Long before the burnout of racecars and the pyrotechnics of WWE, wrestling and NASCAR have shared more than just fanbases; they have shared showmanship, spectacle, and crossover moments on and off the asphalt. In the 1990s, WCW sponsored a full-speed paint scheme in the Busch Series, culminating in wins at Daytona and Talladega by Steve Grissom and Greg Sacks, respectively. The rebellious N.W.O. even enlisted famed driver Kyle Petty to pilot the #49 Chevrolet in select races, complete with the iconic black-and-white livery. And beyond sponsorships, NASCAR drivers occasionally stepped into WWE Rings: Kyle Busch and Joey Logano guest-hosted Monday Night Raw in 2009, with Busch later snagging the WWE 24/7 Championship in a cheeky crossover moment. But when one of wrestling’s greatest icons passed, that crossover resonance became more poignant than ever.
On July 24, 2025, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea) suffered a fatal heart attack at his Clearwater, Florida home, a loss that rippled through global pop culture. New disclosures revealed Hogan had been battling both chronic lymphocytic leukemia and atrial fibrillation, longstanding health issues that compounded his sudden passing. A private, heartfelt funeral followed on August 5th, in Clearwater, attended by wrestling luminaries and celebrities, a solemn nod to a man who literally put wrestling on the world map. With Hogan gone, his legacy needed a new stage. And thus enters a NASCAR driver willing to take the opportunity at the Glen.
This weekend at Watkins Glen’s “Go Bowling at the Glen” Cup Series race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Hyak Motorsports are bringing Hulkmania to life on four wheels. His #47 Chevrolet will don the patriotic red-white-blue Real American Beer scheme, a brand co-founded by Hogan himself, and sport a bold “HULKMANIA Forever” decal, complete with Hogan ripping his iconic shirt apart. It’s a living tribute, one that rides at 200 mph with the same roaring defiance Hogan brought to the squared circle. But how does this dramatic tribute fit into Stenhouse’s 2025 season performance?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Image Credits: Imago
The 2025 NASCAR season has been one of steady redemption for Stenhouse. No longer under the glare of controversy, he has quietly carved out consistency. Earlier in the year, analysts noted that Hyak Motorsports, formerly JTG Daugherty, was one of only two teams in the Cup Series with zero DNFs through eight races, and Stenhouse never finished outside the top-25 during that run. Though he hasn’t captured a victory yet, he has registered solid top-10 finishes in Atlanta, Texas, and even a strong qualifying effort at Bristol. Stats confirm that after 23 starts in 2025, he sits 26th in driver rankings with 398 points, three top-10s, one top-5, two DNFs, three laps led, and average start/finish of 28 and 21.5, respectively.
For fans of NASCAR and wrestling alike, the sight of Stenhouse’s Hulk tribute is more than paint and decals; it is memory and emotion rolled into one. Statistics don’t matter; it is the reaction in the stands, the cameras, the shared cheers as the #47 car blurs past, painting Hogan’s legacy in real-time. Whether new or lifelong, fans are already buzzing on social media forums.
Some call it perfect, others want more flair
A fan joked, “Hold on I’m crashing, brother!” perfectly channeling the larger-than-life energy of Hulkmania, evoking Hogan’s thunderous, defiant declarations such as “I fear no man, no beast or evil, brother,” which fans will instantly recognize as go-to-battle cries in the ring. That same fearless spirit echoes in Ricky Stenhouse Jr.‘s chaotic racing endeavors. His wreck during Atlanta’s Ambetter 400 triggered a multi-car pileup, drawing sharp criticism from spotter Trey Poole, and fueling a fan backlash that dubbed him “full menace.”
Another fan quipped sarcastically, “Somebody has a chance to do the funniest thing: run an Iron Sheik decal and dump the 47.” This paints the picture of a single driver, Carson Hocevar, who has been locked in a string of heated on-track run-ins with Stenhouse throughout the year. First, last Nashville, Hocevar’s aggressive bump sent Stenhouse spinning into the wall for his first DNF of the season. Then, just weeks later in Mexico City, Hocevar again turned Stenhouse in the narrow stadium section with five laps to go, prompting an explosive pit-lane confrontation where Stenhouse leaned into Hocevar’s window to deliver that same threat. In wrestling lore, the Iron Sheik being Hulk Hogan’s arch-nemesis mirrors this rivalry. Hogan’s defeat of Sheik in 1984 ignited the era of “Hulkmania.” So, the fan’s idea of adding Sheik to the Hocevar’s car, symbolically putting Hogan’s rival atop Stenhouse’s rival, blends clever nostalgia.
Some excited fans added, “WATCHA GONNA DO WHEN RICKYMANIA RUNS WILD ON YEW BROTHA!!!” They weren’t just channeling Hogan, they were calling out Stenhouse’s penchant for high-octane chaos. Remember the jaw-dropping 2011 Iowa finish when his engine exploded on the final lap, yet he and Carl Edwards still barreled side-by-side across the line in one of NASCAR’s wildest photo finishes? Or consider his gritty win at Talladega in October 2024, edging out Keselowski and Byron by just 0.006 seconds after an overtime three-wide sprint past the checkered flag. That’s Ricky-mania to many.
Another joined in on the fun, saying, “Gonna honor the Hulkster with a 28th place finish, brotherrrrr!” because while Hulkmania is all about triumph, Stenhouse has had his fair share of turbulence on the tarmac. Take the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race, for instance, where Stenhouse tangled with Kyle Busch three-wide on the very first lap, resulting in a dramatic wreck and a post-race fistfight that earned him a hefty $75,000 fine. And even this season, though he has seen flashes of consistency, including his best 2025 finish, 5th at Atlanta, plus mid-pack runs between 18th and 21st, he has often hovered far from the top, making this sarcastic jab sting with just enough truth to resonate.
But one fan perfectly encapsulated the mix of admiration and hope pulsing through the crowd, writing, “Awesome, im glad to see Stenhouse give tribute to Hulk, hope he gets a win.” As Stenhouse Jr. navigates a sub-par 2025 season, hovering in the mid-20s in standings with few standout finishes, this decal becomes more than a decoration; it is emotional currency.
Fans are not just celebrating the nod to pop-culture royalty; they are voicing a deep-rooted hope that this tribute might just spark the breakthrough win that has eluded him all season.
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