Reactions to a fight between NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch have been what you’d expect, with a few notable exceptions.
Most people feel Stenhouse’s $75,000 fine (NASCAR’s largest ever for fighting) was too steep, especially since:
- Busch and his team were not penalized.
- Busch admitted he retaliated when he wrecked Stenhouse in Lap 2 of a 200 lap race last weekend.
- NASCAR has promoted the heck out of the fight.
- There’s a lot of people that want to punch Kyle Busch.
That last bullet point might include some editorializing, but the third point about NASCAR’s use of the footage is what has drivers crying foul.
Stenhouse said he was “confused” by the large fine, but admitted he knew something was going to come of his actions. Additionally, his father was suspended indefinitely for jumping in and taking a jab from Busch. Two of his crew guys were also suspended a few races.
Busch — who didn’t even smile when he said he was “trying to have some casual words” with Stenhouse during an appearance on Kenny Wallace’s podcast — got away without penalty.
Even the Hulk-like crew member who tossed crew members off the hauler like they were sacks of Kroger potatoes gets to be on site during the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday.
A voice of reason on the Stenhouse / Busch fight is Dale Earnhardt Jr. He said on his podcast that he thought Stenhouse’s fine was too high and “unfair,” especially given that Busch didn’t get anything. He also said that he’s good with NASCAR using the footage to promote future races. “They should. I want them to because I want people tuning in, and I believe it does make people tune in,” he said. Within minutes of the fight, Earnhardt had the best tweet, “Cement up all the tunnels at these tracks.” By this point fans had learned that Stenhouse Jr. had been stewing for 198 laps because he couldn’t leave the track as there wasn’t a tunnel or bridge to let haulers out. https://x.com/DaleJr/status/1792376885638295729
