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Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. entered a violent exchange after a rather early exit from the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, courtesy of the Richard Childress Racing driver's apparently deliberate wreck into the rival's #47 Ford. The incident birthed momentarily after the 200-lap run got underway as Busch got a nudge from the JTG Daugherty driver.
The RCR driver started his run from the 14th place, while Stenhouse Jr. was down in 16th. On Lap 1, as the #47 Ford tried to pass through the pack, it was in proximity with the #8 Chevy of Kyle Busch which got into the backstretch wall. The two-time Cup Series champion believed it to be the Mississippi native's fault and as a result, avenged in his way.
On the next lap, Kyle Busch was behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and drafted into the latter's rear bumper, sending his #47 Ford into the Turn 1 wall and prompting the first caution at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The #8 Chevy's move didn't sit well with the only JTG Daugherty driver on the track and he opted for violence as the answer.
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After wrapping up his run, Busch approached Stenhouse Jr. for post-race talk, but the heated exchange between the duo soon became violent. The latter pounced on the RCR driver, lashing punches at him before both team's crew members held the furious drivers back.
Here's the video of Kyle Busch getting punched in the face by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Jordan Bianchi on X):
"You can just watch afterwards": Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s stern message for Kyle Busch after NASCAR All-Star wreck
The NASCAR All-Star race returned to the 0.625-mile asphalt for the second consecutive time after closing its doors for Cup Series races in 1996. Team Penske driver Joey Logano exercised his relentless dominance and came home with his maiden 2024 win and a $1 million paycheck.
The #22 Ford led 199 of 200 laps to mark his second All-Star Race win. On the other hand, both Stenhouse Jr. and Busch eyed their first win but chaos arose early on for which the JTG Daugherty driver paid the price.
As the 20-car pack maneuvered through turns 1 and 2, a three-wide battle between Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Michael McDowell ensued. Due to the lack of room, the #8 Chevrolet got pinched into the wall and lost the opening lap battle.
However, the very next lap saw the RCR driver emulating the former's move as he budged into the small gap between the #47 Ford and Denny Hamlin's #11 Ford and crashed Stenhouse Jr. out of the race.
Enraged from Busch's wreck, the 36-year-old said (via Bob Pockrass on X):
"Almost had him [Kyle Busch] clear, the #34 [Michael McDowell] kind of ran up the track and we all just kind of touched there. Nothing major. Then Kyle tried to wreck me in [turns] 3 and 4 and then finally he did wreck me there in [turns] 1 and 2." (0.11)
However, when Pockrass asked Stenhouse Jr. what he had in the bag for Busch, the former replied:
"You can just watch afterwards." (1.44)
As of now, neither Ricky Stenhouse Jr. nor Kyle Busch have been given a penalty for their actions and subsequently, the former remains at 26th in the standings while the latter is placed at 13th.
