NASCAR Silly Season has been relatively quiet this year, but one of the latest rumors was that Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could replace Justin Haley in the No. 7 Chevrolet at Spire Motorsports in 2026. Haley has struggled this season and could be on the hot seat.
Stenhouse, however, won’t be replacing Haley if he loses his ride at Spire. Stenhouse confirmed to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Tuesday he will return to HYAK Motorsports in 2026 “unless they tell me otherwise.”
“For me, you know, we re-did my contract last year with HYAK Motorsports. So, I’m here through [20]26, unless they tell me otherwise, or unless we redo another one and stay there for longer,” Stenhouse said.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is staying put
Stenhouse, 37, has been the driver of the No. 47 car since 2020, when HYAK was previously known as JTG Daugherty Racing. He started the 2025 season off strong, sitting top 15 in the points standings at one point in May. The second half of the season hasn’t been as kind to Stenhouse.
He has just one top 10 finish since the All-Star Race, finishing 23rd or worse in each of the last nine races. Stenhouse has now slipped all the way down to 29th in the points.
Yes, it’s been a struggle over the last few months. There is still some season to go, however, and the focus for the No. 47 team is finding some consistency that they can carry over into next season.
“For me, [Crew Chief] Mike [Kelley] and the boys, like I said, we’re working hard on trying to figure out how we can get some consistency and a little bit more speed heading into the offseason so we can hit the ground running for next year,” Stenhouse said.
“I’ve got a great group of guys who work hard, and we all want the same thing. I’ll be at the 47 the rest of this year, and the offseason, and going into ’26.”
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