Ricky Stenhouse Jr. claims overlooking him in R-16 is a mistake, says he is determined to prove doubters wrong

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is determined to make it out of the R-16.


Ricky Stenhouse Jr. claims overlooking him in R-16 is a mistake, says he is determined to prove doubters wrong

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Via IMAGO)

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been one of the most impressive and improved drivers in the 2023 season. He started the year on a high note, winning the Daytona 500, and was the first driver to secure a spot in the playoffs. The JTG-Daugherty Racing is the underdog going into the Round of 16 starting from Darlington.

The No:41 driver proved in the regular season that his win at the superspeedway was no fluke with his consistency. He has secured six top-10 finishes apart from the win, with the best finish in the list being a P4 at Bristol. The Chevy driver has scored a finish better in the top 20 in 18 of the 26 regular season races. He had 16 finishes outside the top 20 during the same period in 2022.

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The driver, when asked about his team being overlooked by the racing community in the R-16, pointed out that it would be a mistake ruling them out. He said that even his crew doubts their chances and that he wants to prove them wrong by executing on the track. The former RFR driver said that he wants to prove his supporters right as well.

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I feel that’s a mistake. I feel our team, and I have a lot more confidence than probably a lot of people have in us, which is fine. I was at the shop yesterday, and my guys were saying so-and-so says we’re going to be out, and I’m like, let’s go prove them wrong. I’m not worried about proving people wrong, but I want to make sure I prove that to our guys and our supporters,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said, as reported by NASCAR.com.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. embraces the underdog status

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and No:47 Crew (Credits: @JTGR)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and No:47 Crew (Credits: @JTGR)

The two-time Xfinity Series champion, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Kevin Harvick, are the four drivers expected to miss out on the next round. Besides Harvick, all three drivers don’t have the best playoff record. For Wallace, it’s his debut. So, the three drivers are given the underdog status, and with the Next-Gen car, all three can pull off massive upsets.

Stenhouse Jr. said that he and his crew are the underdogs, considering the powerhouse teams that they are going to face in the postseason. He added that despite this, he likes the emotions they are in as he has a solid team and great fans he fights for.

He said, “We definitely are (underdogs). Obviously, all the powerhouse teams we’re going up against are manufacturer teams. Definitely an underdog, but I think we like our role. All 40 of us on the team like where we are. We have great partners behind us and great fans.”

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