Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has accomplished many things in NASCAR, including winning two O'Reilly Auto Parts Series titles. Yet, he will take on new territory in February.
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The Mississippi native will make his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway. He will drive the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports while working with crew chief Phil Gould. Stenhouse will then return to the entry the following week at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta).
"I've always wanted to run a truck, but never had the opportunity to put something together," Stenhouse said in a press release. "When Cody (Efaw, Niece Motorsports CEO) 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."
NEWS: A champion is checking in!@StenhouseJr joins Niece Motorsports to make his @NASCAR_Trucks debut, piloting the No. 45 Chevy Silverado at @DAYTONA and @EchoParkSpdwy. #PressTheAttack | #TeamChevy pic.twitter.com/rSAOgq7HN5
— Niece Motorsports (@NieceMotorsport) January 14, 2026
The veteran driver will only make two starts for Niece Motorsports. He will then hand off the No. 45 Chevrolet to Landen Lewis and Ross Chastain, the two drivers who will split the entry the rest of the season.
The Hyak Motorsports driver doesn't have Truck Series experience, but he has previous success at drafting tracks. He has four wins split between Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway. This includes the 2023 Daytona 500.
Stenhouse joins a Truck Series field at Daytona that will see the return of a three-time Cup Series champion. Tony Stewart will make his first start in the third-tier series since the 2005 season as he drives a Ram 1500 for Kaulig Racing.
The Truck Series lineup will also include Michael McDowell, a former Daytona 500 champion who will drive a Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports in the season-opening race at Daytona.
"We are all very excited to welcome Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to our team for his first time racing in the Truck Series," Efaw said. "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."
