Top Dog: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
What is one factor that plays into fans’ passion for sports?
Upsets.
College football featured plenty of them on Oct. 5, with five of the top 11 ranked teams falling victim to upsets.
Among them was the most colossal one of 2024, with the 2-2 Vanderbilt Commodores shocking the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, a school that had beaten Vanderbilt in 23 consecutive matchups.
So what better way for the NASCAR Cup Series to follow up college football than by having another upset in Alabama? That’s exactly what transpired, compliments of Olive Branch, Miss. native Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Not only did Stenhouse survive the Big One, he survived the “Biggest One” to claim bragging rights in the YellaWood 500 (Oct. 6).
Following the final round of green flag pit stops of the race, Stenhouse engaged in an intense battle of tug of war with playoff contender Austin Cindric. With Chase Elliott pushing Stenhouse and Brad Keselowski shoving Cindric, the two swapped the lead time after time for about 10 laps.
A routine but unnerving maneuver by the field to lap Todd Gilliland flipped the race upside down in a flash. The train of Fords on the low line bounced off one another, ending with Cindric getting turned in front of the field. While Stenhouse’s car received slight damage to the left side, he drove away with absolute destruction in his rearview mirror.
What Stenhouse evaded turned out to be a 28-car crash, the largest crash in modern NASCAR history. That gave him an opportunity to write a page of history of his own.
On the final restart, Stenhouse went toe-to-toe with the six-time Talladega champion Keselowski, a true battle of superspeedway aces. As the drivers exited turn 4, William Byron gave Stenhouse a shot while Keselowski chose not to block. Exiting the tri-oval, Keselowski received a push from Kyle Larson and Byron swooped high to Stenhouse’s outside, but neither one had enough time.
Stenhouse was deemed victorious by a mere .006 seconds, half of the margin he lost by to Ryan Blaney four years ago at the same track.
Just four days after his 37th birthday, Stenhouse claimed his first win since the 2023 Daytona 500. And while he has four career wins to his name, all four have come on superspeedways, placing him among good company in superspeedway history.
It was stressed on NBC Sports’ broadcast all weekend that while Talladega may appear like a place of luck, the cream typically always rises to the top. That was no different with Stenhouse, who was at the front of the field nearly all day, including a second-place stage finish. He was smooth, calculated and methodical in slicing his way into position to seize the moment.
Those traits mark a valiant amount of maturing from the Stenhouse we saw at Talladega seven years ago when he won his first race with RFK Racing (then branded as Roush Fenway Racing). A driver who once was questioned for being over-aggressive on drafting tracks and crossing the line a few times, the relatively new father has shown a lot of growth over the years.
In spite of caving to the lows exhibited early in the year through circumstances out of his control — and even recently as he had not finished in the top 10 since the Chicago street course — Stenhouse has stood tall, and that finally paid off with a win as the season begins to wrap up. He also made history for his team, JTG Daugherty Racing, becoming its first driver to win multiple races.
As the No. 47 team begins to look to next season, being marked a favorite for a second Daytona 500 crown should be a given by now.
Notable Underdog Runs
Much like he did at Atlanta Motor Speedway a few weeks ago, Erik Jones could be found trying to go as high as he could to advance through the pack at Talladega. This time it worked in his favor, as he finished fifth.
Jones was in the eye of the storm for most of the racing, running in the midst of the lead pack. As the Big One unfolded, Jones’ pink No. 43 could be seen under heavy braking. Those evasive actions got him through safely, allowing him to line up in eighth for the restart and drive into the top five. It is Jones’ first top five of the year and first top 10 since the Daytona 500, also earning Legacy Motor Club its first top five as a Toyota team.
For most of the race, it looked like another week where Justin Haley would suffer more growing pains in his new ride with Spire Motorsports. After driving to the lead from 35th in the first stage, Haley suffered an apparent issue when he radioed that something fell inside his car that prevented him from reaching the gas or brake pedal.
After recovering to begin the final stage, Haley went back to work, moving back into the battle for the lead and asserting himself as a sleeper. He was able to avoid the Big One, positioning himself in the top 10 for overtime. From there, he held his ground and scored his best finish of the season in seventh, coming in just his second start with Spire.
