What Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Must Do to Be More Than Danica Patrick's Boyfriend

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. may end up being cursed with the title of Danica’s Boyfriend for the rest of his NASCAR career.

While many of us would love to be in Stenhouse’s shoes, is there any way for the young NASCAR driver to break out from the shadow created by his relationship with Danica?

There is no doubt that the relationship between Patrick and Stenhouse is something NASCAR loves, but as the sport continues to focus more on what goes on between the two, it will be harder for Stenhouse to stand out on his own.

Deciding to announce their relationship to the public may not have been the best move for Stenhouse’s career, but if the young driver can make a name for himself, he just might be able to escape being known as Danica’s other half.

Win Races

It’s a simple concept: If Stenhouse wants to be more than Danica’s boo, he needs to win races.

Ricky needs to give NASCAR a different reason to talk about him. If not, the only time we should expect to hear about Stenhouse is when NASCAR is mentioning Patrick.

While it’s easy to say he needs to win, it’s not always that simple. Winning in NASCAR today is a challenge. If Stenhouse plans to break out as a rookie and as a driver, he needs to start by helping bring wins to Roush-Fenway Racing.

The teams who use Ford as a manufacturer have been struggling. So far in Roush-Fenway Racing, only Carl Edwards has managed to win a race.

If Stenhouse manages to win a race or several, he would start to become known more for his driving ability than for who he’s dating.

Don’t Back Down

Stenhouse seems to be the type who doesn’t mind taking a risk.

He needs to keep it up.

Ricky is going to make other drivers angry by pushing himself. He has already managed to upset his girlfriend.

"I was definitely upset and angry about the situation," Patrick said (h/t sbnation.com). "I was a little bit upset with him. Yeah, I was and we talked about it. It's absolutely fine now and we were fine by the end of the ride home. That's what happens out there. Tensions are high and so are emotions."

Patrick is referring to the Coca Cola 600 where Stenhouse decided to make it three-wide as Patrick battled Brad Keselowski to be the car eligible for the free pass.

Ricky needs to keep moving forward. Even after making his girlfriend mad, if the chance comes up for him to race three wide by her again, he needs to take it.

Tony Stewart, who considers Stenhouse family, wanted to “choke” the young driver after he felt like Stenhouse had blocked him during the Coca Cola 600.

He needs to continue racing his hardest, and not let Danica or anyone else sway him in his actions during future races.

Watch out For the Media

It might seem like it goes against the idea of winning races, but the media in NASCAR is hurting Stenhouse’s chances of breaking out from Danica’s shadow.

NASCAR knows that any publicity involving Danica Patrick is good publicity, which eventually leads them to Stenhouse.

Instead of focusing on his driving ability, the media seems more obsessed with his relationship.

And while it’s partly his own fault, since the couple came out about their relationship, the media simply can’t get enough of Stenica.

It’s almost impossible to avoid in NASCAR.

If Stenhouse wants to break out from being known as Danica’s boyfriend, though, he’s going to need to stop talking about their relationship and try to dodge the questions that bring it up.

Rookie Of The Year

Let’s face it: Stenhouse probably isn’t going to win a championship.

However, he could walk away with the Rookie of the Year award. He would need to beat Danica, but if Stenhouse can manage to win the award, fans and NASCAR would begin to focus more on the up-and-coming young driver for his ability as a driver.

In the end, the real way for Stenhouse to separate himself is to do it on the race track. By winning races and driving his way, the media will eventually begin to shift from discussions of his relationship to discussions of his victories.

If he can manage to succeed, Stenhouse could eventually be known as one of the top drivers in Roush-Fenway, instead of the other half of Stenica.

What do you think Stenhouse needs to do to be more than just Danica's boyfriend? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts.