Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will add two starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to his 2026 racing schedule. Niece Motorsports announced on Wednesday that it has acquired the services of the 2023 Daytona 500 champion for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on February 13 and EchoPark Speedway on February 21.
Stenhouse, who has never made a start in the NASCAR Truck Series in his career, will pilot the team’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST with backing from J.F. Electric, and the driver will pair with crew chief Phil Gould for the two-race stint. The chance to partner with Niece Motorsports to check off the bucket list item of running events in the NASCAR Truck Series really appealed to Stenhouse.
“I’ve always wanted to run a truck, but never had the opportunity to put something together,” said Stenhouse Jr. “When Cody (Efaw) 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.”
With a superspeedway expert like Stenhouse behind the wheel for Niece Motorsports at Daytona and Atlanta, the team feels that it can contend for the win in both events.
“We are all very excited to welcome Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to our team for his first time racing in the Truck Series,” said Cody Efaw, Niece Motorsports CEO. “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 superspeedways. I believe he will have a true shot at contending for the win at both Daytona and Atlanta.”
J.F. Electric, a family-owned electrical contractor operated by the Fowler family, joined Niece Motorsports in 2024, and late last season, the Fowler family increased its investment in the race team by becoming part of the organization’s new team ownership group alongside Josh Morris, CEO of DQS Solutions & Staffing.
“Josh Morris and I are thrilled to welcome Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to Niece Motorsports for his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at Daytona,” Fowler said. “There’s no bigger stage for a debut than Daytona, and we believe Ricky gives our team a real opportunity to contend for the win. We’d love nothing more than to be celebrating together in Victory Lane at the end of the race.”
Stenhouse joins a rotating driver lineup in the No. 45 Chevrolet, which, as previously announced, will include NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain and Landen Lewis.
