NASCAR Extraordinary Ricky Stenhouse and Kyle Busch
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. threw a right hook at Kyle Busch, and suddenly, an otherwise boring All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway had NASCAR fans buzzing heading into next weekend’s marquee Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
Speeding cars escalated into swinging punches at Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race in North Carolina, where drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch got into a fight that later involved their crews.
According to NASCAR, tempers flared after Busch bumped Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, causing the car to slam into a perimeter wall. The crash knocked Stenhouse out of the race after just two laps (out of 200) at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Stenhouse then parked in Busch’s pit box, climbed over the wall and went up to the crew to get a word in. As North Wilkesboro has no exit tunnel, he had to wait for the race to finish for his chance to confront Busch. During post-competition fireworks, the two drivers were filmed speaking in the garage when Stenhouse threw a right hook at Busch’s face.
Video posted by NASCAR of the confrontation showed Stenhouse visibly agitated while speaking with Busch. Busch said: “We all hit each other,” Stenhouse replied, “You hit the fence, and then you hit me.” Busch responded, “I don’t believe you.” “Go back and watch it,” Stenhouse said before swinging.
A second later, other people surrounding the two stars jumped in to intervene and tear them apart, landing both on the ground. Crew members also got involved in the scuffle, throwing punches at each other. In one video shared on X by NASCAR, Busch is seen swinging at a man who separated him from Stenhouse.
In a post-fight interview with FOX Sports, Stenhouse said: “You know, I feel like Kyle and I have always raced each other hard … Then, I wrecked him once at Daytona, and he’s been bad-mouthing me ever since then.” “I feel like we get along okay outside the race track. I talk to him quite a bit. I’m unsure why he was so mad that I shoved it three-wide. But he hit the fence, came off the wall, and ran into me.
I don’t know when I was talking to him; he kept saying that I wrecked him,” he explained. “Built up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about myself.” “But I know he’s frustrated because he doesn’t run nearly as well as he used to, and I understand that,” Stenhouse added. He noted that being stuck on the race track “definitely doesn’t help the frustration.”
“If there were a tunnel, I’d have probably been home watching the end of that. But here we are,” Stenhouse said. There were no serious injuries in the confrontation, and if there are any penalties, they’ll be assessed by Wednesday in line with normal procedures and timelines, according to NASCAR. Busch scored 10th in the race in his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Stenhouse last. In his No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Joey Logano ended up winning the race and its $1 million prize.
Busch had wrecked Stenhouse on the second lap of the $1 million race Sunday night in a move that looked like retaliation for how Stenhouse had raced him earlier. Stenhouse drove his damaged Chevrolet to Busch’s pit stall and parked it. With no way to get out of the track while the race was going on, he stewed in street clothes for hours until Busch arrived at his haulier.
That’s when Stenhouse, after a brief conversation, threw a right hook at the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet, setting off a brief melee that involved members of each driver’s crew — and Stenhouse’s father. The brawl was eventually broken up, but not before more words were exchanged from both sides and Stenhouse vowed, “I’m going to wreck you at Charlotte.” “Bring it,” Busch replied. “I suck as bad as you,” implying that both drivers are not having great seasons.
The antics could result in a suspension for Stenhouse, the 2023 Daytona 500 champion, other crew members and possibly his father. Busch could also face a penalty if NASCAR determined that he deliberately caused the wreck. Stenhouse’s fury was evident when he parked in Busch’s pit stall, climbed the pit stand ladder, and had words with his crew members. As Stenhouse climbed down and walked away, his car had to be towed from pit road.
“I parked it there because I figured Kyle would do something similar,” Stenhouse said. Later, during an interview with Fox Sports, Stenhouse indicated he would confront Busch after the race. And then he did. Stenhouse, dressed in yellow shorts and a grey T-shirt, waited for Busch in the infield and confronted him face-to-face before unleashing a punch.
Security jumped in and pulled Stenhouse away, falling backwards over a tyre, while Busch likewise wound up on the ground. Stenhouse’s father, Ricky Sr., got into the fray and appeared to take at least one of Busch’s punches. Stenhouse could be heard yelling “Dad!” numerous times, but he couldn’t get to his father.
“First lap of the race, we don’t even have water temp in the car yet, and we’re wrecking each other,” Busch said. “I am tired of everybody running over me. But that’s what everybody does: everybody runs over everybody to pass everybody.” Stenhouse clapped back at Busch: “Go back and watch the replay. I didn’t touch you. Not once.”
Stenhouse took another shot at Busch after the fight, saying he had bad-mouthed him ever since Stenhouse once wrecked him at Daytona, and then went on to say that Busch is just frustrated because “he doesn’t run as well as he used to.” Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, is 13th in points and has yet to win a race this season.
The All-Star Race lacked drama once Kyle Larson arrived by helicopter from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the 2021 Cup Series champion had qualified fifth for his Indy 500 debut earlier in the day. Pole sitter Joey Logano led all but one of the 200 laps to take home $1 million.
It was yet another example of NASCAR’s struggles to find the right short-track setup despite allowing the use of multiple variations of tyres at North Wilkesboro. “You couldn’t pass,” runner-up Denny Hamlin said. “I would lose some air there, try to give my car a break and then run at (Logano) again.
Hats off to the track, NASCAR and Goodyear for trying it. Hopefully, we learned something here for future short tracks.” Then he smirked and added, “But at least we had an exciting fight. That’s something to talk about.” NASCAR stars Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch got into a fight that involved their crews at Sunday night’s All-Star Race in North Carolina.
The scuffle started on the second lap when Busch sent Stenhouse into the wall after Stenhouse tried to pass him on the first lap. An upset Stenhouse pulled his wrecked car down the pit lane and parked in Busch’s pit stall. He got out and climbed a ladder to yell at Busch’s crew. Afterwards, Stenhouse confronted Busch in the pits and punched at Busch, igniting a scuffle involving members of both crews.
Moments later, people surrounding the two drivers try to separate them, landing both on the ground. As crew members got involved in the melee, another video shared on social media by NASCAR shows Busch swinging at a man who appeared to be trying to separate him from Stenhouse. Stenhouse said that he was tired of Busch “running his mouth talking about me” after he had wrecked him at Daytona in the past.
“I know he is frustrated because he doesn’t run as well as he used to,” Stenhouse said after the race. As for the actual race, Joey Logano dominated the short track at North Wilkesboro Speedway, leading all but one of 200 laps to win his second All-Star Race and earn $1 million.
The NASCAR All-Star Race at the legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina brought fireworks on and off the track on Sunday night. Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into a brawl in the garage area after the race. Stenhouse waited for Busch to get to the back after the No. 8 finished in 10th place in the race. The two were then seen exchanging words when Stenhouse threw a punch.
The two had to be separated as crews from both teams started to get after one another. The rivalry started on the first lap of the 200-lap event. Busch and Stenhouse were among those riding three wide on the short track. On the outside, Busch scraped the wall while Stenhouse was running in the middle. Busch retaliated, hitting Stenhouse from behind and sending him into the wall. “I’m tired of everybody running over me.
But that’s what everybody does. Everybody runs over everybody to pass everybody,” Busch told Fox Sports after the race. Stenhouse waited for Busch, and that was when the fight occurred. “I’m not sure why he was so mad,” Stenhouse told Fox Sports. “I shoved it three-wide, but he hit the fence, came off the wall, and ran into me. I don’t know, when I was talking to him, he kept saying that I wrecked him.
“Built up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about myself. I know he’s frustrated because he doesn’t run nearly as well as he used to.” Joey Logano won the race and the $1 million prize. He led all but one of the laps.