"I literally saw a young boy crying": Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s crew chief calls on NASCAR to be more mindful of fan experience

Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s crew chief has criticized NASCAR for postponing the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Cambridge Township on Sunday. The race was red-flagged due to inclement weather.

Stenhouse Jr. pilots the #47 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing, competing full-time in the Cup Series. He is a two-time Xfinity Series champion and has secured three Cup race wins in his NASCAR career. The latest came at the prestigious Daytona 500 last year.

The Cup race at Michigan was originally scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday but was delayed by nearly two hours due to rain. After the initial delay, drivers managed to complete the first stage before another heavy downpour halted the race, submerging the track once again. Eventually, NASCAR decided to red-flag the race.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s crew chief Mike Kelley criticized NASCAR for not being mindful of the schedule that they create, which essentially disrupts the experience of the fans. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and said:

"I really hate this for our fans, I literally saw a young boy crying because his dad was telling him they couldn’t stay for tomorrow. I understand the TV deal. We talk so much about the fan experience. Wish we started sooner when tracks don’t have lights."

The Athletic's NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck echoed the sentiments of the #47 team's crew chief and further elaborated on the decision being related to NASCAR's TV deal.

"I understand TV is king. Really, I do. But at what point does this just seem insane? Move the start times up at tracks with no lights. Especially with the threat of rain. Please. People have work and school tomorrow and they could have seen an official race today."

The Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway is now scheduled for August 19th at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is currently P25 on the driver standings with 376 points. In his 23 race starts, the #47 driver has secured five top-10 and two top-five finishes. His best finish came at Talladega where he started in P33 and finished the GEICO 500 in an impressive P4.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. apologizes to Austin Dillon, admitting to driving error causing late Richmond caution

Austin Dillon was set to secure a clean win in the Cook Out 400 last week at Richmond Raceway in Virginia but a caution in lap 399 sent the race into overtime. The caution came out because of an incident between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece.

Further, Dillon's controversial move to win in overtime cost him his playoff seat, as NASCAR declared that he would remain the winner of the Cook Out 400 but his playoff eligibility will be rescinded.

Following this, the Daytona 500 winner Stenhouse Jr. reached out to Dillon to apologize for how things unfurled near the end of the main race. Speaking to Bob Pockrass ahead of the FireKeepers Casino 400, he said:

"I called AD (Austin Dillon) this week and, you know, apologize for that. I felt horrible for those guys."