NASCAR races are usually packed with controversies and hot-headed conflicts. A line is drawn, and if drivers cross that, they incur the authorities’ wrath. In the 2024 season, officials have slapped many penalties, usually for technical infractions. Most notably, Joey Logano’s webbed glove maneuver gave him an aerodynamic advantage.

But the All-Star Race violation was a physical conflict, and what’s more, trumped driver face-offs in recent NASCAR history. Hence, officials did not digest this easily and slapped Ricky Stenhouse Jr with a hefty fine. Veterans and fans have already protested, but an executive strongly sticks by the decision.

NASCAR’s top seed takes a hardline approach

Ricky Stenhouse Jr will have to dole out a hefty $75,000 cash fine for landing a right-hook punch on Kyle Busch’s cheek. Not only that, his brethren have been doomed as well. Two of his crew members have been suspended for a few races, while his father, Richard Stenhouse, is out of the sport indefinitely.

Veterans like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kenny Wallace have already called out NASCAR for its draconian attitude. But Elton Sawyer, Senior VP of competition, firmly justified the penalty in a recent episode of Sirius XM NASCAR. “When crew members get involved and family members get involved, we are going to react. And that’s exactly what we did. We looked at all the audio and video from the incident on Sunday night. At this point, that’s all I’m gonna comment on the penalties,” he said.

He further elaborated on Stenhouse’s premeditated effort. “When you wait 198 laps and you make those decisions that were made, again, we’re going to react to that.” Sawyer subsequently dropped a stern 7-word verdict on Stenhouse’s behavior. “There could have been different decisions made.” Sawyer acknowledged the circumstances of the brawl. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was stuck in the North Wilkesboro Speedway, and that fuelled his frustration.

Yet, even then, the NASCAR executive stuck to his guns, adding, “We want the two drivers to be able to have their time to express their differences…Granted there was no tunnel. Granted there was no crossover bridge. But better decisions could have been made through that period of time between the incident that happened on the racetrack and the incident that happened in the garage.” This retaliation on the authorities’ part echoes a similar bullring fight that ensued last year at a Craftsman Truck race.

Sawyer inferred a similar reason in the previous brawl

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In October 2023, NASCAR Truck drivers Matt Crafton and Nick Sanchez got involved in a bloody altercation at a Talladega race. Crafton “sucker-punched” Sanchez and paid $25,000 for it. On the other hand, Sanchez yelled some threats at his opponent, and for that, he got fined $5000. Quite like Stenhouse’s situation, Sanchez’s father also got involved and got himself suspended for the rest of the 2023 season.

And echoing the Busch-Stenhouse penalty, Elton Sawyer cited a similar reason for the hefty fines. Again, circumstances and decisions mattered: “It wasn’t like both drivers got out on pit road, heat of the battle, they go down on pit road and they have a discussion with each other. This one spilled over into the garage sometime after the event. So, felt like it could have been handled differently.”

So even though veteran drivers are calling for mediation of Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s fines, NASCAR seems quite fixated on their decision. What’s your take on these spats? Let us know in the comments below.