Ricky Stenhouse one lucky SOB!!!

[amwoodIE]

Danica dating Ricky Stenhouse

ESPN.com news services | February 3, 2013

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick's personal life is no longer a secret -- she's dating a fellow driver.

Patrick revealed to The Associated Press that she and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are a couple, ending widespread speculation about the nature of their relationship.


Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. confirmed they are more than just competitors ... they are dating.
"I have a boyfriend, his name is Richard," she said during an exclusive telephone interview with AP.

"I think I am just finally excited to tell someone about this," Patrick laughed, sounding almost giddy as she said the two-time Nationwide champion's middle name is Lynn and he prefers she use his first name.

The couple waited until the end of Charlotte Motor Speedway's weeklong annual media tour to go public with their relationship, which started as a friendship as they raced each other the last two seasons in the Nationwide Series. Stenhouse became a mentor of sorts to the 30-year-old Patrick, who left IndyCar after the 2011 season to make the full-time switch to NASCAR.

"We are dating, and I know there's been a bit of a runaround this week at the media days and poor Ricky got grilled (with questions)," she said. "It was out of respect to NASCAR, to all the manufacturers, the new cars, the teams, the sponsors, just to allow the news of the day to be about racing and not let anything interfere with that. So, it's Friday now, so that's why we waited until the end of the week to be up front about each other."

Stenhouse confirmed the relationship.

"Yes, we are dating," he said. "I don't normally say too much about my private life, always been focused on the track. I didn't want to confirm at media day so that we could keep the focus on the season, the Gen-6 (car), my sponsors and team. That's what it's all about for me."

Newton: Meet ... DanicaHouse?
So, Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are dating. The Sprint Cup rookie battle between NASCAR's newest power couple promises to be one heckuva sideshow, writes David Newton. Story
• espnW's Q&A with Danica

Patrick's public relations representative denied ESPN.com's request for an interview on Friday. Stewart-Haas Racing would not comment.

Patrick remains one of the most recognizable drivers in auto racing, even if wins have been hard to come by. There was speculation that her appeal with advertisers had waned, but sponsor Go Daddy said Patrick will again appear in the website domain provider's commercials during the Super Bowl next month.

"Go Daddy respects our spokespeople's privacy and does not comment on their personal lives," GoDaddy.com spokesperson Stephanie Bracken told ESPN.com.

Patrick announced in November she and husband Paul Hospenthal were divorcing after seven years, and said in the Jan. 3 filing that her marriage to the 47-year-old Hospenthal was "irretrievably broken."

Speculation immediately shifted toward her relationship with the 25-year-old Stenhouse, who has never been married. While her policy has always been not to talk about her personal life, Patrick said she made an exception this time to end the gossip and so the two could be open about their relationship.

"I think that moving forward into the year, it's a matter of do you say anything at all, or do you just carry on?" she said. "As opposed to speculation and people making up their own stories or talking amongst themselves or us feeling uncomfortable walking into each other's (motorhomes) moving forward, or around our teams or anything, it's just easier to be up front and get it out of the way then to have any kind of awkward speculation."

Stenhouse was asked during the media tour's stop at Roush Fenway Racing if he was dating Patrick. He dodged the question, saying "we've got a great relationship," and then turned attention back to racing.

The subject will be hard for the two to avoid as they compete against each other this season for rookie of the year honors in NASCAR's top Sprint Cup Series. Both are moving up from the second-tier Nationwide Series at the same time.

Patrick said she won't race Stenhouse any differently.

"Obviously, we've been racing together for a couple years now, him and I have always gotten along, we've always had a lot of respect for each other on the track, there's never been an issue out there," she said. "I always say I'll race people how they race me until they do something to make me change my mind. I don't anticipate that changing at all, or us having any issues on the track."

Stenhouse echoed that attitude. "It won't affect how I race on the track. I want to go out and win, I race everyone hard," he said.

"This relationship in no way violates any rules or regulations of the sport, so we have zero concerns, particularly since we're talking about two fiercely competitive individuals who both want to win NASCAR races and be the best at what they do," said David Higdon of NASCAR marketing communications.

Patrick rocketed to worldwide prominence when she challenged for the Indy 500 win as a rookie, becoming the first woman to lead laps while finishing fourth in 2005. She finished a career-best third in 2009. She began dabbling in NASCAR in 2010 in the Nationwide Series, and moved full-time last year leaving IndyCar and the 500 behind.

Patrick has struggled in stock cars, notching just seven top-10s in 58 Nationwide races since 2010. Still, she was voted by fans the series' most popular driver last year.

In the Sprint Cup Series, where she'll drive this season for Stewart-Haas Racing, team co-owner Tony Stewart handpicked 10 of the hardest tracks for Patrick last season to force her to learn on the fly in preparation for this year. Her average finish in the 10 races was 28th and her best finish was 17th in her season finale at Phoenix.

Stenhouse has won eight races over the last two seasons to become the first driver since Martin Truex Jr. in 2004-05 to win consecutive Nationwide titles. He was promoted this year by Roush Fenway to the Cup Series to replace 2003 NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth.

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN.com senior writer David Newton was used in this report.

[brandon327]

This thread is worthless without a few pics.

[MemphisStockBroker]

Stenhouse lives next door to me...

[Matt S]

Yea I saw that last week.

[amwoodIE]

Post subject: Re: Ricky Stenhouse one lucky SOB!!!
Stenhouse lives next door to me...
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:14 pm
Thats cool!!!

[MemphisStockBroker]

Stenhouse Jr. and my son are the same age. They grew up together, so its kinda interesting seeing his success. no doubt from an early age he had the talent. he has won at every level.

he is an extremely conservative guy. no tobacco or alcohol. so to see him with Danica Patrick is an interesting twist. we were hearing rumors when she filed for divorce in December. they have been friends since he moved into the Nationwide series. guess it has moved to more than friendship...

[Buckwabit]

Stenhouse Jr. and my son are the same age. They grew up together, so its kinda interesting seeing his success. no doubt from an early age he had the talent. he has won at every level.

he is an extremely conservative guy. no tobacco or alcohol. so to see him with Danica Patrick is an interesting twist. we were hearing rumors when she filed for divorce in December. they have been friends since he moved into the Nationwide series. guess it has moved to more than friendship...

I think we can all see why....

[sunnylab]

not bashing anyone at all. but she is kinda too manly for my liking.
if she didn't drive a race car she would be average at best.

i'm kinda picky though.

[MemphisStockBroker]

manly... yeah, I can see your point...

[Buckwabit]

manly... yeah, I can see your point...

A D9 Dozer would bog up to the axle trying to pull me off of that....

[Double Reed]

not bashing anyone at all. but she is kinda too manly for my liking.
if she didn't drive a race car she would be average at best.

i'm kinda picky though.

I agree. She just don't do it for me.

[eSJay]

yall cray cray!

id-hit-it.gif (65.87 KiB) Viewed 1892 times

[sunnylab]

not bashing anyone at all. but she is kinda too manly for my liking.
if she didn't drive a race car she would be average at best.

i'm kinda picky though.

I agree. She just don't do it for me.

no upper lip. dunk her under water, slick her hair back, and you have a 10yr old boy.

[Rice]

She is like 5'2 I'm with you guys not trying to bash but if she wasn't a race car driver she has zero chances of ever being asked to take that picture in a bikini.

[greenheadgrimreaper]

I'd say in the real world she would be average. But in the celebrity world, I would marry her and then move to the Ouachita Mountains, after I bought them.