Ricky Stenhouse Jr. addresses ‘unfortunate’ spotter change ahead of crucial playoff push: “I’ve never worked with Clayton”

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend but an unexpected change for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has left the driver caught off guard.

The Hyak Motorsports driver revealed on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that his team of over five years has parted ways with long‐time spotter Tab Boyd, and championship veteran Clayton Hughes will step in.

With the playoff picture tightening and just 10 races remaining in the regular season, Stenhouse called the timing "unfortunate".

"You know, obviously, that’s an unfortunate deal. The team let Tab Boyd go this week, and we got Clayton Hughes to come fill in. I’ve never worked with Clayton," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said via tobychristie.com.

"I think the concern for me is trying to get on the same page as quick as we can knowing that, like you said, the schedule coming up, going to Atlanta next week could be a very important race for our race team and trying to get us into the Playoffs and put us in the right position," he added.

The 37-year-old joined Hyak Motorsports (formerly JTG Daugherty Racing) in 2020 and Boyd had been by his side since early 2023. Stenhouse did not give details on the new decision. However, the move was made just days after a contentious social media post by Boyd during the Mexico City weekend that was widely criticized.

"I'm ready to go home, screw this place, people can talk it up all they want… can’t even walk out the front door of the hotel without getting hustled and money snatched… in less than five minutes. Good area my a**…"," Boyd apparently wrote on X (now deleted).

Clayton Hughes helped guide Martin Truex Jr. to his 2017 Cup Championship, and will now take over duties for Stenhouse Jr. at Pocono.

Meanwhile, Stenhouse Jr. is ranked 21st in the NASCAR Cup points standing and a string of finishes outside the top 20 have hurt his chances for a playoff berth.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. chances at Pocono

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is 61 points behind the playoff cutoff line ahead of Sunday's The Great American Getaway 400 (June 22). He has collected two top-10 finishes so far this season. Last weekend at Mexico, Stenhouse Jr. was placed 27th, which was his second worst finish after a DNF in Nashville.

The NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway is scheduled to begin at 2 pm ET on Sunday. The 400 miles race across 160 laps will carry a purse of $11,055,250.

Ryan Blaney is the defending winner of the race and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has only one top-10 finish at Pocono Raceway in his 21 starts at the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) tri-oval track in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. With a new spotter the odds of a good finish are certainly lower for Stenhouse Jr.