Ricky Stenhouse Sr. has a habit of climbing catch fences.
The father of NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has taken that shortcut to victory lane before after his son’s racing wins in lower series, but when his scaling attempt was thwarted on Sunday, things got interesting for him at Talladega Superspeedway.
And by “interesting” we mean he was temporarily detained while his son celebrated the No. 17 team’s victory in the GEICO 500.
“Somebody stole his golf cart last night, I think, for one thing, so he was worried about that,” Stenhouse Jr. told reporters, laughing. “I told him we’ll get him another one. Then, I don’t have the full story, (but) he got escorted to victory lane, though, by troopers.”
Roush Fenway Racing president Steve Newmark helped fill in the blanks, explaining that Stenhouse Sr. was “taken into custody and paid a quick visit to the jail cell” at the speedway after being spotted running around the outside of the track, heading for the tunnel that would lead him to the infield. Eventually, after it was confirmed the would-be fence-climbing fugitive was, in fact, the victorious racer’s dad, Stenhouse Sr. was allowed to join the celebration in victory lane.
Considering it was Stenhouse Jr.’s first career victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Stenhouse Sr.’s enthusiasm is understandable. Best of all, he now has a great story to share whenever he tells people about his son’s first win.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hagy/USA TODAY Sports Images