Rick Ware Racing’s successful 2024 continued, with each of its cars landing a top-20 finish. Leading the way was Cody Ware in 12th, a driver who has flexed some muscles on superspeedways this year. During stage two, Ware pushed his new RWR teammate Corey LaJoie to the lead, flashing a RWR 1-2.
Despite falling a lap down during the stage, Ware was able to get back on the lead lap before getting involved in the Big One, where it appeared the No. 15 suffered a broken toe link. However, the team was able to make repairs, and Ware rejoined to score his third top 20 of the year.
LaJoie was very sporty in the No. 51, driving to the front of the field on multiple occasions and leading five laps overall. He too had a broken toe link as a result of the lap 185 crash, enduring more damage than his teammate. Still, he was able to finish the race and finish 18th, giving him back-to-back top 20s to kick off his RWR stint. LaJoie also has five finishes of 18th or better in the last six races.
Sometimes, a quiet day is an optimal day, and that has to be a relief for Carson Hocevar, who finished 14th with a fairly clean racecar. Hocevar was mired back in traffic for most of the race, a product of the fuel saving at times that gave way to a rapid pace.
The Big One occurred ahead of Hocevar, who was running at the tail end of the lead pack. But other than some contact from Martin Truex Jr., Hocevar was able to dodge the bullet and leave Talladega with his 11th top 15 of 2024.
Shane van Gisbergen turned around from a disappointing NASCAR Xfinity Series race the day prior to impress in just his fourth superspeedway start at the Cup level. During stage two, van Gisbergen rode the high line to the lead with the help of Ross Chastain, pacing the field for nine laps.
Just like 27 other drivers, he was involved in the Big One, yet he received minimal damage. The New Zealander went for a Hail Mary during overtime by trying to start a third line, but ultimately faded back to 15th, earning his best Cup finish on an oval.
What They’re Saying
Stenhouse (winner): “It felt really good. We had our Chevy teammates behind us, and I was hoping Kyle (Larson) wasn’t going to push the 6 that hard. I knew the 24 was probably going to try and get to the line there.
“But, man, this team has put a lot of hard work in. Obviously we haven’t won since the 500 in ’23. It’s been an up-and-down season. It was a lot of hard work this season just trying to find a little bit of speed, but we knew that this track is one of ours to come get. So for all of our Southern Mississippi people, appreciate you all coming. This means a lot, winning here.
“Got to say we’re thinking about everybody in Western North Carolina. Brad Dougherty, his family right where he grew up there in Black Mountain, a lot of people are struggling.”
Van Gisbergen (15th): “That was a wild race! Had a lot of fun battling up front and leading some laps. Our WeatherTech Chevy Camaro showed a lot of speed and it was awesome to race in the pack and continue to learn every lap. Glad we missed the big wreck there at the end and were able to have a solid finish. Proud of my No. 16 Kaulig Racing team and looking forward to racing the Cup car at the Charlotte Roval.”
Hemric (38th): “Unfortunate end to a really solid day. I’m proud of everyone on this No. 31 Cirkul Chevy team. We had a really fast qualifying effort to put us in the top 10 to start. Unfortunate that it turned out the way it did. I thought I had a hole and just ripped around the top, but the two slid back up. I hate that for the team, but I’m super proud of these guys. We have five more opportunities to do something special as a team.”
Small Team Scheme of the Week
AJ Allmendinger was in a third entry for Kaulig Racing, piloting its No. 13 Strive Chevrolet. With a smooth sea foam green base, this car was hard to miss on the track, especially in a race where green cars ruled the day in the end. Unfortunately, Allmendinger was caught up in the Big One, finishing 28th.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a contributor, furthering a love for racing that traces back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who used to help former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Va. garage. A 2023 graduate from the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is the author of "The Underdog House," contributes to commentary pieces, and does occasional at-track reporting. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in ministry, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.
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dega is always a crap shoot. winner is usually one who survives the mayhem.
thankfully no one was seriously injured in that wreck.
these are supposed to be the best. sometimes i just shake my head.