Stenhouse Jr fined for Busch fight, drivers react

Ricky Stenhouse Jr has been hit with a $113,264.25 AUD for his fight with Kyle Busch, who felt “I went into an ambush” after the NASCAR All Star Race.

Stenhouse Jr punched Busch after he was taken out by the RCR driver in the opening stages of the All Star Race at North Wilkesboro.

Their battle started when the pair had a tight moment running the high line when Busch scrapped the barrier with Stenhouse Jr on his inside. The RCR driver then retaliated by firing the JTG Daugherty Racing driver into the fence.

Stenhouse Jr decided to park his wrecked #17 Camaro in Busch’s pit box, but that was far from the end of it.

After the race had finished the pair met face to face in the paddock, having a heated argument before Stenhouse Jr threw a punch, sparking an all in brawl between crew members and even family members.

Stenhouse Jr has been fined $113,264.25 AUD, while two crew members from his TG Daugherty Racing team have been suspended.

Stenhouse Jr joined NASCAR’s Stacking Pennies podcast

“No (I did not hit him),” Stenhouse Jr said on Busch’s scrape with the wall that led to the race-ending incident.

“I knew he was mad and hit me so I thought alright and he would be eventually fine and then he got me a second time and it destroyed the car. Just the second lap.

“I thought maybe I would be calm if he said ‘hey, I messed up and crossed the line and crashed you on purpose’ but he acted like I wrecked him.

“You wake up the next day and think ‘I probably should not have done that’ but he also wrecked me on purpose just because I passed him.”

Busch has also told his side of the story on the Kenny Wallace YouTube channel.

“To me it is just Lap 1, the water is not even hot yet and you are on cold tyres, slipping a bit. I ran wide at Turn 1, gave an opening in the middle and he took it,” Busch recalled.

“I gave room on the exit to make sure we didn’t touch and I was touching the fence a little bit, but he still ran into me and brushed off my left front corner.

“It was inevitable I was going in the fence anyway so I was not too pleased about that and came back and retaliated.

“I showed my displeasure at that. As one guy once said, I went to rattle his cage and spin him out, but I didn’t mean for him to overcorrect and crash in the fence, but that’s what happened.

“Afterwards I tried to have some casual words but had no idea of his comments of hold my watch or wait until afterwards, so I felt like I went into an ambush blind with him and his team.

“I tried to hold my own the best I could, fighting off five different guys.”

Hostilities will resume at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for the Coca-Cola 600.

Image: NASCAR on FOX

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