Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been fined $75,000 for punching Kyle Busch following the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Additionally, two No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing crew members were given suspensions. Team mechanic Clint Myrick was suspended for the next eight Cup races, while tuner Keith Matthews is suspended the next four events.
Also, Stenhouse’s father Ricky Stenhouse is indefinitely suspended.
The crew members and Stenhouse’s father violated Sections 4.4.D in the NASCAR Rule Book pertaining to NASCAR Member Code of Conduct.
At the start of the All-Star Race, Stenhouse took Busch three-wide, and Busch hit the wall. Busch then proceeded to bump Stenhouse, who then shot nearly head-on into the wall. Stenhouse parked his car in Busch’s pit stall after the crash.
There were other penalties handed out after this weekend’s events. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, No. 7 Spire Motorsports’ rear tire changer Dawson Backus was suspended one race for an infraction regarding crew protective clothing/equipment, particularly helmet straps.
Jeff Stankiewicz, crew chief of Grant Enfinger’s No. 9 CR7 Motorsports truck, was fined $2,500 for an unsecured lug nut.
Lastly, Rowan Mason, who was listed as Our Motorsports No. 5 team mechanic in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is indefinitely suspended for violating Sections 4.1 and 10.1.A in the Rule Book, regarding Substance Abuse Policy.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
Once again, NASCAR gets it wrong. Ricky needs to be suspended, but he’s a driver. He started the whole shit show and NASCAR allowed it to happen. Oh well, I’m sure Ricky was placed on double-secret probation.
Ummm, I don’t remember Ricky putting someone in the wall. I think you are a bit confused as to who started the whole thing.
My comment doesn’t concern who was at fault for on-track incident.
Ricky has put plenty of cars in the pits. Maybe not this weekend, but these guys have memories. Please don’t pretend Ricky is innocent. Payback goes on for years in this sport.
There’s a difference between running someone up the track, and then parking your car in their pit box, and THEN waiting for them at their hauler after the race. Ricky had plenty of time to think about it and watch the replays. I don’t get why there wasn’t a NASCAR official there keeping an eye on Ricky, too.
I also don’t blame Ricky’s father for defending his son, but you’re not supposed to touch another driver.
My first thought when I saw Ricky had been fined $75K was why didn’t Ross get fined for punching Noah last year? I haven’t heard an explanation but maybe because Ross wasn’t the aggressor and Ricky was? Thoughts?
Exactly, Noah was the aggressor, first he grabbed Chastain’s firesuit, then Ross smartly held Noah’s arms to keep him from punching, while telling him to stop it a couple of times. Noah didn’t de-escalate his aggressive demeanor and Ross decide he’d better punch first before getting punched. He also didn’t telegraph the punch like Stenhouse did, Ross punched quick like a cobra strike.
From where I’m sitting (it doesn’t cost me a cent), it was worth the penalty to see Busch get smacked.
Let’s start by saying I have no issue with Nascar fining Stenhouse and suspension of crew members. What I do have an issue with is the inconsistency of Nascar’s rulings. Here’s my example: March 2023 Denny plainly says he wrecked Ross Chastain and got fined $50K. NO WAY anybody can say that Kyle Busch didn’t wreck Ricky Stenhouse intentionally when he hit him twice to wreck him. My question is why was he not fined for intentionally wrecking another driver just like Denny?
Your exactly right. Nascar just flops around with everything. There is no consistency with fines, suspensions, etc. They aren’t consistent with anything they do with changing anything on the cars. Drivers and crews tell them they want more HP and the racing will get better but Nascar doesn’t listen. Someone running the show at Nascar is soooo much like Brian it’s scary. They are just floundering. Flopping like a fish out of water. I wonder if it’s Ben.
Looks like another of Brian’s brilliant decisions that makes cents only to him!
So Baby Busch gets no penalty for blatantly taking out Ricky? Must make cents to NA$CAR!
Several points made here and from others make sense (or no sense) here:
Ricky has been a wrecker since he got here. He finally pushed KB over his limit. Busch and every other driver owes him something from a super speedway. Sometimes, you get paid back a few years later. Get over it. It will come back around. Ricky has cost teams hundreds of thousands over the years in wrecked cars. Hey black pot. I’m a black kettle.