SALISBURY, N.C. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will join Niece Motorsports for the season-opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
The Daytona 500 winner, who drives the Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series, will wheel the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet at Daytona, marking his very first race in the Craftsman Truck Series.
A week after he makes his NCTS debut, Stenhouse will pilot the No. 45 truck at Echo Park Speedway on Feb. 21 before handing over driving duties to Landen Lewis and Ross Chastain who will split the rest of the season.
“I’ve always wanted to run a truck, but never had the opportunity to put something together,” said Stenhouse Jr. “When Cody (Efaw) called me, I definitely had a lot of interest to see what all they have been building here at Niece Motorsports, especially looking at their level of competition. With it being at Daytona, obviously winning the 500 was awesome, and I’d love to win a Truck Series race there, too. I’ve always wanted to race a truck, but I wanted it to be competitive – and this checks all of those boxes.”
Highly regarded as one of the sport’s top drivers on drafting tracks, Stenhouse Jr. has won four Cup Series events at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway.
“We are all very excited to welcome Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to our team for his first time racing in the Truck Series,” said Cody Efaw, Niece Motorsports CEO. “I’ve known Ricky for several years now dating back to our time at Roush (now RFK Racing), and he’s always been a natural on super speedways. I believe he will have a true shot at contending for the win at both Daytona and Atlanta.”
J.F. Electric will serve as Stenhouse Jr.’s primary sponsor in both of his scheduled NCTS races. Since initially partnering with the team in 2024, Greg Fowler (CEO & Chairman) and the Fowler family grew their investment into Niece Motorsports last year by becoming part of a new team ownership group with Josh Morris, CEO of DQS Solutions & Staffing.
“Josh Morris and I are thrilled to welcome Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to Niece Motorsports for his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona,” Fowler said. “There’s no bigger stage for a debut than Daytona, and we believe Ricky gives our team a real opportunity to contend for the win. We’d love nothing more than to be celebrating together in Victory Lane at the end of the race.”
