Fresh off his first-career win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has picked up some additional sponsorship for the 2017 season.
Stenhouse and Roush Fenway Racing announced Thursday (May 11) sponsorship in the Cup Series from fruit drink brand Little HUG Fruit Barrels. The two-race sponsorship will kick off next month at Dover International Speedway, with an additional race at Pocono Raceway the same month.
“This is even more great news,” Stenhouse said in a press release. “I loved the Little HUG fruit barrels growing up, and it was a good day when mom would put one of those in our lunches. It will be a lot of fun reaching for one to cool down at the track on a hot summer day.”
Added Ilene Bergenfeld, CMO of Harvest Hill Beverage Company that produces the drink: “We are so excited to partner with Ricky for the upcoming June races and watch some awesome racing in the Little HUG No. 17. Ricky and the whole No. 17 team have been amazing ambassadors of our sister brands SunnyD, Juicy Juice, and now Little HUG. The whole Little HUG team looks forward to giving Ricky lots of Little HUGs in Victory Lane.”
Stenhouse’s No. 17 is often sponsored by Little HUG sister brand SunnyD.
The two-time XFINITY Series champion currently sits 12th in Cup standings, with his Talladega win potentially vaulting him into the playoffs at the end of the season. Additionally, he has three top fives and five top 10s on the season, both of which are numbers just one off his career bests in the series.
This announcement reduces the number of open races left on the No. 17 Ford. Roush Fenway Racing is still trying to replace Zest, a former primary sponsor for Stenhouse who left after the 2016 season.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
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