Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has spoken openly about the tire challenges drivers faced during the recent NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. In a short reel posted online, he shared how tire wear had an effect on the race and his own performance.The video was shared on Instagram by Garage Guy Chase. The clip came from a longer live interview on the Motorsport Report show, where Stenhouse Jr. explained the strategy behind tire use at Bristol and the difficulties during the race.“I think we qualified well, stayed up in the front, on that green flag run to start the race made it 60 laps on our tires, and not many people did, so we were only gonna pit once in that first stage, in that car, and then Austin came out, it was really just a bad timed caution for us.""When all was said and done, we finished that 1st stage in 9, kind of on par and where we needed to be, and then all of a sudden, we get spun and then we were down a set of tires, and then we had to stay out one time, and then we got spun again, anytime you spin and you’re trying to keep it off the wall, you’re killing your tires, and so we just ran out of tires; we were just one short from everybody else." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Bristol event was an example of how tire strategy can make or break a run. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. managed to finish tenth in Stage 1 but had little left for the later stages after setbacks.In his most recent race there, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on September 13, 2025, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 22nd after being spun by Bubba Wallace on Lap 354. He did lead five laps during that race, but could not recover after the incident.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rules out a team switch amid Cup Series rumorsIn the weeks leading up to the NASCAR playoffs, rumors swirled about Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s future. Reports suggested he might move to Spire Motorsports as a replacement for Justin Haley in 2026. These claims grew louder as Stenhouse Jr. struggled to meet expectations with HYAK Motorsports in the 2025 season.The driver chose to directly address the speculation. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said the rumors were not true and pointed to the contract extension he signed last year as proof of his commitment.“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,” Stenhouse Jr. explained.Despite the reassurance, the season has been difficult. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. failed to qualify for the 2025 Cup Series playoffs. He finished 30th at Darlington, the last race before the cutoff. Stenhouse Jr. is no longer in championship contention.