[autotag]Ricky Stenhouse Jr.[/autotag] pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent NASCAR memory when he wheeled the No. 47 car for JTG Daugherty Racing to victory lane during the 2023 Daytona 500. It was an incredible moment for Stenhouse and the organization as it represented a popular win within the NASCAR garage area.
The driver of the No. 47 car backed up his Daytona 500 victory by staying consistent through the regular season with a top-20 finish in the point standings. However, Stenhouse was asked during Playoff Media Day if it was a mistake to label the No. 47 team as an “obvious” first-round exit as many people are leaving him out of the Round of 12.
“I feel that’s a mistake,” Stenhouse said. “I feel our team and I have a lot more confidence than probably a lot of people have in us, which is fine. I was at the shop yesterday, and my guys were saying so-and-so says we’re going to be out, and I’m like, ‘Let’s go prove them wrong.’ I’m not worried about proving people wrong, but I want to make sure I prove that to our guys and our supporters.”
RT to congratulate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on his #DAYTONA500 win! pic.twitter.com/OstRwcdmFi
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 19, 2023
“There’s plenty of people that think we’re going to make the next round. It’s about proving those people right. I told them don’t worry about who didn’t pick us, let’s just do our job and let’s go perform the way we know we can perform. If we do that, I feel like we can make it out of the first round of the Playoffs. Obviously, it gets harder after that, but we’re going to take it race by race and hit the goals we’ve set out. If those goals are good enough, then we will be in.”
Stenhouse may not have the equipment and overall speed compared to the other big NASCAR organizations but this goes back to the Daytona 500. JTG Daugherty Racing has already shocked the racing world one time so why can’t they do it again?
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