drop him?
