Ricky Stenhouse Jr. defended NASCAR’s decision to postpone the race to Wednesday, February 4. The Hyak Motorsports driver told reporters at Bowman Gray Stadium that the race “wouldn’t be as fun” without the fans.

NASCAR has postponed its race for the third time due to a severe snowstorm in Winston-Salem. Eight inches of snow fell in the city, making travel difficult. Additionally, with most of the industry located in Charlotte, workers were stranded with 10-15 inches of snow there.

Stenhouse helps shovel snow from the stands and met with reporters there. NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass noted that the track looks ready for racing, but the facility needs more work.

When Pokras asked Stenhouse if a game without fans would be feasible, he responded:

“This place has always been about hard racing and great racing fans. I have other plans this week and you know I’ll do it on Wednesday night. But you know, I think racing with the fans is more important. You know, racing without fans won’t be as fun for us drivers either.”

Defending Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson shares his thoughts on the situationnoted that drivers have no problem racing in cold weather. He explained that the heat in the cockpit insulated them from the outside world, but expressed sympathy for the fans, crews and track officials who braved the cold.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will finally make his Truck Series debut

After nearly 600 NASCAR races started, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to make Truck Series debut Racing with Niece Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway. He will drive the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST. Other notable drivers from the event include Tony Stewart, who will return after 10 years to drive Kaulig Racing’s All-Star Truck.

“I’ve always wanted to drive a truck but never had the opportunity to build something. When Cody (Efaw, Niece Motorsports CEO) called me, I really wanted to see everything they had built at Niece Motorsports, especially the level of competition they had,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said in a statement.

“I’ve always wanted to race trucks, but I wanted it to be competitive, and this ticks all those boxes,” he added.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a two-time Xfinity Series champion and Daytona 500 champion. Stenhouse also earned Cup Rookie of the Year honors.

The Memphis, Tennessee, native will begin his sophomore season this year with Hyak Motorsports. He’s having a pretty middling season in 2025ranked 30th. His struggles with Carson Hocevar further compounded his efforts, and he managed just one top-five finish in 36 starts.