Aw, young love. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick may be competitors on the track, but off the raceway, they are comfortably in a relationship with one another and officially NASCAR's most famous couple. Coming off a disappointing run at Talladega and prepping for race weekend in Darlington, the two drivers insist they are just having fun with each other.
"I feel good about where we are. She's racing. I'm racing. It hasn't been uncomfortable at any moment. We're just regular people having a relationship," Stenhouse said.
The two kept their relationship under wraps until January when Patrick announced that the two were dating. After her divorced was finalized, the couple has been seen out and about more often than not. They recently attended a Chicago Blackhawks game where Patrick competed in a shot competition and recently they made a funny video campaigning for votes for the upcoming All-Star race. The two made their first public appearance together at a Professional Bull Riders event.
Stenhouse said the fact that he is beating Patrick in the Sprint Cup standings does not factor into their relationship. The two-time Nationwide champ has outperformed Patrick through 10 races. He is ranked 16 in the point standings, while Patrick is 27th. They both remain in the hunt for the Chase for the Spring Cup.
"It's still funny. People are telling her good luck this weekend, and I'm thinking, 'Thanks, Thanks.' They're not going to tell me good luck. She includes me sometimes. People as for a picture and she's like, 'Hey come on. Get in this picture.' All in all, it's really fun," Stenhouse said.
Stenhouse's focus right now is on the season at hand. He remains 29 points out of the top 10, but mistakes have hurt his chances at gaining a lead on the competition. He came close to winning last month at Kansas Speedway, but he pushed his car past its limits and losing his spot due to a caution.
"For underachieving, I feel like if we get on track, the rest of our season can be strong. But I can't say we're ready to win yet. We're not consistently running in the top 10," Stenhouse said.