Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has once again managed to pull off a big upset, winning the YellaWood 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway. The JTG Daugherty driver has a knack for picking up wins on the drafting tracks. And with today’s triumph, he brings his win tally to four on this configuration of racing.

The #47 Chevy Camaro was upfront contesting for the lead and was able to dodge the big one that collected 20+ race cars, including playoff drivers. Stenhouse Jr. opted for the outside lane for the overtime restart and traded blows with speedway specialist Brad Keselowski. With one lap to go, he did receive some hard pushes on the back of his bumper by the #24, which eventually helped him edge the #6 Ford.

It was a photo finish as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski came to the start-finish line side by side. But Stenhouse Jr. had this one in the bag, and the veteran RFK Racing driver once again fell short at Dega. This time he kept his nose clean and raced his rival fair and square. This win was emotional for the driver and his team, who had a torrid outing throughout the 2024 season.

“We haven’t won since the 500 in 23 and it’s been an up-and-down season. That was a lot of hard work this season to try and find a little bit of speed, but we knew that this track is one of ours to come get. So for all our southern Mississippi people, we appreciate y’all coming. This means a lot winning here. Gotta say we were thinking about everybody in western Carolina, Brad Daugherty and his family right where he grew up in the Black Mountain. A lot of people are struggling.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said this in the victory lane interview.

This was the third event in the playoffs where a non-playoff driver won the race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joins the likes of Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain in playing the spoiler. But despite this, the fans cheered and applauded the JTG Daugherty team for keeping their hopes up and finally clinching a memorable win.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has made a fan or two after his heroics at Dega after all

The Superspeedway races at Talladega and Daytona are unpredictable and chaotic. Especially the finish where drivers throw the kitchen sink in a desperate bid to win the race. Brad Keselowski knows a thing or two about that; remember he sparked the late race ruckus in the spring trying to get by Michael McDowell?

And, Stenhouse Jr. himself has lost his cool this season. But despite that, both the drivers raced clean to the finish line, and this was appreciated by this fan, “CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL FINISH, CHILLS.”

Drivers from a midpack or small teams winning a drafting race are often labeled as lucky. However, in Stenhouse Jr.’s case, he’s made his name conquering these massive ovals. In fact, today he was right up in the front from stage 1, battling it out against the likes of Chris Buescher and William Byron. And he executed the finish with precision, adding his second Talladega career win. Reacting to this domination, this fan wrote, “Fully deserved.”

By no means this win was a cakewalk for the driver of the #47 car. He had to endure a lot of beating and banging, especially during the final stage where drivers were forcing the issue and trading paints of each other’s race car. Credit to him for staying in the lead and avoiding the chaos that could’ve derailed his momentum and a great run. He did finish the spring race P4, so he certainly knows how to get the job done at Talladega. “He earned this one.”

This win is indeed a big boost for the JTG Daugherty as a team. There were reports that co-owner Tad Geschickter would be partying ways and Kroger, their primary sponsor, would also leave the team by the end of 2024. With the air of uncertainty surrounding this team, this win does come as a relief to those working on the team. “It’s great to see the 47 win…probably the smallest team in nascar and definitely needed a boost with whatever is happening with Kroger.”

JTG and Stenhouse Jr. have gone through a lot this year. Lack of speed, their tussle with Kyle Busch and RCR, and also missing out on the playoffs. All they needed was one favorable result that could overturn their misfortunes. And while the fans would’ve wanted an HMS or a JGR win, they were glad to see JTG Daugherty come out on top, deservingly. “JTG W is so heartwarming,” a fan wrote.

NASCAR Cup Series playoff actions resume at the road course of Charlotte Roval next weekend.