Ricky Stenhouse Jr. delivered a punch to Kyle Busch following a heated exchange after the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday night. The conflict ignited after an early race incident where Busch forced Stenhouse into a wall-crashing spin on just the second lap, via Daily Mail.
Trapped inside the North Wilkesboro track infield due to the race’s ongoing action, Stenhouse had to wait until the end to confront Busch. The tension escalated into a physical altercation involving crew members from both teams. “I wrecked him one time at Daytona and he’s kind of badmouthed me ever since then,” Stenhouse explained on Fox, expressing frustration over Busch’s persistent criticism. “I know he’s frustrated because he doesn’t run as good as he used to.”
The dispute appeared to stem from an early race maneuver by Stenhouse that put Busch in a tight three-wide position, leading to Busch’s contact with the wall and subsequent collision with Stenhouse. Post-crash, Stenhouse parked his car in Busch’s pit, signaling a pending confrontation reminiscent of past NASCAR feuds.
Despite the chaos, Busch seemed unharmed, and the scuffle didn’t escalate further, partly due to quick intervention by Busch’s crew. Stenhouse, expressing his long-standing competitive relationship with Busch since their days in the Nationwide Series, highlighted his growing frustration with how Busch has publicly criticized him.
The altercation concluded with Stenhouse finishing last in the race, while Busch secured a 10th place finish, and Joey Logano took the victory after dominating most of the laps.