Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Trick Fans With Epic Instagram Prank

Even most casual NASCAR fans are aware Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are dating, so the two naturally used that to their advantage on April Fool’s Day.

Patrick had the idea to post a picture on Instagram with a one-word caption, which she knew would make all 375,000 of her followers go crazy, according to USA TODAY. The reason: a ring on her left hand.

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As expected, the prank sparked an immediate reaction from fans — although some people close to Stenhouse apparently also fell into the couple’s trap.

“So then I was on the phone talking to somebody for about 30 minutes, 40 minutes and then my phone kept going off and I wasn’t real sure why it kept going off and I forgot that she had sent that out,” Stenhouse told reporters Saturday, via USA TODAY. “Then I realized real quick what it was all about. It was funny.”

Patrick, after spending a day admiring her work as puppet master, posted another picture April 2 explaining the prank. While the follow-up post’s caption was more than one word, it didn’t actually need to be, as “gotcha!” would have sufficed.

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If Stenhouse does decide to propose to Patrick soon, the two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers should really mess with their fans by waiting to announce it until April Fool’s Day.