“We were really close”: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. opens up on ‘bummer’ after falling short for Chili Bowl main feature

NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. recently competed in the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals dirt track racing series. He was one of seven NASCAR drivers to compete in the iconic event ahead of the 2025 Cup Series campaign. He narrowly missed out on the feature event of the race, following which he shed light on his performance.

Stenhouse Jr. competes full-time in the Cup Series and pilots the #47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hyak Motorsports (formerly JTG Daugherty Racing). In his NASCAR career, the Tennessee native has secured 14 race wins across NASCAR's top three divisions. Eight of those wins came in the Xfinity Series, where he won the championship twice consecutively (2011, 2012).

Stenhouse Jr. started the second B-Feature race in P14. However, despite gaining several positions, the Hyak Motorsports driver finished the race in P8, narrowly missing out on advancing to the next round. Reflecting on his performance, he said (via Matt Weaver on X):

"We caught some good breaks there you know, cautions there at the end, and gave it a good shot the last two laps. I ran the top the way I should have, probably a little bit earlier. Probably stayed on the bottom too long, but Chad the guys gave me a great NOS Energy Drink car. Just, I feel like I finally knocked all the rest off you know, kind of late in that B-main."

"So that's a bummer felt like you know, we were really close there at the line and yeah, I'll be replaying those last two laps in my head for a little bit, but all in all good week," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. added

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign fell short of expectations, as he failed to secure a playoff spot. Despite the overall challenges, the 37-year-old achieved a significant highlight by winning the YellaWood 500, a playoff race. He concluded the season in 25th place in the standings, amassing 590 points.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. delivers a crystal clear “not ideal” message after post-race incident at Chili Bowl

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. faced controversy during the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals' Qualifier Slate 1. Starting P4, he held his position until Logan Seavey passed him on the final lap, resulting in a P5 finish. Post-race, Stenhouse Jr. collided with Seavey’s car, sparking debate over the Cup driver’s intentions.

Following the end of the race, Stenhouse Jr. shared that the situation both the drivers found themselves in was "not ideal" (via Matt Weaver on X):

"I got used up by Seavey, and it's gonna repay my frustration, but I tagged him in the bumper and when he slowed down I caught left rear. Not ideal. Not what I was expecting to do. But I'm just gonna give a shot through the bumper. What really thrilled you know, I thought he's good enough and he won't hit the bottom, and no use me up for corner, but I don't know."

Meanwhile, the Cup Series will return for the Dayton 500 on February 16 at 2:30 PM ET. Catch the #47 driver exclusively on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM.