“He’s a really good driver”: When Danica Patrick addressed her relationship with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and NASCAR Award chances

There was a time when NASCAR trailblazer Danica Patrick was dating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of JTG Daugherty Racing (now Hyak Racing). While their relationship was primarily caring, it also involved a healthy dose of on-track competition.

Back in 2013, both Patrick and Stenhouse Jr. were contenders for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. In a NASCAR interview from that time, Patrick, then driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, discussed the experience of competing against her partner for the coveted honor.

“It's not any different,” Danica Patrick explained. “I mean, we have competed against each other every year. Rookie of the Year is one of those things that you want (for) sure but more than anything, you want to have a good season; you want to keep improving.” (0:48)

“He's a really good driver, very talented clearly, so I know that it's gonna be tough but I believe we can do it,” she said of Stenhouse Jr.

Notably, Patrick put up a strong run for the Rookie of the Year honor that season. She bettered Stenhouse Jr. with an eighth-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. Patrick also won the pole for the crown jewel event, a feat that no woman has been able to achieve even to this day.

However, it was Stenhouse Jr. who took home the award. His performance that year was highlighted by a P10 finish at Richmond, a P8 finish at Chicagoland, and a P3 finish at Talladega. Interestingly, the then-Roush Fenway Racing driver was not worried about winning the title.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. revealed off-track stance on relationship with Danica Patrick

In March 2013, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. publicly announced his relationship with Danica Patrick at Bristol Motor Speedway. In a 2017 EPIX documentary, Patrick expressed her desire to marry Stenhouse Jr. and start a family with him.

“The relationship has really evolved into this really comfortable space where we’re just really happy. It’s really straightforward and simple. And we don’t argue," he said.

Stenhouse Jr. mentioned that they avoided discussing racing outside of the track. Their week-to-week conversations were limited to car handling and performance. Additionally, he shared that the topic of the Rookie of the Year award was never brought up between them.

“I don't even know how many points I have in the rookie of the year standings," Stenhouse Jr. said during a press conference. "I'm not even sure how many we're leading it by. We don't really talk about it too much. We talk about how the races went and how our cars handled. Away from the track, we don't talk much about the racing, period."

The couple ended their five-year relationship in December 2017. Speculation about their breakup began when Stenhouse Jr. attended the NASCAR Awards ceremony in Las Vegas alone. A spokesperson for Patrick later confirmed the news to ESPN. That same year, Stenhouse Jr. achieved his first Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway.