By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Philadelphia, Pa. — NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. returned to a game he previously played to help promote the upcoming Dover Motor Speedway NASCAR weekend in July. Stenhouse Jr. was a guest at the Philadelphia Phillies home game on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park.
Stenhouse Jr. said that when he was younger, baseball was one of the sports he played. He saw the Phillies take the series win with a 7-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.
“I grew up playing all sports, I played baseball prior, since I was 5 years old, till a freshman in high school,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I love baseball, I was a pitcher, played first, I was left-handed, I played catcher.”
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Racing coverage
⚡️ Level up your game-day experience! ⚡️️ Add some extra thrill to every play by betting with our trusted sports betting partners. Click the link below to get in on the action! 👇
The Capital Sports Report is your source for national sports news, but we need YOUR help to keep going strong! 💪 Just like traditional newspapers, we rely on your support to bring you the best coverage possible. Donations allow us to expand our reach, travel to cover more events, and bring you unique stories and perspectives you won’t find anywhere else. Invest in the future of sports journalism – donate today! You can make a monetary donation here.
Snag some fresh merch and show off your style! Quality threads and unique designs are waiting for you. Shop now and level up your look!
https://the-capital-sports-report.printify.me
After giving up the field sports, he has been competing in Motorsports ever since. He began in go-karts and Sprint Cars and worked his way up to being a regular on the NASCAR Cup Series tour for the last 13 years.
The NASCAR driver said that he didn’t know that the Dover race had been moved to July before meeting with the media. He said he focuses on two races at a time.
This will be the second NASCAR Cup Series race to take place in July in the history of the track.
The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 will take place on July 20th in Dover, Delaware.
On July 6th, 1969, Richard Petty won the first July race.
“Being in July, the track’s going to be hotter and slicker and theoretically should take more rubber, and so if that happens, then I think the top side of the racetrack comes into play more,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “You should be able to pass a little bit better, but it’ll also make the bottom of the racetrack very difficult because the rubber will build up, and then you start kind of sliding around on top of that rubber. So, it’ll be tricky for sure, first race there in July since its inception, I guess.”
The NASCAR Cup Series event will be one of three races during the weekend at the venue. The weekend will begin with the General Tire 150 with the ARCA Racing Series on July 18th from 5-7 pm.
The next day, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will take the track from 4:30-7 pm for the Bet Rivers 200. The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 will conclude the weekend on July 20th from 2-6 pm.
This NASCAR Cup Series race will be the 107th Cup Series race at the Monster Mile. It is one of 10 tracks that have hosted more than 100 NASCAR Cup Series events.
“So that’ll be cool, that’s a neat stat to think about, but yeah I think the heat will only help Dover because we go there a lot of times and it seems like it’s overcast on race day, it’s been a little rain and I feel like the track never really fully settles in with rubber and things like that, so that’ll be a challenge for sure,” Stenhouse Jr. said.
His best finish at Dover came in May 2022 when he finished second.
With the switch to a mid-summer event, Stenhouse Jr. said he understands that the race could have temperatures of 90-to-100 degrees that particular weekend.
“I love the heat,” he said. “I laugh when I see guys get out of the car and they’re struggling, mainly because I put a lot of effort into that side of our sport. It’s not necessary. I don’t think you don’t have to be in tip-top shape to run our cars. I think it helps, but I feel like I do a really good job of hydrating. I’ll work out with no A.C. throughout the summer in my gym. I mean, it’s hot as can be, and I’m sweating, and I use my sauna and cold plunge, and I put a lot of effort into that. So, the hotter the race is, the hotter the inside of the car, the more I’m smiling before the race.
“So, I like that. I think, especially close to farm country, you’ve got a lot of farms. I feel like that puts off a lot of humidity and makes it seem even hotter. So, I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
Dover’s Cup Series race is part of the TNT in-season tournament. It is the fourth in the five-race tournament.
“It’s confusing,” Stenhouse Jr. said of the in-season tournament. “I think it’s more confusing once trying to get seated. I thought it went off a point (system), but now, it’s based on the next two finishes including Michigan to kind of get your seating, so yeah we’ll kind of see how that goes, see where we shake out, and then the first actual in-season tournament race is Atlanta, so that’s wild, then I think we’ve got a couple of road courses, Dover, so yeah it’s going to be wild to kind of see how that in season tournament goes.”
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Sports coverage
It’ll also be the first July race since the Mason-Dixon 300 on July 6th, 1969. The race was held at Dover Downs International Speedway at the time.
Petty led half of the 300 laps. This turned out to be his first win in Dover, Delaware, as he had seven wins overall in the First State.
Philly food review: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. edition! 🍽️
Posted by Dover Motor Speedway on Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Your newest call-up, Phillies! ⚾️
Posted by Dover Motor Speedway on Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Editorial Note: There are affiliated links on this page. We may receive compensation if you purchase a product through a link on our site. If you enjoy our work and would like to donate to support our coverage, you can do so through this PayPal link https://paypal.me/tcsrmedianj
Follow Us on Social Media:Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Tumblr, YouTube, and TruthSocial
Check out our videos: Videos Keep Independent Journalism Alive! Ad-free experience and Exclusive Premium-plus content. Join our Paid Substack for additional content for $10 per month. This is ad-free content. We believe that what you read matters and great writing is valuable. Through Substack, writers can flourish by being paid directly by their readers.© 2007-2025 The Capital Sports Report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.
