Ricky Stenhouse Jr. makes his feelings known as RFK Racing’s long-standing ally retires from the sport

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reacted to RFK Racing bidding farewell to one of its oldest employees, Edgar. A master engine tuner and an exceptional assembly mechanic, Edgar is known to have worked with Stenhouse back when the latter drove for the North Carolina-based outfit.

RFK Racing posted about the same on X. Edgar met Jack Roush for the first time in 1978. His job at RFK (previously known as Roush Fenway Racing) involved tuning engines for several iconic cars, including Mark Martin's No. 60 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series machine.

Stenhouse Jr., who previously drove the No. 17 Ford for RFK Racing, shared his thoughts on Edgar’s retirement. He wrote:

“Loved working with Edgar, we had some fantastic times. Congrats on a great career and enjoy retirement. He knew how to tune some engines!!

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. currently drives the No. 47 car full-time for Hyak Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. It was with Hyak, formerly known as JTG Daugherty Racing, that Stenhouse captured the biggest victory of his Cup career: winning the 65th running of the crown jewel Daytona 600 in 2023.

A few months back, there were talks of Stenhouse Jr. switching to Spire Motorsports for the 2026 season. However, following his P30 finish in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the two-time Xfinity Series champion stated clearly that he had no plans to leave Hyak Motorsports.

“We redid my contract last year with Hyak Motorsports,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said in a recent statement. “So, I’m here through 2026 unless they tell me otherwise or unless we redo another one and stay there for longer.”

Next up for Stenhouse is the 68th running of the Daytona 500, which will also mark the first points-paying race of the 2026 season. Scheduled for February 15, fans can watch the race live on FOX with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. recalls his first Cup experience and explains its “cool significance”

In a previous interview with Donut Podcasts, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. recalled his connection with Charlotte Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 21 Ford Mustang for Wood Brothers Racing, the veteran driver made his Cup Series debut at the 1.5-mile quad-oval in Concord back in 2011.

Charlotte holds a special place in Stenhouse's heart, as he grew up watching races at the iconic track. Recalling watching his first-ever Cup race at Charlotte, the speedster said,

“The first ever Cup Series race I went to was in 1992. I was born in 1987. It was the Coke 600 in Charlotte. That’s the longest race of the year for NASCAR, and it was where I made my Cup Series debut in 2011.”“So, a really cool significance to that race. I got pictures of me falling asleep in the grandstands,” he added.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway in 2017. He wrapped up his 2025 season ranked 30th in standings with one top five and three top-10s.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua