Despite 2023 Daytona 500 win, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is setting 'realistic expectations' every weekend

JTG Daugherty Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned his first career Daytona 500 in double overtime last Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

Driving the #47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Stenhouse Jr. took the checkered flag, making his way to the lead on the final lap in double overtime. He then emerged ahead of Joey Logano at the time of caution to secure the season-opening Daytona 500.

Despite the Daytona 500 win, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has set realistic expectations for each week's race. During a post-race interview at Daytona International Speedway, Stenhouse Jr. said:

“So I think we’ll do a better job of kind of setting our realistic expectations each week. If we feel like 15th is where we need to be that given week, then that’s where I’m going to try and get the car to and not try and get it to 10th or fifth like I tend to do.”

Last year, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was involved in several incidents that led to a variety of DNFs, including seven due to crashes and two others, but this was down to mechanical issues.

DNF has been the main focus for JTG Daugherty Racing throughout the off-season and into the 2023 NASCAR season.

Stenhouse Jr. mentioned that he had completed nearly 99% of the Nationwide Series laps during the 2011 and 2012 seasons when he worked with Mike Kelley. His main goal in the 2023 season will be to replicate the same consistency.

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“That’s been our team’s motto all off-season” – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s crew chief

After the Daytona 500, Mike Kelley, the crew chief of the #47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at JTG Daugherty Racing, delivered a special message about the note written in Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s car, which was simply ready, “We believe." It was a short message but it connected to something much bigger.

Kelley explained:

“That’s been our team’s motto all off-season is, ‘We believe.' We’re a small team. We’re not a super powerhouse team. We’re small. I think there’s 40, 45 employees that work in our shop every day. But I have 45 people that believe in what we’re trying to accomplish.”

He continued:

“We’re trying to get people to believe in Ricky Stenhouse again. We’re trying to get people to believe in myself and the vision that we have. That’s all it was, a simple note on a piece of duct tape that I wrote that said, 'We believe, and we believe today,' and I stuck it up there above his head.”