Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reflects on rookie regret during Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s iconic Daytona win alongside Joey Logano

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed out of the famed No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet under the Florida lights on July 2, 2010, the NASCAR world held its collective breath. He overcame the future of the Cup Series in a green-white-checkered finish, bringing the No. 3 back to Daytona's Victory Lane for the first time since his father's passing in 2001 at the same track.

The 2010 Subway Jalapeno 250 was the 17th race of the Nationwide Series season (now Xfinity). But more importantly, it was the superspeedway debut of NASCAR's new Car of Tomorrow. The car was a wider, taller, and safer model born after the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr.

The decision to have Dale Jr. drive it for Richard Childress Racing, with Wrangler branding and his father's number, added weight to the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the 2010 Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona. Source: Imagn

But behind that moment, there was also a rookie, watching it all unfold from his rearview. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., then a newcomer with Roush Fenway Racing, was running third behind Dale Jr. and Joey Logano on the final restart with four laps to go. Earnhardt didn't pit, gambling on worn tires to protect clean air, and the risk paid off.

But for Stenhouse, it was the night he let a chance slip. In a recent post on X, he reshared a clip of the final laps and reflected:

"Sorry @joeylogano, my rookie year. Now knowing what I know, we should have pulled the trigger to the outside and been 3 wide at the line. Couple of things: 1. Crowd was unreal 2. This Daytona track was it!!"

The eventual Cup Series regular had speed but not the experience of the two ahead of him - Logano in the No. 20 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his blue-and-yellow No. 3. 15 years later, Stenhouse finally rewound the moment.

In the clip, Earnhardt held the inside line with Logano drafting tight behind. Stenhouse, in third, had given Logano a small bump, just enough to keep the push alive, but not enough to slingshot. With Brad Keselowski fast closing in fourth, the outside lane was open. But the move never came.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3) leads Joey Logano (20) during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250. Source: Getty

Logano, still just 20 at the time, admitted he was trying to set up a last-lap side-draft into Turn 2 but never got the chance. The missed decision cost them both. Earnhardt kept his line perfect, dragging Logano all the way to the checkered flag. Stenhouse fell off the rear bumper, out of the draft, and finished third.

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"This is real emotional": Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed a story only he could tell

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (right) and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. after winning the 2010 Subway Jalapeno 250. Source: Imagn

Away from Logano and Stenhouse Jr., the night belonged to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He never looked back after taking the lead on Lap 69. As he crossed the finish line under the lights, the grandstands erupted as fans held up three fingers in tribute.

A tearful crew chief of the 3 team, Tony Eury Jr., said after the race (via Age Cool):

"We lost everything here (in 2001) and to come back with that number and do this. That means everything." (2:49 onwards)

It was the last time Dale Earnhardt Jr. would ever drive the No. 3.

"I feel really lucky. I was so worried that I wasn't going to win, because nothing but a win was good enough... so I worked hard to try to win it and not only for Daddy. I'm proud of him going to Hall of Fame and he'd be proud of this, I'm sure and just all these fans. He has so many great fans, not just mine, this is for his fans. Hope that they enjoyed this. This is it, no more three for me," he said in the post-race interview. (6:46 onwards)

The win felt like closure for a generation of NASCAR fans who had cheered for Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Brad Keselowski would go on to win the 2010 Nationwide championship, as Stenhouse would eventually win the Xfinity title in 2011 and 2012. But July 2, 2010, belonged to the past, to a number, to a family name, and to a son who carried the weight of history with grace.