Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Throws Punch at Kyle Busch in NASCAR All-Star Race

After Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fired a punch at Kyle Busch because Busch had used his car to shove Stenhouse Jr. into a crash with the wall on Lap 2, forcing him out of the race.

Busch was apparently prompted to retaliate after Stenhouse Jr. went three-wide on the first lap. Stenhouse could not exit the track until the race was over, as the North Wilkesboro track had no way out of the infield. Stenhouse Jr. parked his car in Busch’s pit stall and told an interviewer he would be waiting for Busch, Yahoo Sports reported, adding that he mentioned the 2011 incident when car owner Richard Childress, 65, punched Busch, then 26. Busch had door-slammed Joey Coulter, who raced for Childress in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.

“You hit the fence yourself. I didn’t touch you,” Stenhouse Jr. told Busch. “Go back and watch … I did not touch you. Not once. … You hit the fence and then you hit me. .. Go back and watch it.” Then, he took a swing at Busch.

Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fight after the All-Star Race. pic.twitter.com/IJMttBw90W

— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) May 20, 2024

Another angle of the confrontation after the race. pic.twitter.com/JCgSZhEzwa

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 20, 2024

“He left the door wide open, I went through the middle, almost had him clear, the 34 [of Michael McDowell] kind of ran up the track and we all kind of touched there — nothing major,” Stenhouse told Fox Sports. “Then Kyle tried to wreck me in [Turns] 3 and 4 and then finally did wreck me in [Turns] 1 and 2. … He just did a poor job on the start and then was mad about it — I think that’s the way his season has gone. I’m not sure why he was so mad. I shoved it three-wide, but he hit the fence and kind of came off the wall and ran into me. I don’t know, when I was talking to him, he kept saying that I wrecked him. Definitely built up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about myself. I know he’s frustrated because he doesn’t run near as good as he used to.”

On the way to his stall, Busch said, “First lap of the race, we don’t even have water temp in the car yet and we’re wrecking each other off of [Turn] 2. I am tired of getting run over by everybody. But that’s what everybody does — everybody runs over everybody to pass everybody.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP

“I felt like Kyle and I have always raced each other really hard back to the Nationwide Series when we were competing for wins week in and week out, never had any issues,” Stenhouse said after the fracas. “I wrecked him one time at Daytona and he’s kind of badmouthed me ever since then. I feel like we get along with each other OK outside the race track, I talk to him quite a bit and I’m not sure why he was so mad that I shoved it three-wide but he hit the fence and kind of came off the wall and ran into me and I don’t know, when I was talking to him he kept saying that I wrecked him. So definitely just built up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about myself but I know he’s frustrated because he doesn’t run near as good as he used to and I understand that. We’re a single-car team over here and working really hard to go out and get better each and every weekend.”

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases