Over the years, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned the nickname 'Wrecky Spinhouse' from NASCAR fans. This happened due to his tendency to be involved in multi-car crashes during races. However, fans have been unaware of the humble beginnings of Stenhouse Jr.

Prior to racing in the ARCA Menards series for Roush Fenway Racing, Jack Roush hired Stenhouse Jr. at his shop. At the time, Stenhouse Jr. was a development driver. He exchanged his firesuit for an engineer's suit as he got hands-on experience building race cars at the shop.

In Stapleton 42’s recent YouTube video, the Hyak Motorsports driver spoke about that, saying, "So, I built crush panels. Um, and then I would install them sometimes. I did a lot of cleanup work at first, you know, just prepping things, getting them ready."

Stenhouse Jr. further explained how his peers made fun of him at the beginning when he injured himself a few times while handling tools. However, he continued the grind.

He bounced between getting his training done and getting the work at the shop done. "I worked in here for a while, and then at the back of the truck shop was our gym. I worked a short stint in here. Worked a little bit in there, the build area, and then went down to Concord and worked a ton there," the 38-year-old added.

It was on the back of this peripheral effort, which he did not know how long it would last, that Stenhouse Jr. earned a seat in the ARCA Menards Series, where he raced with the Roush Fenway team. This revelation from the Hyak Motorsports driver about the lesser-known beginning to his professional racing journey got fans talking.

Fans applaud Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for his diligence 

Many NASCAR fans commented under Stapleton42's YouTube video, hailing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for being determined throughout his journey and doing what was needed at the beginning.

"Great episode. Ricky catches a lot of flak, but in reality he is a grinder and he cares a lot about this sport," wrote one fan. 

Another fan looked at the bigger picture, commending drivers for the unseen grind. "These stories are so vital for NASCAR fans to hear. Gives you a real appreciation for all the work and shenanigans that go on behind the scenes," they wrote. On the same line, another user shared, "Got to respect a man that spits in his hand to make a hand shake deal."

Another fan expressed their wish to see the 2023 Daytona 500 winner in a winning car again. "I’d love to see Stenhouse in top-tier Cup equipment. I think he is a much better driver than his results show," read the message.

Another fan echoed the same sentiment, writing, “Mr. Restrictor Plate! Give Ricky a good car and he'll win!"

What did you think about Ricky Stenhouse’s unknown beginnings? Let us know in the comments. 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak