Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s future in the NASCAR Cup Series was the talk of the town ahead of the NASCAR playoffs. The driver has now cleared the air around the budding rumours of his exit from the HYAK Motorsports team after the current season. Stenhouse Jr. drives the No. 47 car and has struggled to deliver up to the expectations this year.The rumours suggested a possible move for Stenhouse Jr. to the Spire Motorsports team for the 2026 season as a replacement for Justin Haley. The driver chose to clear the air around the speculations and confirm that he isn't moving away from his current team after this season.Stenhouse Jr. reaffirmed his commitment to the team, referencing the contract extension he signed just last year."We redid my contract last year with HYAK motor sports, and you know, so I'm here through 26, and unless they tell me otherwise or unless we redo another one and stay there for longer. I got a great group of guys who work hard, and we all want the same thing. So I'll be at the 47, you know, the rest of this year and the off-season and going into 26," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said via SiriusXM NASCAR radio.Stenhouse Jr. failed to qualify for the playoffs this year. He finished 30th during the last Cup Series race at the Darlington Raceway and is currently ranked 29th in the NASCAR Cup Series, scoring 443 points so far. The driver will be back in action for the next race at Illinois and hopes to end the season on a high note.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. compares the routine of NASCAR drivers to other sporting athletesRicky Stenhouse Jr. recently opened up on the unique routine that the NASCAR drivers have to follow, which is different from other athletes. The weekly schedules that the drivers have to follow are quite unpredictable and hectic based on Sponsor commitments, Track events, Family time, and sudden unexpected plans.Stenhouse Jr. gave a slight glimpse into the life of the NASCAR drivers while talking on a podcast."We got sponsors that we got to do stuff for. We do things for the track. And so, like your schedule’s never the same. And so our sport is unique, where when a lot of athletes come in, they can’t believe that we go from doing all of this stuff to all of a sudden you do the prayer, the national anthem, turn around, shake hands with your team guys, jump in the car, and go," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said via Nashville Game Changers.Athletes in other sports might need a few hours to prepare themselves to get into the rhythm they need, but NASCAR drivers need to flip the switch instantly. Stenhouse emphasised that this is what makes the sport different and how the junior drivers rising up the ranks need some time to adapt to it.