After the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fulfilled his promise to confront Kyle Busch about their on-track incident.
Stenhouse approached Busch in the garage Sunday night and engaged in a heated exchange regarding their contact on the track. The confrontation escalated when Stenhouse threw a punch at Busch after the latter wrecked him on lap two in Turn 2. Since North Wilkesboro Speedway lacks a tunnel, Stenhouse remained in the infield and awaited Busch’s arrival at the No. 8 hauler after the race.
“I didn’t touch you. Not once,” Stenhouse asserted to Busch, referring to the incident.
“We all hit each other,” Busch responded.
“You hit the fence and then you hit me,” Stenhouse countered, gesturing toward the racetrack.
“I don’t believe it, but if that’s what happened, okay,” Busch conceded.
PUNCHES THROWN AT NORTH WILKESBORO đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/jLCrcf1noA
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 20, 2024
As the verbal altercation continued, Stenhouse punched Busch before grabbing him, leading to a brief scuffle on the ground. NASCAR security intervened, separating the two drivers, while Stenhouse’s father, Ricky Sr., also got involved in the altercation.
Despite attempts to calm the situation, the argument persisted, with both drivers exchanging heated words about the on-track incident. Stenhouse expressed frustration over the incident, attributing it to Busch’s criticism of him since a previous wreck at Daytona.
“I feel like Kyle and I have always raced each other really hard back in the Xfinity Series,” Stenhouse explained to Fox Sports after the altercation. “We never had any issues, and then I wrecked one time at Daytona, and he’s kind of bad-mouthed me ever since then, so I feel like we get along with each other okay outside the racetrack.”
Stenhouse also voiced disappointment over the impact of the incident on his race performance, stating, “He ruined it.”
With emotions running high and no tunnel available, Stenhouse remained at the track, reflecting on the frustrating turn of events.
