- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch had an on-track incident in the first lap of the NASCAR All-Star Race, which ended the event for Stenhouse.
- Stenhouse parked his wrecked car in Busch’s pit stall, then waited for him to finish the race so he could confront him. Stenhouse then punched Busch in the head.
- Stenhouse was fined $75,000 by NASCAR, which is the largest-ever fine for fighting in the company. Busch was not fined for his part in the incident.
NASCAR’s All-Star Race was held last Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Joey Logano dominated the race, leading 199 of 200 laps. But that wasn’t the main story to come from the midseason event.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was wrecked by Kyle Busch on the first lap of the All-Star Race. The latter seemed to intentionally get into Stenhouse’s right quarter-panel, turning his No.47 Chevrolet into the wall. This ended his night, and he was not pleased about it.
Stenhouse left his car in Busch’s pit stall, then waited for the No.8 driver to finish the race. He had to wait over two hours, and was obviously agitated by the time he and Busch came face-to-face. What happened next got NASCAR’s name in the mainstream media for the first time this year.
Stenhouse Punches Busch, Dad Gets Involved
Stenhouse and Busch obviously didn’t agree on what happened, although it looks like Busch didn’t take kindly to Stenhouse trying to force his car through the middle of two cars on the first lap. There was obviously a strong disagreement between the two drivers.
After a heated back-and-forth, Stenhouse threw a right hook that landed on Busch’s temple. The two were quickly separated by security and crew members, Stenhouse’s father, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., got involved and his son can be heard saying, “get my dad”.
Stenhouse Jr. also said that he was going to wreck Busch on purpose at the next race, which is the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch replied:
Bring it! I suck as bad as you!
Both teams are having a tough 2024 season, and probably won’t be near the top of the Cup Series champion odds at NASCAR betting sites. Busch is 13th in the standings, while Stenhouse Jr. is 26th. Both drivers also have yet to win a race this year, so there is obviously some frustration that boiled over.
Stenhouse Receives Record $75,000 Fine For Fighting
NASCAR.com reported that Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 for punching Busch, who didn’t receive any punishment for his part. Stenhouse Sr. was also suspended indefinitely for getting involved, and two crew members of the No.47 team were suspended for eight (mechanic Clint Myrick) and four (tuner Keith Matthews) races.
The fight got traction with publications such as US Weekly and TMZ, which is good promotion for NASCAR. They obviously aren’t happy about having a fight at their All-Star Race, but it was the most exciting part of an event that Logano dominated from start to finish.
Stenhouse and Busch were both trending on Sunday night on Twitter. This is impressive, considering that it was up against an NBA Game 7 where Minnesota came back from a record 15-point halftime deficit to beat Denver on the road. NASCAR doesn’t get a lot of love from the mainstream media.
Busch’s car owner, Richard Childress, also threatened Stenhouse following the race, although the two have since talked and hashed things out. The drivers will see each other Sunday, and it’s a 600-mile race, so there will be plenty of time to run into each other. There will be a lot of eyes on Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night.
