Ricky Stenhouse threw a punch at Kyle Busch after Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race.
Stenhouse and Busch had an animated conversation after the race after an early warning. Busch kicked Stenhouse into the wall on lap 2 and Stenhouse’s car hit the wall head-on.
Because the North Wilkesboro track had no way for people to leave the infield while the race was in progress, Stenhouse had to wait until the race was over to leave the track. After he and Busch talked about what happened, he threw a fist at Busch and a fight ensued with their crewmates.
“I felt like Kyle and I always raced each other really hard going into the Nationwide Series, when we were competing for wins week in and week out, and never had any problems,” Stenhouse said on Fox after the fight. “I wrecked him once at Daytona and since then he’s been kind of cussing me out. I feel like we get along great off the track, I talk to him a lot and I’m not sure why he was like that. ” mad that I pushed him three wide but he hit the fence and kind of came off the wall and bumped into me and I don’t know, when I was talking to him he kept saying I broke him made.
“So I’ve definitely just built up frustration with how he talks about myself all the time, but I know he’s frustrated because he’s not driving as well as he used to and I understand that. We’re a one-car team.” here and I’m working really hard to go out and get better every weekend.”
Stenhouse’s crew members appeared to try to tackle Busch after Stenhouse was tackled following the impact. The argument did not escalate much further when Busch crew members made it clear that they did not want Stenhouse’s team on their carrier.
Busch appeared unharmed by the blow and it was not clear in the immediate aftermath whether Stenhouse made serious contact with his fist.
Here’s what happened that made Stenhouse mad at Busch. The two-time Cup Series champion appeared angry with Stenhouse early in the race for being put three wide on the opening lap.
Stenhouse telegraphed his confrontation with Busch in the immediate aftermath of the crash. He parked his car in Busch’s pit box and said in a TV interview that he would wait for Busch. He even referenced a 2011 incident between Busch and his current team owner Richard Childress, when Childress punched Busch after taking off his watch.
Stenhouse finished last Sunday night and Busch finished 10th. Joey Logano won the race after leading 199 of the 200 laps.
