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via Imago

via Imago

The All-Star race at North Wilkesboro was off to a fiery start, and the sparks were already flying after just the first lap, knocking one racer off the list of 20 competitors. The drama unfolded between Richard Childress’s ace, Kyle Busch, and last year’s Daytona 500 champ, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Tempers flared from the get-go, and it all ended with Stenhouse smacking into the outside wall, thanks to a little payback from Busch in the #8 car. But this feud isn’t over yet—the #47 is planning to have a word with Busch once the dust settles after the race.

Right from the first lap at the All-Star race, the heat was on

It kicked off when Ricky Stenhouse Jr squeezed three-wide with Kyle Busch, pushing Busch into the wall at turn 2 as they all ran out of elbow room. It looked like Stenhouse might just skate by without any blowback after Busch had to navigate another tight three-wide situation. But tapping into his old ‘bad Busch‘ days, Busch didn’t let it slide. On lap 2, he barreled into turn 1, clipping Stenhouse and sending him straight into the outside wall.

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With his car banged up, Stenhouse didn’t head back to his garage. Nope, he pulled a bold move, stopping his #47 Chevrolet smack in Busch’s pit box. He hopped out, stormed over to the No. 8 team’s pit box, and let loose some choice words. Later, during his post-race interview, when asked about the clash, Stenhouse Jr had plenty to say.

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“We got a really good start. He left the door, wide open, and went through the middle. Almost had him clear, the 34. You know, kind of ran up the track and you know, we all just kind of touched there. Nothing major. And then Kyle tried to wreck me in three and four and then… finally did wreck me there in one and two but Our car was really fast.”

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Explaining why he parked his race car in Busch’s pit box, #47 said, We passed, see, we left the middle open there. Short race, you’re trying to get all you can get, we passed them, and… I guess he was mad, so parked my car in a pit box. I figured he would do something like that, so maybe Richard will hold my watch after the race,” hinting at the time Richard Childress, Kyle Busch’s car owner, threw a punch at Busch after a Truck Series race in Kansas in 2011. Back then, Busch had been racing tight with Joey Coulter, who was with RCR, and Childress wasn’t having any of it.

As for the words Ricky Stenhouse Jr had with Busch’s crew, he mentioned, […] Just told Randall that… He could tell Kyle I’ll see him afterward over the radio since. There’s no tunnel here, I can’t leave. I’ll be here when the race is over.”