Current:Home > InvestRicky Stenhouse could face suspension after throwing punch at Kyle Busch after All-Star Race -PureWealth Academy
Ricky Stenhouse could face suspension after throwing punch at Kyle Busch after All-Star Race
View
Date:2025-04-14 02:12:07
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.
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, and with no way to get out of the track while the race was going on, stewed in street clothes for hours until Busch arrived at his hauler.
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 also could face a penalty if NASCAR determines that he deliberately caused the wreck.
Stenhouse’s fury was evident the moment he parked in Busch’s pit stall, then climbed the pit stand ladder and had words with members of his crew. 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 gray 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 backward over a tire, while Busch likewise wound up on the ground. Stenhouse’s father, Ricky Sr., got into the fracas 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 getting run over by everybody. 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 itself lacked any 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 tires at North Wilkesboro.
“You couldn’t pass,” runner-up Denny Hamlin said. “I would lose a little bit of air there, and I would try to give my car a break and then run at (Logano) again. Hats off to the track, NASCAR and Goodyear for giving it a try. Hopefully, we learned something here for future short tracks.”
Then he smirked and added, “But at least we had an exciting fight in the end. That’s something to talk about.”
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
veryGood! (13)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- The MixtapE! Presents Ed Sheeran, Maluma, Anuel AA and More New Music Musts
- Deadly fire in Guyana girls' dorm set by student upset over phone being confiscated, officials believe
- Have tech skills, will work. Why IT jobs remain hot despite mass layoffs
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- VP Harris becomes the first woman to give a West Point commencement speech
- Chad Michael Murray Sparks Debate After Playing Kiss, Marry, Kill With His Iconic Characters
- '9 Years of Shadows' Review: Symphony of the Light
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Deadly fire in Guyana girls' dorm set by student upset over phone being confiscated, officials believe
Ranking
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- The first smart gun with facial and fingerprint recognition is now for sale
- Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Star Jen Shah's Prison Sentence Reduced By One Year
- Baby dies, dozens feared dead after hippo charges and capsizes canoe on river in Malawi
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Migrant border crossings drop from 10,000 to 4,400 per day after end of Title 42
- The MixtapE! Presents Ed Sheeran, Maluma, Anuel AA and More New Music Musts
- The Kardashians Season 3 Premiere Date Revealed in Dramatic First Teaser
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Tarte Cosmetics 90% Off Deals: Get $252 Worth of Eyeshadow for $32, a $90 Palette for $23, and More
What is AI and how will it change our lives? NPR Explains.
Dear Life Kit: My group chat is toxic
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Prepare for next pandemic, future pathogens with even deadlier potential than COVID, WHO chief warns
Alexis Ohanian Shares Rare Insight on Life With Special Serena Williams and Daughter Olympia
Jana Kramer and Boyfriend Allan Russell Make Their Red Carpet Debut at 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards