On Sunday, Ricky Stenhouse Jr stunned NASCAR fans by winning the inaugural race of the season and ending his five-year losing streak. The #47 Chevy driver secured his third Cup Series victory at the Daytona 500, believed to be a revival milestone in his 14-season-long career.
Denny Hamlin recently discussed the comings and goings of the Daytona 500 on his podcast “Actions Detrimental” alongside co-host Jared Allen. While commending Chevy’s strategy for the race, Hamlin also praised Stenhouse Jr’s efforts during Sunday’s race.
“Okay! Where was Ricky in this whole thing? He was 20th, by the way, when the green flag stop started. He was 20th. So he was in not a good spot in my opinion. But, he executed really well. I watched, he moved himself up the Chevy line by getting on and off pit road well, and the Chevy strategy of staying out a bit longer and with a bulk of cars was hugely beneficial as well.”
“That was a key, key moment. So not only is it beneficial to have your tank as full as you can towards the end of the race. So, by staying out longer those Chevys that stayed out the longest, they also had to take less fuel because there’s less laps in the race that you need fuel for.”