Latest news with #RickyStenhouseJr
Associated Press
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Rate Gears Up for Hyak Motorsports at Grant Park 165 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr Behind the Wheel
CHICAGO, July 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rate, a leading fintech company, is hitting the track this weekend with Hyak Motorsports, sponsoring driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr at the Grant Park 165. As part of the growing Rate Racing initiative, the event marks another high-speed moment where Rate's passion for excellence meets hometown pride. 'I'm excited to light up the streets of Chicago and represent Rate in front of their hometown crowd,' said Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The Grant Park 165 is a key milestone in Rate's broader push to connect with customers through partnerships that mirror its core values: speed, precision, and high performance. The Hyak Motorsports collaboration builds on that foundation, blending the excitement of racing with the company's relentless drive to innovate and compete at the highest level. 'At Rate, we partner with people who play to win. They move fast, take smart risks, and stay locked in on performance,' said Victor Ciardelli, CEO of Rate. 'That's exactly what Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Hyak Motorsports bring to the track. This partnership is built on a shared mindset, whether it's winning a race or helping someone win a home.' All Eyes on Chicago This Weekend This weekend's Chicago Street Race, running July 5–6, brings together top-tier talent, high-performance engineering, and brand-backed momentum. As part of Hyak Motorsports' race advance, fans can expect a dynamic showing from the team, fueled in part by Rate's sponsorship and the driving force of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. With deep experience and leadership from Hyak Motorsports VP of Sales & Marketing Todd Carte, the team is primed for a standout appearance on one of the most iconic road courses in the country. The partnership with Rate not only brings added visibility but also reinforces Hyak's ongoing mission to build strategic alliances that elevate motorsport culture and fan engagement. More information on Hyak Motorsports can be found at Event Overview Event: Grant Park 165 Time/Date: 2 PM ET on Sunday, July 6 Location: Chicago Street Course Layout: 2.2-mile, 12-turn street course Format: 165 miles / 75 laps | Stages: 20 / 45 / 75 TV/Radio: TNT / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio About Rate Rate Companies is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, Rate has over 850 branches across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Rate has helped more than 2 million homeowners with home purchase loans, refinances, and home equity loans. The company has cemented itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates, and delivering unparalleled customer service. Recent honors and awards include: a Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 by Fortune; Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for First-Time Homebuyers by Forbes; a Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for FHA Loans, Home Equity Loans, and Lower Credit Scores by NerdWallet; Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for Digital Experience and Down Payment Assistance by Motley Fool; Chicago Agent Magazine's Lender of the Year for seven consecutive years. Visit for more information. About Hyak Hyak Motorsports is a race-winning NASCAR team co-owned by Gordon Smith, Ernie Cope, Mark Hughes, and Brad Daugherty as of Nov. 18, 2023. The Harrisburg, North Carolina-based organization won the 2023 Daytona 500 with driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr and has accumulated two other wins in the NASCAR Cup Series. For more information, please visit the newly rebranded team at and on social at Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Media Contact [email protected]
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
A Consistent Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Grows With Hyak Motorsports
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 47 NOS Energy Chevrolet, walks onstage during driver intros ... More prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is known for his on-track aggression, and each of his four career Nascar Cup Series wins are because of exactly that. But the 37-year-old racer, now in his 13th Cup season, is still searching for consistency. His small Hyak Motorsports is one of the biggest underdog stories in the entire sport. With less than 30 full-time employees and a lack of major tech support, the little team that could does plenty. When Stenhouse won the 2023 Daytona 500, it literally sent shockwaves throughout the garage. This year, the team formerly known as JTG Daugherty Racing underwent an ownership change. Jodi and Tad Geschickter, who first formed an Xfinity Series team in 1995 and debuted a Cup car in 2008, left the ownership group. Gordon Smith took over as principal owner, with NBA legend Brad Daugherty remaining as a minority owner. Mark Hughes and former Nascar crew chief Ernie Cope also joined the ownership group. 'Nothing has changed on the competition side," Stenhouse said. "My team has stayed the same with my engineers and shop guys. I think that's what helped us get off to a hot start. We focused this offseason on what we needed to get better at from last year. 'Executing was pretty high on the list. We still need to get our speed better. But even when we had cars that weren't as we needed them to be, we worked the system with strategy, good restarts and just came out with good finishes.' At the same time, the newly coined Hyak Motorsports had to hunt for a new sponsor. Kroger left the team to partner with all three drivers at RFK Racing, marking a major shift for the No. 47 car, which had worked with Kroger since 2010. But the new ownership group has done a great job at marketing the No. 47 car and its driver. Major partners have joined the team or expanded previous packages, such as SunnyD, Rate, Martin's Famous Potato Rolls, betr, Real American Beer, NOS Energy, Hungry Jack, Fun Pops and several other firms. 'The toughest part of switching the brand is you lose all of the office people who handled that side of things,' he explained. 'We put new people in place. We've had great [partners] come on board. We're looking to build our partners at our race team. Everybody's been really pleased about what we've been able to do for them.' Right now, Stenhouse's goal is to get the team back into the playoffs. After 18 races, he sits 21st in the regular season standings and likely needs a win in the final eight events before the playoffs begin to qualify for the postseason. 'It would be huge,' Stenhouse, who's qualified for the postseason twice, said. 'It's tough to do in the sport, especially as a single-car team. We have 24 employees that work on this thing. It would be huge for our company.' But even with the loss of a major corporate sponsor, Stenhouse's performance has stabilized. He has an average finish of 18.9, which is second behind his best with the No. 47 team (17.8 in 2023). If he didn't have some tough luck, he'd likely be right around the playoff bubble. He was 13th overall in the standings through the Coca-Cola 600 in late May. 'Mike Kelley [crew chief] and I have been working really hard together to dissect our races to see where they went wrong,' Stenhouse said. 'We're trying not to put ourselves or our car in bad positions before the end of the race. That's helped us out a lot this year.'
