NASCAR Cup Series driver and 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is set for a surprise debut in the Truck Series next month.
Although The Clash exhibition takes place at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 1, the official 2026 NASCAR points-paying schedule gets underway at Daytona International Speedway a fortnight later.
That weekend, all three of the Cup, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and Truck Series will be in action, and now we know that Stenhouse Jr. will be performing double duties.
On top of his usual full-time role in the No. 47 Chevrolet for Hyak Motorsports in the Cup Series that weekend, the Olive Branch, Mississippi native will also be driving the No. 45 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series.
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. set for Truck Series debut
Despite having 582 races under his belt in the Cup and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, Stenhouse Jr's outing at Daytona will be his Truck Series debut.
He won't have to wait too long for his second appearance in a NASCAR truck, either, with the 38-year-old also set to pilot the No. 45 Chevrolet truck at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) on February 21 - a week after Daytona.
"I've always wanted to run a truck, but never had the opportunity to put something together," Stenhouse Jr. explained in an official statement.
"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."
Niece Motorsports 'excited' for shot at win
Elsewhere, Niece Motorsports CEO Cody Efaw added: "We are all very excited to welcome Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to our team for his first time racing in the Truck Series.
"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 super speedways.
"I believe he will have a true shot at contending for the win at both Daytona and Atlanta."
