RICKY STENHOUSE JR. (JTG DAUGHERTY RACING) CHEVY
2022 DRIVER FANTASY POINTS: 26th
2023 FANTASY NASCAR RANK: 30th
* The 2023 ranking are based on the driver’s projected points scored for the 2023 season and not his predicted finish in the Cup Series standings. The rankings are based on the driver’s performance last year, momentum heading into the 2023 season and the strength of the driver’s team. You can read more about the stats that went into creating the Driver Rankings in the 2023 Preview article.
2022 RECAP: The Gen-7 car evened the playing field last year but JTG Daugherty Racing wasn’t one of the teams who had any significant improvement. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scored the 26th most fantasy points last year. He scored the 23rd most points in the 2021 while driving the previous generation of car. Stenhouse had his most fantasy value on the high-banked tracks (Dover and Darlington). He finished second at Dover and eighth at Darlington. He has not had much success at these two tracks in the past, so the top-10 finishes at Dover and Darlington had more to do with the way the races played out (and Stenhouse getting lucky with pit strategy), than the No. 47 team having a dominant car.
Stenhouse Jr. only had one top-five finish (Dover) and five finishes in the top-10 (Auto Club, Dover, Darlington, Kansas and Charlotte). He only led 77 laps, scored 21 Stage Points and had an average running position of 26th. It was not a very good start in the Gen-7 car for the JTG Daugherty Racing team.
2023 PREVIEW: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Crew Chief Brain Pattie have been together for six years. The team had some success, but JTG Daugherty Racing decided it was time for a change at the top of the pit box. Mike Kelley served as the competition director at JTG Daugherty Racing since 2020. He will take over for Pattie as the crew chief for the No. 47 car. Kelley and Stenhouse have had success in the past. Kelly and Stenhouse won two Xfinity Series Championships together while racing for Jack Roush. Will this change be enough to improve the finishing positions for the No. 47 car in 2023? I doubt it. The competition is just too tough in the Cup Series this year. Everything else with the No. 47 car will stay the same. They will continue to get their engines from Hendrick Motorsports.
SUPERSPEEDWAY VALUE (DAYTONA, TALLADEGA, ATLANTA)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the most aggressive driver on the Superspeedways. Dale Earnhardt Jr. often said that the secret to his success on the Superspeedways was to be aggressive and try to race up front as much as possible so you can be in front of the crashes. There is a difference between aggressive driving and stupid driving. Stenhouse uses Earnhardt’s strategy and often runs up front and scores Stage Points. Most of the drivers refuse to work with him though because he is too aggressive. Stenhouse often pushes other drivers in the corners and this causes a lot of wrecks. If Stenhouse could tame his aggressiveness a bit on the Superspeedways, he would probably win more races. He has the talent; he just does not have the patients to be one of the top drivers on the Superspeedways.
Stenhouse Jr. scored the 23rd most fantasy points on the Superspeedways last year. He finished 28th and 22nd in the two races at Daytona, 30th and 22nd in the two races at Talladega and 31st in both races at Atlanta (Not very good). Stenhouse will be a good play in DFS contests on the Superspeedways if he qualifies outside the top-20, but I recommend fading him in season-long games (Driver Group Game and Fantasy Live).
(Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ranked 23rd in fantasy points scored on the Superspeedways last year with an average finishing position of 27.3)
SHORT-FLAT TRACK VALUE (PHOENIX, RICHMOND, MARTINSVILLE, GATEWAY, LOUDON)
The flatter the track is the worse Ricky Stenhouse Jr. races. He is much better on the steep tracks. Stenhouse has an average finishing of 26.6 at Phoenix since joining JTG Daugherty Racing. His average finishing position is 20.6 at Martinsville, 21.6 at Richmond, 21.7 at Loudon and 31st at Gateway in a JTG Daugherty Racing car. We need drivers who can finish in the top-15 in Fantasy NASCAR and so far Stenhouse has not been one of those drivers at the short, flat tracks. There are better choices for your fantasy team when the Cup Series competes at these tracks.
(Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ranked 31st in fantasy points scored on the short-flat tracks last year with an average finishing position of 26.6)
HIGH-BANKED TRACK VALUE (BRISTOL, DOVER, DARLINGTON)
It was surprising to see Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have success on the high-banked tracks last year. His second-place finish at Dover was his best ever finish at the Monster Mile. His average finishing position at Dover before his top-five finish last year was 22.3 while driving the No. 47 car. He also had success at Darlington. Stenhouse started 26th and finished eighth at “The Track Too Tough to Tame” in May. He came back to the track in September and finished 35th. His average finishing position at (Darlington while driving for JTG Daugherty Racing) is 23.4, so I would call his eighth-place finish a fluke. Bristol is the worst track for Stenhouse. He has finished 33rd, 20th, 40th, 6th and 34th (26.6 average finishing position) since joining JTG Daugherty Racing. Stenhouse is worth a punt play in DFS contests at Dover and Darlington “if” his price is cheap and “if” he qualifies deep in the field with a good chance to score place differential points.