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Washington Post
MLB, NASCAR stars talk the legends of Bristol as racetrack transforms for historic ballgame
NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. advises the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves to watch a couple of night races at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Speedway Classic. Once at the racetrack, he recommends a walk up the banked walls to truly appreciate the half-mile bullring. MLB's Speedway Classic on Aug. 2 means either the Reds or Braves will win at Bristol before Stenhouse reaches victory lane at his favorite track. He still plans to watch as they play an MLB game on a ballpark built inside the Bristol infield.
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
MLB, NASCAR stars talk the legends of Bristol as racetrack transforms for historic ballgame
NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. advises the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves to watch a couple of night races at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Speedway Classic. Once at the racetrack, he recommends a walk up the banked walls to truly appreciate the half-mile bullring. MLB's Speedway Classic on Aug. 2 means either the Reds or Braves will win at Bristol before Stenhouse reaches victory lane at his favorite track. He still plans to watch as they play an MLB game on a ballpark built inside the Bristol infield. 'Hopefully, if they get one over the wall, kind of see where that ball ends up landing,' Stenhouse said of the track where going over the wall usually means injuries and ambulances. 'But, yeah, just a really cool venue and something that I'll be looking forward to watching.' Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, now a Fox racing analyst, said search his 1990 crash where his car disintegrated after hitting a wall to learn how challenging Bristol can be. He joined Stenhouse, former Braves centerfielder Andruw Jones, 2009 World Series champ Nick Swisher and three-time All-Star Reds first baseman and now MLB Network analyst Sean Casey in promoting the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee. Waltrip said the banking of the track has to be seen to be believed and is a big part of its intensity. 'The banking is straight up,' Waltrip said. 'You can barely climb up it, and it's condensed down to a half-mile track. So you're just constantly in the corners and speeds upwards of 150 miles an hour. It's just crazy how precise and how technical you have to be to be successful there.' Trying to hit a baseball might be a bit easier than stepping into a racecar at Bristol. At those speeds, Stenhouse said he forgot to breathe for 10 laps his first time there. Bristol still has tickets available for an event that will feature a pregame concert with Tim McGraw and Pitbull. A fan zone outside the track will feature more music, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages and team mascots. 'It's going to be one of those special nights that goes down in history,' said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. 'People are going to want to be there and want to be a part of it or tune in on Fox and take in this event.' Casey played in a March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum that drew 115,300 for the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game. Casey said this crossover gives baseball fans a reason to check out Bristol and NASCAR fans the chance to see something different. Players like Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will get an experience to remember. 'These guys that are going to be able to have that memory of playing at Bristol, it's going to be a one of a kind thing,' Casey said. Stenhouse said he played some wiffle ball during the last stop in Bristol. NASCAR will be in Iowa with a Cup race Aug. 3, but he hopes to sneak over from his North Carolina home for a chance to hit some hard balls over the fence at Bristol — or pitch off the mound. 'I hit a wiffle ball over the fence,' Stenhouse said. 'Yeah, it would be cool to get there and take the field in all at the same time.' ___ AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum contributed to this report from New York. ___ AP MLB: and AP auto racing:
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Stenhouse has vowed retaliation on rival Carson Hocevar. Will NASCAR payback be delivered at Pocono?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. walks to his car before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Carson Hocevar drives through turn Th13 during the first practice session of NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Carson Hocevar is introduced to fans prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley) Carson Hocevar is introduced to fans prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. walks to his car before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Carson Hocevar drives through turn Th13 during the first practice session of NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Carson Hocevar is introduced to fans prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley) LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Carson Hocevar walked around Pocono Raceway without a scratch on his face. His polo shirt looked more tailored than tattered and the Spire Motorsports driver was ready to race rather than rumble. