Ricky Stenhouse Jr Concedes Inability to Afford Another Altercation With Kyle Busch as He Rescinds His Charlotte Threat to Rowdy

Can we all collectively agree that even though the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro was kind of a snoozer, the Busch-Stenhouse Jr brawl totally made up for it? The drama kicked off on Lap 1 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr giving Kyle Busch a nudge, and it escalated to a full-on fistfight post-race. And you know what that means—penalties could be on the horizon.

Remember how last year after a truck series race at Talladega, NASCAR slapped Matt Crafton with a $25,000 fine for decking Nick Sanchez in the garage? If NASCAR sticks to that playbook, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and his dad might be sweating bullets right now, which could explain why Stenhouse Jr seems to be dialing it back a bit.

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr backing off from his tough talk?

Earlier, after getting knocked out of the race on just the 2nd lap of a 200-lap race, Stenhouse Jr hinted in post-crash interviews that things might escalate physically. During a conversation with Kyle Busch, there was a moment where it even seemed like Busch might give Stenhouse the benefit of the doubt about the Lap 1 incident. But before Busch could finish his thought, Stenhouse Jr landed a punch on his right jaw, proving he sticks to his word.

However, things took another turn when Stenhouse Jr later warned, “I’m going to wreck you at Charlotte.” Busch shot back with, “Bring it. I suck as bad as you,” acknowledging both of their tough seasons. However, despite being praised by peers like Denny Hamlin as a “man of his words,” it looks like Stenhouse Jr might be cooling his jets, possibly worried about facing a serious penalty.

On a recent episode of “Stacking Pennies with Corey LaJoie,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr dropped by to chat and fielded some questions, including whether he’s sweating the upcoming Charlotte race. His response was surprisingly pretty laid-back: “I feel like he races hard. We all race hard. I think we’ll just race hard…You know, I told him I might crash him at Charlotte. I’m not gonna crash him at Charlotte. Like, you know. Then that just keeps it going, right? So… Yeah…As far as my end goes, I feel like…I’m past it whether he is or not. I don’t know. We’ll talk about it.”

But now, what kind of penalties might Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr [and Co.] be looking at?

Could there be heavy penalties for the two drivers and their crews?

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Last year, Matt Crafton felt the sting of hitting Nick Sanchez, and this year, it looks like it might be Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s turn. Remember, last year, Crafton’s dad also got benched for two races after jumping into the fray. Taking that as a cue, expect Stenhouse’s dad to possibly face a suspension for his role in Sunday night’s tussle with Busch. Unless NASCAR finds out any crew members threw punches, that might be the only suspension handed down.

The real head-scratcher for NASCAR, however, will be deciding whether to dock Stenhouse Jr, who had a good 80 minutes to simmer down after Busch took him out on the second lap of the NASCAR All-Star Race before their confrontation at Busch’s hauler. NASCAR generally doesn’t fine drivers fresh out of the car—both Ross Chastain and Austin Hill have had their share of post-race scuffles on pit road without penalties in recent years.

However, if NASCAR does decide to fine Stenhouse, it could be heftier than what Crafton faced since this skirmish happened at a Cup Series event, which carries more weight (and prize money) than the truck series. Plus, Stenhouse had ample time to cool off but chose to confront instead, suggesting premeditation rather than a spur-of-the-moment outburst.

According to NASCAR’s code of conduct, fines or suspensions can be handed out for “Member-to-Member confrontation(s) with physical violence (e.g. striking another Competitor) and other violent manifestations such as significant threat(s) and/or abuse and/or endangerment.”

While NASCAR typically reveals penalties on Tuesdays, they might push it to Wednesday this week because of the 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame class voting and announcement scheduled for Tuesday. They likely don’t want to steal the thunder from that event, especially since some decision-makers on penalties are involved in the Hall of Fame voting as well.