It didn’t take Ricky Stenhouse Jr. long to find a new home. The veteran NASCAR driver will join JTG Daughtery Racing’s two-car lineup in 2020 after signing a multiyear deal, the team announced Wednesday.
Stenhouse Jr., 32, is in his seventh season driving the No. 17 for Roush Fenway Racing. He’s made 251 career Monster Energy Series starts, all but one of them with Jack Roush, and has two Cup Series wins in his career.
Stenhouse also won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2011 and 2012 with Roush, which announced in late September that the team would bring in Chris Buescher to drive the No. 17 next year.
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Buescher currently drives the No. 37 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing, a seat that became vacant when Buescher and Roush agreed to terms – and a seat Stenhouse will fill in what essentially amounts to a swap of drivers between the two teams.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join JTG Daugherty Racing next season,” Stenhouse Jr. said in a team release. “To be able to see what Tad, Jodi (Geschickter) and Brad (Daugherty) have built over the years says a lot about the team and the organization both on and off the track. JTG has grown from a small team in a barn to a two-car team with more than 100 employees, and I’m looking forward to joining the family. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and ready to go win races with the ultimate goal of making the Playoffs and competing for a championship.”
Stenhouse Jr. joins Ryan Preece in the JTG lineup. Preece, who pilots the No. 47 Chevrolet, currently is in his rookie season with the organization.
Both drivers have extensive backgrounds – and success – in other disciplines of motorsports as well. Stenhouse is an exceptional sprint-car driver while Preece came up through the modified ranks.
The 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Stenhouse Jr.’s two wins both came in 2017 – one at Talladega, the other at Daytona. He also has 15 career top-five finishes and 34 career top-10 finishes at NASCAR’s highest level.
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The team said Stenhouse Jr.’s car number and sponsorship would be announced at a later date.
“We’re very fortunate to have Ricky join us next season to continue to elevate our racing program at JTG Daugherty Racing,” team owner Tad Geschickter said. “Ricky brings a lot of experience and talent to the team, and we know we can have two Playoff-contending teams next season with him and Ryan Preece at the helm of our cars.”