(Scypre.com) – A high-speed collision at Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race in North Carolina ignited a physical altercation between drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch, subsequently involving their respective crews.
The tension escalated after Busch made contact with Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, causing it to crash into the perimeter wall, NASCAR officials reported. The incident prematurely ended Stenhouse’s race after just two laps out of the scheduled 200 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
In the aftermath of the crash, Stenhouse parked in Busch’s pit box, climbed over the wall, and approached Busch’s crew, seemingly to exchange words. Due to the absence of an exit tunnel at North Wilkesboro, Stenhouse was compelled to wait until the race concluded to confront Busch.
The confrontation reached its peak during the post-race celebrations when the two drivers were seen conversing in the garage. The discussion quickly turned violent as Stenhouse delivered a right hook to Busch’s face. NASCAR’s video footage of the incident revealed a visibly agitated Stenhouse speaking with Busch.
“We all hit each other,” Busch remarked, to which Stenhouse responded, “You hit the fence and then you hit me.” Busch disagreed, saying, “I don’t believe you.”
“Go back and watch it,” Stenhouse replied, before throwing the punch.
Chaos ensued as individuals nearby intervened to separate the two drivers, resulting in both of them ending up on the ground. Crew members from both sides also became involved, exchanging punches. In one clip shared on social media by NASCAR, Busch is seen swinging at a man who had intervened between him and Stenhouse.
In a post-fight interview with FOX Sports, Stenhouse expressed his frustrations. “You know I feel like Kyle and I have always raced each other really hard,” he stated. “Then, I wrecked him once at Daytona, and he’s kind of been bad mouthing me ever since then.”
Stenhouse elaborated on their off-track relationship, saying, “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 further highlighted his built-up frustration, “Definitely 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.”
Reflecting on the incident, Stenhouse noted that being stuck on the track amplified his irritation. “If there was a tunnel I’d have probably been home watching the end of that. But here we are,” he said.
Busch, who finished 10th in his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, downplayed the altercation, while Stenhouse ended up last.
Meanwhile, Joey Logano in his No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse clinched victory in the race, taking home the $1 million prize.