Stenhouse is one of the best picks on the dirt at Bristol. He finished second, fourth and 29th in his three races on the dirt at Bristol. It would be a good idea to use Stenhouse in both season-long games (Driver Group Game and Fantasy Live) and in DFS contests at Bristol. It is also a good idea to consider Stenhouse for your One & Done game at the Bristol Dirt Track.
(Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ranked 12th in fantasy points scored on the high-banked tracks last year with an average finishing position of 19.5)
ROAD COURSE TRACK VALUE (COTA, SONOMA, WATKINS GLEN, INDY ROAD COURSE, ROAD AMERICA, CHARLOTTE ROVAL)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has historically been one of the worst road course racers in the Cup Series. The 2022 season started off with two terrible races on the road courses. Stenhouse started 28th and finished 37th at COTA and then he started 32nd and finished 25th at Sonoma. Something clicked for the No. 47 team when they showed up Road America. Stenhouse finished the season with four consecutive top-20 finishes on the Road Courses (19th at Road America, 13th at the Indy Road Course, 15th at Watkins Glen and 19th at the Charlotte Roval). Stenhouse is still hard to trust in your season-long games (Driver Group Game and Fantasy Live), but he is worth a shot in DFS contests if he qualifies deep in the field. His ownership in DFS is usually under 10% because he has a reputation as a poor road course driver. Maybe he figured something out last year. (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ranked 28th in fantasy points scored on the road courses last year with an average finishing position of 21.8)
HIGH TIRE WEAR TRACK VALUE (AUTO CLUB, DARLINGTON, MICHIGAN, HOMESTEAD)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got off to a hot start on the high tire wear tracks last year with his 10th-place finish in February at Auto Club Speedway. Stenhouse has a history of running well at Auto Club, so it should be no surprise to see the No. 47 car in the top-15 in Southern California this year.
Stenhouse was hit or miss at Darlington. He finished eighth in the first race and then showed up and finished 35th in September. His average finishing position at “The Track Too Tough to Tame” is 24th so he is a hard driver to trust at Darlington.
The drivers can run Michigan wide open until the tires wear out. This brings the draft into play, so that helps Stenhouse keep up on speed with the top teams. He was involved in an accident and finished 33rd last year (no surprise there), but he is worth a chance in your DFS lineups at Michigan if he qualifies outside the top-25.
Homestead is also one of the best tracks for Stenhouse. He has finished 15th, 13th, 20th, 19th, 16th and 15th in his last six races in Southern Florida (16.3 average finishing position). Not too bad. I often save Stenhouse for the end of the year and use him in my One & Done contest at Homestead. He will also be a decent play in your season-long games (Driver Group Game and Fantasy Live) if you run out of allocations with your top drivers.
(Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ranked 27th in fantasy points scored on the high tire wear tracks last year with an average finishing position of 20.5)
INTERMEDIATE TRACK VALUE (LAS VEGAS, KANSAS, CHARLOTTE AND TEXAS)
Typically the top teams run up front on the intermediate tracks, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has proved he can run with the big boys at these tracks. Stenhouse started 36th and finished eighth at Kansas (He scored the third-most DFS Points in the race). Stenhouse came back the next week and qualified 29th and finished seventh at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600 (also a top-10 DFS performance). His results at Las Vegas (21st and 23rd) and Texas (27th) were not as good.
Charlotte Motor Speedway ranks as the best track for Stenhouse. He has finished seventh, fourth and fifth in his last three Coca-Cola 600 races. I guess he just needs the races to be five hours long for the No. 47 car to have success. Stenhouse should be in all fantasy lineups in the Memorial Day Race at Charlotte. I recommend fading him at the other tracks in season-long games (Driver Group Game and Fantasy Live). He is worth a spot in your DFS lineups if he qualifies deep in the field and his price is $6K or below.
(Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ranked 18th in fantasy points scored on the intermediate tracks last year with an average finishing position of 19.3)
Best Tracks for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 1) Charlotte, 2) Bristol (Dirt), 3) Nashville, 4) Auto Club, 5) Homestead
*Stats from Fantasy Racing CheatSheet Pro
* Team Information from Jaysky.com
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