"We're trying to get this place back ready" - NASCAR's Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joins forces with veterans for Hurricane Helene disaster recovery
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the JTG Daugherty team joined forces with Team Rubicon to assist in restoring the Veterans Restoration Quarters in Asheville, North Carolina, which had been flooded due to Hurricane Helene.
Ahead of the Homestead-Miami race weekend, Stenhouse Jr. and the #47 JTG team visited Asheville, North Carolina, on Thursday, October 24. They collaborated with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that assists communities before, during and after disasters, to support recovery efforts.
Stenhouse Jr. and his crew helped restore the veteran's community, which houses 190 veterans who were forced to evacuate due to the floods. The NASCAR driver and his team contributed to the project by cleaning nine rooms during their visit, aiding efforts to ensure the facility reopens by Veterans Day on November 11.
"We are here in Asheville, North Carolina, we've got a veterans community. We're with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led organization that comes in and helps in disaster and relief efforts. We're cleaning the upstairs floor, water was all the way, killed the bottom floor. So now we're cleaning up the top floors. We're trying to get this place back ready to go back together by Veterans Day," the #47 Chevy driver said about his visit.
"Got to visit Asheville yesterday with the @JTGRacing guys, man it’s so sad to see the devastation in that area. Thankfully, there are groups like @TeamRubicon working to restore these communities 🙌," he wrote on X describing his visit.
NASCAR teams and drivers have actively contributed to the community through relief and rescue efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which devastated Western North Carolina. Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle has been particularly proactive, utilizing his helicopter to aid in the rescue operations.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr's crew chief assists JTG Daugherty team in restoration efforts
Mike Kelley, the crew chief for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s #47 JTG Daugherty team, was also present in Asheville, assisting with the restoration efforts. Kelley described the outing as a "humbling" experience and was overwhelmed to see so many people dedicating their time to the recovery initiatives.
"Coming up here with the guys, uh, its pretty humbling. Pretty overwhelming. A lot of pride though in this group of people here, besides our group, that takes time out of their days to try and make somebody else who had a really bad day a better day," he said in Stenhouse's video. [0:44 onwards]
The #47 crew chief also vowed to visit the site annually to observe the progress the city makes in recovering from such natural disasters.
"I made myself a promise, that I'm gonna come back here each year on this day if I can and see how the city's recovering because it will be interesting to see how fast it happens," he added.
Stenhouse Jr. and the #47 JTG Daugherty team return to action this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Straight Talk Wireless 400, scheduled for this Sunday, October 27, at 2:30 pm ET.