NASCAR fined Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $75,000 and suspended his father and two crew members from JTG Daugherty Racing for his or her involvement in a brawl that occurred Sunday night following the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Stenhouse was upset about an on-track incident that knocked him out of the race. After the race, he confronted Kyle Busch and, after an exchange of words, punched Busch in the top. Busch was not fined or penalized.
Stenhouse's father, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., was suspended indefinitely for his involvement within the physical altercation, following a previous precedent wherein NASCAR objects to members of the family getting involved in altercations.
Two crew members from JTG Daugherty Racing, Stenhouse's team, were also suspended for his or her involvement. NASCAR suspended team mechanic Clint Myrick for eight races and tuner Keith Matthews received a four-week suspension.
Wednesday's penalties are the results of an incident between Stenhouse and Busch within the early laps of the All-Star Race that sparked the fight within the pits after the race.
GO DEEPER
Stenhouse beats Busch after NASCAR All-Star Race
The chain of events began with Busch becoming annoyed at what he felt was an excessively aggressive maneuver by Stenhouse on Lap 1, which prompted Busch to retaliate on the subsequent lap by turning Stenhouse's automobile around and sending him crashing into the wall . With his automobile too badly damaged to proceed driving, Stenhouse parked his Chevrolet in Busch's pit lane before getting out and climbing a ladder to yell at Busch's team.
Stenhouse then vowed revenge during a nationally televised interview on FS1, essentially declaring that he would wait for Busch after the 200-lap race. Nearly 90 minutes later, and shortly after the checkered flag was waved, Stenhouse was waiting for Busch within the garage, leaning casually against the No. 8 RCR team transport as Busch approached.
After discussing the incident on the track, Stenhouse punched Busch, sparking a scuffle between members of their teams, which included Ricky Stenhouse Sr., who pushed Busch. Stenhouse Jr. was heard saying “Dad” several times as his father and Busch huddled, with Busch appearing to throw a punch on the elder Stenhouse.
The fight was over inside seconds, but a video of the incident went viral.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. argue after the All-Star race. pic.twitter.com/IJMttBw90W
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) May 20, 2024
“I'm not sure why he was so mad,” Stenhouse Jr. told FS1 after the fight. “I pushed him to three sides, but he hit the fence and he kind of jumped off the wall and ran into me. I don't know, when I talked to him he kept saying I ruined him.
“I definitely get frustrated because he talks about me all the time. But I know he’s frustrated because he’s not running as well as he used to.”
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR's senior vice president of competition, told SiriusXM that officials decided not to penalize Busch for the pre-fight accident because they did not consider it to be a purely intentional act.
“As a sanctioning body, we actually stay out of the incidents on the track unless we see something that obviously reflects on us,” Sawyer said. “We let the fellows resolve and comply with disagree.”
Sawyer reiterated that crew members and family members are not allowed to “touch our athletes,” but declined to elaborate on why, as the penalties are subject to appeal. He said NASCAR penalized Stenhouse Jr. because he chose to physically attack Busch despite the long wait after the incident on the track.
NASCAR handled the scuffle between Stenhouse and Busch similarly to a brawl last fall after a Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway that involved a parent.
In this situation, Matt Crafton, who retired from the race, waited for Nick Sanchez after the race to confront him. Crafton threw a punch, breaking Sanchez's nose. Crafton was fined $25,000, Sanchez went unpunished, and Sanchez's father was suspended for two races for being involved in the altercation.
NASCAR typically tolerates physical altercations between drivers as long as they occur immediately afterward and neither driver has time to calm down. NASCAR is not so lenient when parents are involved and usually responds with a suspension.
Why NASCAR imposed these penalties
Let's start with the crew members and Stenhouse Sr.
In the past, NASCAR has viewed crew members in its fighting rules similar to how the NHL views the “third man in.” NASCAR is somewhat okay with drivers sorting things out themselves (so just a fine and no suspension for Stenhouse and no penalties at all for Busch). But NASCAR definitely doesn't want drivers to be attacked by third parties and has discouraged such behavior through tough penalties to send a message.
Stenhouse Sr. is not a crew member, so it's a little easier for NASCAR to issue an indefinite suspension for his role. But he also took aggressive action against Busch, who is very frowned upon as a family member.
As for Myrick and Matthews, the penalties seem a bit severe compared to the past — especially for Myrick. Eight races is a lot, especially for a mechanic on a mid-sized team. But NASCAR must have felt Myrick was particularly over-the-top with his role, and it certainly sends a message to other crew members not to get involved in future fights.
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