NASCAR penalized Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fined $75,000 and suspended his father and two JTG Daugherty Racing crew members for their roles in a brawl that took place after Sunday’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Upset by the on-track incident that knocked him out of the race, Stenhouse confronted Kyle Busch after the race and, after exchanging words, punched Busch in the head. Busch was not fined or penalized.
Stenhouse’s dad, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., was suspended indefinitely for joining in the physical altercation following a past precedent of NASCAR objecting to family members receiving injections during confrontations.
Two crew members of JTG Daugherty Racing, Stenhouse’s team, were also suspended for their involvement. NASCAR suspended team mechanic Clint Myrick for eight races and tuner Keith Matthews received a four-week ban.
Wednesday’s penalties follow an incident between Stenhouse and Busch during the opening laps of the All-Star Race, which was the catalyst for a post-race brawl in the garage.
DEEPER
Stenhouse punches Busch after the NASCAR All-Star Race
The chain of events began with Busch getting upset over what he felt was an overly aggressive move by Stenhouse on Lap 1, prompting Busch to retaliate on the next track by spinning Stenhouse’s car and sending him into the wall. Because his car was too damaged to continue, Stenhouse parked his Chevrolet in Busch’s pit, then came out and climbed a ladder to yell at Busch’s team.
Stenhouse then vowed revenge during a nationally televised interview with FS1, essentially stating that he would wait for Busch after the 200-lap race. Nearly 90 minutes later, moments after the checkered flag flew, Stenhouse was waiting for Busch in the garage, casually leaning against Team RCR’s No. 8 hauler as Busch approached.
After exchanging words about the on-track incident, Stenhouse punched Busch, sparking a fight between members of their teams, including Ricky Stenhouse Sr., who was pushing Busch. Stenhouse Jr. could be heard saying. he said “daddy” several times while his father and Busch tussled and Busch appeared to punch the elder Stenhouse.
The fight was over within seconds, but video of the incident went viral on the Internet.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. they fight after the All-Star race. pic.twitter.com/IJMttBw90W
“I’m not sure why he was so mad,” Stenhouse Jr. said. after the FS1 fight. “I pushed him three-wide but he hit the fence, bounced off the wall and hit me. I don’t know, when I talked to him, he kept saying that I ruined him.
“There was definitely growing frustration with how he kept talking about me. But I know he’s frustrated because he’s not running as well as he used to.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, told SiriusXM that officials chose not to punish Busch for the pre-fight crash because they didn’t see it as entirely intentional.
“Really, as a sanctioning body, we stay away from on-track incidents unless we see something that blatantly comes back to us,” Sawyer said. “We’ll let these guys decide and agree to disagree.”
Sawyer reiterated that crew members and family members are not allowed to “lay hands on our athletes,” but declined to provide a specific justification because of the possibility of appealing the penalties. He said NASCAR penalized Stenhouse Jr. fine because, despite the long wait after the on-track incident, he still decided to have physical contact with Busch.
NASCAR handled the Stenhouse-Busch brawl much like it did last fall after a Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway that involved a parent.
In this situation, Matt Crafton, who had dropped out of the race, waited after the race for Nick Sanchez to confront him. Crafton threw a punch that broke Sanchez’s nose. Crafton was fined $25,000, Sanchez was not fined, and Sanchez’s father was suspended for two races for his involvement in the brawl.
Typically, NASCAR tolerates physical confrontations between drivers as long as they occur immediately afterwards, without time for either driver to chilly down. NASCAR isn’t as indulgent when parents get involved, usually responding with a suspension.
Why did NASCAR impose these penalties?
Let’s start with the crew members and Stenhouse Sr.
Historically, NASCAR has viewed crew members much like the NHL views the “third man” due to the rules of engagement. NASCAR does pretty well when drivers handle things themselves (which is why Stenhouse only gets a fine and no suspension and Busch gets no penalties). However, NASCAR absolutely does not want drivers to be targeted by third parties and discourages such behavior with harsh penalties to send a message.
Stenhouse Sr. is not a crew member, so it may be a little easier for NASCAR to suspend his role indefinitely. But he also aggressively attacked Busch, who is viewed very poorly as a family member.
As for Myrick and Matthews, the penalties seem a bit harsh compared to the past – especially in Myrick’s case. Eight races is a lot, especially for a mechanic in a medium-sized team. However, NASCAR must have recognized that Myrick overplayed his role, which certainly sends a message to other crew members not to get involved in future fights.
(Photo: Peter Casey / USA Today)
