NASCAR fined Cup Collection driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $75,000 and suspended his father and two JTG Daugherty Racing crew members for his or her roles in a combat that occurred following Sunday evening’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Upset about an on-track incident that knocked him out of the race, Stenhouse confronted Kyle Busch after the race, then threw a punch at Busch’s head after they exchanged phrases. Busch was not fined or penalized.
Stenhouse’s dad, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., was suspended indefinitely for becoming a member of the bodily altercation, following previous precedent the place NASCAR objects to relations injecting themselves in confrontations.
Two crew members for JTG Daugherty Racing, Stenhouse’s crew, have been additionally suspended for his or her involvement. NASCAR suspended crew mechanic Clint Myrick for eight races and tuner Keith Matthews acquired a four-week ban.
Wednesday’s penalties are the fallout from an incident between Stenhouse and Busch throughout the opening laps of the All-Star Race, which turned the catalyst to the post-race combat within the storage.
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Stenhouse punches Busch after NASCAR All-Star Race
The chain of occasions started with Busch upset over what he thought of an excessively aggressive transfer by Stenhouse on Lap 1, prompting Busch to retaliate on the following circuit by turning Stenhouse’s automotive and sending him crashing into the wall. Along with his automotive too badly broken to proceed, Stenhouse parked his Chevrolet in Busch’s pit stall earlier than exiting and climbing a ladder to yell at Busch’s crew.
Stenhouse then vowed revenge throughout a nationwide tv interview on FS1, basically stating he’d be ready for Busch after the 200-lap race. Almost 90 minutes later, and moments after the checkered flag waved, Stenhouse waited for Busch within the storage, casually leaning towards the RCR No. 8 crew hauler when Busch approached.
After exchanging phrases concerning the monitor incident, Stenhouse punched Busch, triggering a melee between members of their groups that included Ricky Stenhouse Sr. shoving Busch. Stenhouse Jr. may very well be heard saying “Dad” a number of instances as his father and Busch jostled, with Busch showing to throw a punch on the older Stenhouse.
The combat was over inside seconds, however a video of the incident went viral.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. combat after the All-Star Race. pic.twitter.com/IJMttBw90W
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) Could 20, 2024
“I’m unsure why he was so mad,” Stenhouse Jr. instructed FS1 after the combat. “I shoved it three-wide, however he hit the fence and form of got here off the wall and bumped into me. I don’t know, once I was speaking to him, he stored saying that I wrecked him.
“Positively constructed up frustration with how he runs his mouth on a regular basis about myself. However I do know he’s annoyed as a result of he doesn’t run close to nearly as good as he used to.”
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice chairman of competitors, instructed SiriusXM that officers opted to not penalize Busch for the crash that preceded the combat as a result of they didn’t view it as solely intentional.
“We actually, as a sanctioning physique, keep out of the on-track incidents until we see one thing that blatantly comes again to us,” Sawyer stated. “We’ll let these guys determine and conform to disagree.”
Sawyer reiterated crew members and relations usually are not permitted to “put their palms on our athletes” however declined to enter the precise reasoning as a result of penalties being topic to enchantment. He stated NASCAR fined Stenhouse Jr. as a result of he nonetheless determined to get bodily with Busch regardless of the lengthy wait after the on-track incident.
NASCAR dealt with the Stenhouse-Busch scuffle equally to the way it dealt with a combat final fall after a Truck Collection race at Talladega Superspeedway that included a mother or father collaborating.
In that scenario, Matt Crafton, who crashed out of the race, waited for Nick Sanchez after the race to confront him. Crafton threw a punch that broke Sanchez’s nostril. Crafton was fined $25,000, Sanchez was not penalized, and Sanchez’s father was suspended two races for involving himself within the altercation.
Sometimes, NASCAR tolerates bodily confrontations between drivers supplied they happen instantly afterward with no time for both to chill down. NASCAR is just not as lenient when mother and father contain themselves, normally reacting by issuing a suspension.
Why NASCAR issued these penalties
Let’s begin with the crew members and Stenhouse Sr.
Traditionally, NASCAR has considered crew members equally to how the NHL views the “third man in” for its combat guidelines. NASCAR is considerably OK with drivers settling issues themselves (thus solely a high quality and no suspension for Stenhouse, and no penalties in any respect for Busch). However NASCAR completely doesn’t need drivers being assaulted by a 3rd celebration and has discouraged such conduct via harsh penalties to ship a message.
Stenhouse Sr. is just not a crew member, so it’s considerably simpler for NASCAR to difficulty an indefinite suspension for his position. However he additionally aggressively went after Busch, which is extremely frowned upon as a member of the family.
As for Myrick and Matthews, the penalties do appear a bit extreme in comparison with the previous — significantly for Myrick. Eight races is lots, particularly for a mechanic on a mid-sized crew. However NASCAR should have felt Myrick was significantly extreme together with his position, and it actually sends a message to different crew members to not become involved in future fights.
(Photograph: Peter Casey / USA At this time)
