The next piece of the NASCAR Silly Season puzzle has just dropped in place…
Amid rumours that the small one car team would be closing down Hyak Motorsports has announced that driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr has signed a multi-year contract to continue driving the number 47 car.
In a statement Hyak Motorsports said Stenhouse’s contract extension provides, “long-term stability and competitiveness as Hyak Motorsports continues to grow both on and off the track alongside Stenhouse.”
Team owner Gordon Smith added via release, “Ricky has been a huge part of what we’re building at Hyak Motorsports, and we’re proud to continue this partnership for years to come. He brings experience, leadership, and a competitive mindset every weekend, and we believe there’s still a lot ahead for this team with Ricky in the number 47.”
Stenhouse has four Cup Series wins – all at the superspeedway tracks of Daytona and Talladega – since joining the Cup Series in 2013. So far this season he has one top five and two top 10’s.
Stenhouse spoke on the contract extension vis team release saying, “I’m thrilled to finally get this contract extension done. It’s something we’ve been working on for a while, and I’m really thankful to everyone at Hyak Motorsports, especially Gordon. His vision for this race team and the passion he brings to it every single day is special. A lot of people may not know Gordon that well yet, but he truly cares about motorsports, NASCAR, and this number 47 team, and that shows in everything he does. Along with Gordon, (co-owners) Brad (Daugherty), Mark (Hughes), Ernie (Cope), and everyone at Hyak Motorsports, I feel like we’re continuing to improve week after week.”
He added, “it’s never easy being a single-car team, but the experience we’re gaining and the notebook we’re building is helping us get better and better. More than anything, this team feels like one big family. On and off the race track, we’re building something that has me really excited about the future of Hyak Motorsports and what we can accomplish together moving forward.”