In the wake of a heated confrontation between Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch and members of their teams (and even a family member), NASCAR must now determine what sanctions, if any, to impose on those involved in the fight that occurred after Sunday’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
On the first lap of the non-points race, Stenhouse made an aggressive move and Busch ended up against the wall, causing Busch to intentionally crash into Stenhouse and eliminate him on Lap 2. After the race, Stenhouse was standing next to the transporter of Busch as the The driver of car number 8 approached. After a brief conversation, Stenhouse turned around and sparked a fight as crew members became involved.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had an altercation after the NASCAR All-Star race 😳
🎥 @Jordan_Bianchi pic.twitter.com/86EA503lCw
– The Atlético (@TheAthletic) May 20, 2024
According to NASCAR’s rule book, anyone involved is subject to disciplinary action if the incident becomes physical. According to this writing, Stenhouse, Busch and several members of their teams, JTG Daugherty Racing and Richard Childress Racing, face sanctions that could include suspension.
However, based on previous precedent, neither Stenhouse nor Busch are likely to be suspended. NASCAR is quite lenient when it comes to driver fights and often only imposes a monetary fine in such cases. And of the two drivers, Stenhouse is the most likely to be fined since he would be considered the instigator, since he waited for Busch in the RCR truck and threw the first punch.
Also facing discipline is the father of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ricky Stenhouse Sr. harassed Busch after his son hit Busch, and the elder Stenhouse and Busch got into a physical confrontation.
While NASCAR is typically lenient when it comes to drivers who clash, the same threshold doesn’t always apply to family members who get involved.
Last year, Truck Series driver Nick Sanchez’s father was suspended two races after getting involved in a fight between his son and Matt Crafton after a race at Talladega Superspeedway. Crafton was fined $25,000 for throwing a punch that broke Sanchez’s nose. Sánchez was not sanctioned.
Any sanctions imposed by NASCAR are likely to be announced midweek.
Busch considered Stenhouse’s move too aggressive.
“I’m tired of everyone running over me,” Busch said. “But that’s what everyone does. “Everyone runs over everyone to pass everyone.”
After Stenhouse was evaluated and released from the infield spotlight, he said during a television interview with Fox Sports that he would be waiting for Busch once the 200-lap race concluded, hinting at what would come after the race.
Stenhouse even referenced an earlier incident between Busch, then driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and team owner Richard Childress when Childress handed his wristwatch to his grandson Austin Dillon and told him “hold my watch” before hitting to Busch after an on-track incident between Busch and an RCR driver during a 2011 Truck Series race. (Busch joined RCR in 2023.)
“Maybe Richard would keep my guard up after the race,” Stenhouse said.
True to his word, Stenhouse was waiting for Busch after the All-Star race, leaning on the RCR truck. And when Busch reached the transporter, he approached Busch and the two exchanged words. After a brief exchange, Stenhouse threw a punch at Busch, sparking the melee.
“I’m not sure why he was so angry,” Stenhouse told FS1. “I pushed him three times, but he hit the fence, came off the wall and crashed into me. I don’t know, when I talked to him, he kept saying I destroyed him.
“I definitely built up frustration with the way he talks about me all the time. “I know he’s frustrated because he doesn’t run as well as he used to.”
Both drivers are battling this season after a successful 2023. Stenhouse was a surprise winner of the Daytona 500 and participated in the playoffs last year. Busch won three races a year ago and finished fifth in regular season points. Both are winless so far in 2024.
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(Photo of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s wrecked car at Sunday’s All-Star race: James Gilbert//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
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