NASCAR’s All-Star Race in North Carolina featured a honky tonk beat down, as drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch exchanged blows.
According to NASCAR, good old boys got emotional when Busch’s bump caused Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to crash into a perimeter wall. The collision eliminated Stenhouse from the race after just two laps (out of 200) at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Stenhouse parked in Busch’s pit box and climbed over the wall to have a word with the crew. Since North Wilkesboro lacks an exit tunnel, he had to wait for the race to finish before confronting Busch.
Amid post-competition fireworks, the two drivers were filmed conversing in the garage when Stenhouse suddenly threw a right hook at Busch’s face.
Footage of the NSFW confrontation made its way to X (formerly Twitter) via The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi.
NASCAR themselves also gleefully shared footage of the fight as well as this screen grab of Stenhouse landing the first shot on Busch.
Both Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Kyle Busch Ended Up on the Ground, But Were No Worse For Wear
A video posted by NASCAR captured an agitated Stenhouse confronting Busch.
“We all hit each other,” Busch said. “You hit the fence and then you hit me.” a bug-eyed Stenhouse replied. “I don’t believe you,” Busch calmly countered.
“Go back and watch it,” Stenhouse blurted as he threw a weak, telegraphed sucker punch.
A moment later, bystanders rushed in to intervene, pulling the two drivers apart before they could further humiliate themselves, leaving both on the ground.
Apparently, none of the kitten punches drew blood or left any bruises as everyone involved appeared totally fine after the incident.
“You know I feel like Kyle and I have always raced each other really hard,’ Stenhouse explained in an interview after the “fight”.
“Then, I wrecked him once at Daytona, and he’s kind of been bad-mouthing me ever since then,” Stenhouse added.
“I feel like we get along with each other okay outside the race track. I talk to him quite a bit. 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. I don’t know, when I was talking to him he kept saying that I wrecked him,” he offered. “Definitely built up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about myself.”
Of course, no serious injuries occurred during the embarrassingly mild confrontation. We here at Suggest wonder if even a gnat caught between the blows would have been harmed, but we digress. Any penalties will be assessed by Wednesday, following standard NASCAR procedures and timelines.
Busch secured 10th place in the race driving his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, while Stenhouse finished last.
Meanwhile, Joey Logano, behind the wheel of his No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, clinched the victory and the $1 million prize.