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hadn't socked Hocevar with a right hook quite yet — hot on the heels of Stenhouse's threat to beat up his racing rival after last weekend's race in Mexico City — leaving the next shot at any potential retaliation inside or outside the cars set for Sunday's NASCAR race. Advertisement Hocevar should walk with his head on a swivel because Stenhouse can throw a right hook. Just ask Kyle Busch, who suffered a crushing TKO loss when he clashed with Stenhouse after last year's All-Star race. Get ready! The Pounding at Pocono could be just another round in the ongoing feud between Stenhouse and Hocevar. 'He probably will be looking over his shoulder for a long time,' Stenhouse said Saturday at Pocono. 'We'll see how that goes.' Hocevar has to look over his shoulder — and for that charging Chevrolet in his rearview mirror. 'The scorecard has it that I I'm getting something from the 47 at some point, right? And I think my team and everybody kind of knows that,' Hocevar said. Advertisement Their beef has little chance of getting squashed any time soon, a dispute that started three races ago when Hocevar wrecked Stenhouse early at Nashville. Hocevar sent Stenhouse spinning last week in Mexico City, which ignited the postrace melee on pit road. Stenhouse seemed to grab at Hocevar as he spoke to him, then slapped at his helmet as Stenhouse walked away. Hocevar's in-car camera captured audio of the confrontation. 'I'm going to beat your (behind),' Stenhouse threatened. 'You're a lap down, you've got nothing to do. Why you run right into me? It's the second time. I'm going to beat your (behind) when we get back to the States.' Advertisement Hocevar avoided a smackdown from Stenhouse but his Spire team hit him where it hurts — a $50,000 fine on Tuesday for derogatory comments he made about Mexico City on a livestream as NASCAR raced there last weekend. At just 23 and in his second full Cup season, Hocevar has whipped himself into a flurry of unwanted attention, continuing a trend that started last year when even veteran Denny Hamlin chimed in and said NASCAR had ' to do something to Carson.' Stenhouse might do it on behalf of the sanctioning body with his fist or even his No. 47 Chevrolet. Hocevar conceded, yes, payback may be imminent and the time to talk out their lingering issues is over. Advertisement Yet, Hocevar pleaded: 'It's not an open hunting season on the 77 because of these incidents.' Hocevar stamped his own target on his back. With his aggressive racing. With his ignorant words. 'Just because I do something in the heat of the moment or maybe, you know, you do it two or three times, doesn't mean I'm not hard on myself for those mistakes because they are mistakes,' he said. 'It's just trying not to make that a pattern. But when you're constantly making aggressive moves like we're doing, it's balancing that fine line of, you know, you make a thousand moves a day. Just unfortunately, what people remember isn't always the good ones. You always remember the negative ones.' Case in point, Hocevar walked back his derisive comments about Mexico after he actually experienced the culture of the country following NASCAR's foray into a new Cup Series market. Advertisement 'I didn't give it a shot. I didn't give it a chance,' Hocevar said. 'I didn't go walk around. I didn't go see it. When I did, you know, then hindsight's 20/20, then I have my own opinion. But I've already put it out there.' Spire also ordered Hocevar to attend cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training. He can be thankful he gets a shot at another race. Stenhouse's spotter, Tab Boyd, was fired this week by HYAK Motorsports in the wake of an unflattering social media post about his experience in Mexico. 'That's above my paygrade,' Stenhouse said. The biggest KO so far came in the standings, where Stenhouse has been flattened in just three weeks from 13th in points in the thick of playoff contention before Nashville to 21st entering Pocono. Hocevar is one point ahead of Stenhouse in the standings. Advertisement 'That's the thing that hurts worse for our team is just where it's put us,' Stenhouse said. Stenhouse's trash talk more worthy of UFC hype could put him in hot water should he actually deliver on his vowed retribution and take out Hocevar. If it comes to a point where NASCAR dishes out a monetary punishment, it's OK, the 2023 Daytona 500 champion could afford his fine. He just sold his North Carolina estate for $12.2 million, the highest-priced residential sale ever recorded in the greater Charlotte metro area. 'It's been a big week. We've had a lot going on,' Stenhouse said, laughing. Advertisement He'd rather talk real estate than about the space and time wasted thinking about Hocevar. 'I'm just honestly tired of talking about the kid,' Stenhouse said. Tired of the talk? Sure. Of the action? Not just yet. 'Eventually it'll all come together at some point,' Stenhouse said. 'I'm not sure when or how. But it will." ___ AP auto racing:
