Stenhouse Jr. now more than ‘Danica’s boyfriend’
HDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will no longer be known as “Danica’s boyfriend.” He is his own man, and there is no need to dismiss him as a piece of eye candy hanging ’round with Danica Patrick.
While his girlfriend continues to struggle, and may even be out of NASCAR by the start of next season, Stenhouse is humming along, in a groove.
His victory in the Coke Zero 400 crashfest late Saturday night bears witness to his survival instincts.
After winning for the first time in
158 career Cup starts at Talladega in May, Stenhouse doubled-down on his restrictor-plate prowess at Daytona.
On a night when all the sentimental focus was on Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Other Junior in the mix celebrated in Victory Lane.
“He’s learned a lot,” said veteran Clint Bowyer, who finished second to Stenhouse, but never had enough gas to make a last-lap push. “He’s become a good plate racer. I remember when he came in, he was a little bit chaotic, but he’s not now. He’s got it figured out, and he’s won two of them.”
That puts him 16th overall in the points standings and squarely in the playoff hunt approaching the late fall. As he approaches 30 years old on Oct. 2, Stenhouse is at a defining age where he no longer is a young pup trying to be potty-trained in a Cup car.
It has been a bit of a struggle since crossing over from the Xfinity Series, where he was a two-time champion, in 2013. But there’s a significant uptick. Stenhouse now has four topfive finishes in each of the last two seasons.
“My dad has taught me for a long time that you just have to keep working hard,” he said. “Sometimes when things aren’t going right you just have to keep working hard. You can’t give up.”
It’s a good makeover in other ways, too. Google “Ricky Stenhouse age,” for instance, and one of the questions that pops up on your screen is: “Is he married to Danica Patrick?”
No he is not, but they have been NASCAR’S official power couple since 2013.
They’ve hung tight despite the competitive dynamics. One of the things that has helped is their ability to focus on each other’s success, and to “celebrate good days,” as Danica noted last year.
And they did exactly that. In Talladega, and Daytona, where Danica — in street clothes after finishing 25th after getting caught up in one of the wrecks — joined the constant clickclick-click of celebratory photos with Stenhouse. They each wore “Coke Zero 400” hats.
It’s a good look, especially for the guy finally casting an identity in the sport beyond the paparazzi feel of his personal life. is going to have to step up. … We’ve just got to keep throwing guys out there and somebody needs to step up. I think we’ve got the guys to do it and they’re just going to have to go out there and get it done.”
The 51s have Alberto Baldonado (6.85 ERA), Luis Mateo, Kevin Mcgowan (4.24 ERA), Kyle Regnault (0.51 ERA), Hansel Robles (7.64 ERA), Ben Rowen (5.79 ERA) and Beck Wheeler (7.46) in their bullpen.
Bradford, who’s from Henderson, made his major league debut on June 26 after playing parts of four seasons with the 51s.
The right-hander threw two scoreless innings in his first two appearances. On Sunday, Bradford gave up three runs in 1 1/3 innings in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Las Vegan Paul Sewald, who also debuted earlier this season for the Mets, is 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA in 27 games. The righty has struck out 41 in his 33 1/3 innings pitched in the majors.
Mateo called up; Taylor to DL
Mateo was called up on Sunday as the 51s placed Logan Taylor on the disabled list with a concussion.
He was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 18 games this season at Double-a Binghamton. Last season, he pitched briefly for the 51s, throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings over three outings.
Taylor has been one of the 51s’ most reliable relievers this season, posting a 3.96 ERA across 38 2/3 innings. He has also been called upon to make four spot starts.
Upcoming at Cashman
The 51s return home on Tuesday and will host their annual Fourth of July Fireworks Extravaganza.
They are home Tuesday through Thursday (which is Budweiser Dollar Beer Night), before hitting the road for one more series against Albuquerque to close out the first half of the Pacific Coast League season.
Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com.
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