It took until 2026, but NASCAR veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finally made his first career Craftsman Truck Series start in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, and he hasn't stopped there.
Stenhouse has now made five Truck Series starts this season, all for Niece Motorsports, split between three trucks. His most recent start produced a seventh place finish at Michigan International Speedway in the series' most recent event two weekends ago. He has recorded four top nine finishes in his five starts.
But this weekend at Qualcomm Circuit, more commonly known as the Coronado Street Course, NASCAR is only allowing full-time Cup Series drivers to run Sunday's Cup Series race, since nobody has ever run the 19-turn, 3.4-mile (5.472-kilometer) temporary street course on Naval Base Coronado before.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. replacement confirmed for San Diego
Tyler Reif, who has driven the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet five times so far this season after making his Truck Series debut behind the wheel of the team's No. 41 truck in the 2025 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, is set to replace Stenhouse this weekend.
Reif, who finished ninth in his series debut, has not finished higher than 14th so far this season. He placed 14th at Watkins Glen International back in May. He also notably placed 16th in the series' first-ever street course race in St. Petersburg, Florida back in February.
Stenhouse does not currently have any more starts lined up for the 2026 Truck Series season, although Niece Motorsports have not yet solidified their driver lineup for their shared entries.
Additionally, Stenhouse is still allowed to run as many as three more Truck Series race this season, since the cap on full-time Cup Series drivers with at least three years of experience was increased from five to eight races over the offseason.
Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, June 19 for live coverage of the Navy 250 from Qualcomm Circuit. Take advantage of FuboTV's free trial offer and don't miss any of the action from the first-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in San Diego, California!
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