DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. _ Henceforth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will no longer be known as "Danica's boyfriend."
He is his own man, and there is no need to dismiss him as a piece of eye candy hanging 'round with Danica Patrick.
While his girlfriend continues to struggle, and may even be out of the sport by the start of next season, Stenhouse is humming along, in a groove.
His victory in the Coke Zero 400 Crashfest late Saturday night bears witness to his survival instincts. After winning for the first time in 158 career Cup starts at Talladega in May, Stenhouse doubled-down on his restrictor-plate prowess at Daytona.
On a night when all the sentimental focus was on Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Other Junior in the mix celebrated in Victory Lane.
"He's learned a lot," said veteran Clint Bowyer, who finished second to Stenhouse, but never had enough gas to make a last-lap push. "He's become a good plate racer. I remember when he came in, he was a little bit chaotic, but he's not now. He's got it figured out, and he's won two of them."
That puts him 16th overall in the points standings and squarely in the playoff hunt approaching the late fall. As he approaches 30 (Oct. 2), Stenhouse is at a defining age where he no longer a young pup trying to be potty-trained in a Cup car.
It has been a bit of a struggle since crossing over from the Xfinity Series, where was a two-time champion, in 2013. But there's a significant uptick. Stenhouse now has four Top 5 finishes in each of the last two seasons.
"My dad has taught me for a long time that you just have to keep working hard," he said. "Sometimes when things aren't going right you just have to keep working hard. You can't give up."
It's a good makeover in other ways, too. Google "Ricky Stenhouse age," for instance, and one of the questions that pops up on your screen is: "Is he married to Danica Patrick?"
No he is not, but they have been NASCAR's official power couple since 2013. They've hung tight despite the competitive dynamics. One of the things that has helped is their ability to focus on each other's success, and to "celebrate good days," as Danica noted last year.
And they did exactly that. In Talladega, and Daytona, where Danica _ in street clothes after finishing 25th after getting caught up in one of the wrecks _ joined the constant click-click-click of celebratory photos with Stenhouse. They each wore "Coke Zero 400" hats.
It's a good look, especially for the guy finally casting an identity in the sport beyond the paparazzi feel of his personal life.
