“It’s the All-Star Race. It’s hard  racing.” That’s what NASCAR Vice President Elton Sawyer recently stated regarding Kyle Busch wrecking Ricky Stenhouse Jr at North Wilkesboro. With the RCR veteran getting away with the incident that caused the brawl, many fans and veterans pointed out that Stenhouse Jr got the short end of the stick.

At the same time, Busch was pardoned for his on-track actions, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr was handed a penalty of $75,000! Which is an amount three times higher than what Matt Crafton was fined for his altercation with Nick Sanchez last year. That being said, Dale Earnhardt Jr jumped to Stenhouse Jr’s defense while highlighting NASCAR’s hypocrisy.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s penalty was an ‘overreaction’ per Dale Earnhardt Jr

A few hours ago, the NASCAR community was met with shocking news of the penalties that NASCAR had decided on for those involved in the brawl at the JTG Daugherty camp. Stenhouse Jr’s father, Richard Stenhouse, was suspended indefinitely from NASCAR races, and two of his crew members were also handed suspensions for four and eight races, respectively. But the biggest penalty was thrown Stenhouse Jr’s way, as the 36-year-old is now liable to pay $75,000 in fines to NASCAR.

While some felt that the sport was staying consistent with its penalties for such premeditated incidents, Dale Earnhardt Jr believed the officials were being hypocritical. He shared on the Dale Jr Download, “I feel like how we got to this big $75,000 penalty for Stenhouse is because that happened on such a large stage, that happened in front of so many cameras and cell phones. All of the media was involved, people spilling about in this massive brawl, and NASCAR was part of the promotion for that big moment, right?”

According to Junior, if all the glamorization that NASCAR’s coverage of the incident was stripped away, “A $25,000 fine for Ricky makes sense” After all, that was the benchmark last season during the Crafton v Sanchez incident. Still, owing to the extensive coverage that Stenhouse Jr’s brawl with Kyle Busch received, Junior felt NASCAR needed to make an example out of the situation.

Nearly 90 minutes before the altercation, Ricky Stenhouse Jr was going around media houses, telling them his plans post-race. Naturally, NASCAR officials felt penalties were required since it wasn’t in the heat of the moment. With that being said, Junior called out the sport for profiting off of the incident and then causing Stenhouse Jr major losses.

He added, “Like Joey (Logano) said, turn on your phone and that’s all you see. That is why I think that is how we got to the penalty, which I think is unfair, I really do. I think that it’s a bit of an overreaction on NASCAR’s part and they overreacted unknowingly off of the attention that it had gotten.” Although Junior understood where the officials were coming from, he felt NASCAR was aware of the benefits it brought as well.

The JR Motorsports owner concluded, “I get kind of where they’re coming from, where like, the attention that it’s getting, we’re not gonna say it out in public, but it’s good, but we do need to make sure we send a message that this can’t be the norm.” Junior also highlighted how drivers like Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain got away scot-free in comparison to Stenhouse Jr.

With that being said, it’s safe to say NASCAR finds itself marred with controversy once again. Should Ricky Stenhouse Jr have been handed such an enormous penalty? As far as the rest of the crew is concerned, Junior believes NASCAR made the right call.

Despite grievances with the $75,000 penalty, Earnhardt Jr agrees with the other consequences

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Whilst Dale Earnhardt Jr dissected NASCAR’s hypocrisy with the Stenhouse Jr penalty, he reacted positively to the suspensions handed out to the JTG Daugherty crew members and Stenhouse Jr’s father. As mentioned earlier, Richard Stenhouse is suspended indefinitely from attending NASCAR races. Two pit crew members; Keith Matthews and Clint Myrick, are both suspended for four and eight Cup Series races, respectively.

Reflecting on their penalties, Junior stated; “I will say, the suspension for his dad, you know, I could go with that. I thought it would be for a couple of races but it was more, indefinite or whatever that is right? That could be four weeks or that could be the rest of the season. The crewmen sitting out four and eight, I agree with that, I think that’s okay. If it’s the two dudes that had their arms around Kyle’s neck, they oughta get something. I’m good with that.”

For Dale Earnhardt Jr, NASCAR’s decisions with the suspensions were fair and sound. But what created a major worry was the $75,000 fine. After all, this meant it was now the standard for all future incidents of such caliber. Compared to Matt Crafton’s $25,000 penalty, drivers might have to shell out three times the amount from now on. Reflecting on the same, Junior concluded, “People may go, what’s the big deal for Stenhouse? 25 to 75, what’s the huge difference? It sets a precedent, so now going forward, the 75 is the new norm of what you’re gonna get when you swing on somebody.” 

After looking at Dale Earnhardt Jr’s dissection of the Stenhouse Jr vs. Kyle Busch aftermath, do you think NASCAR needs to pull its punches?