Brash, outspoken, unapologetic, or even controversial are the words people would use to describe Kyle Busch. Right from when he started his career, he’s known to force the issue on track to win races, even if it meant ruffling some feathers. He wasn’t afraid to have a go at his rivals and hardly found himself on the receiving end of things until this year’s All-Star race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. infamously punched Rowdy in the face after he was taken out of commission in the first few laps of the race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

But were Stenhouse Jr.’s actions justified given that he could’ve returned the favor on the track? Well, going by his words, he did have second thoughts about confronting Busch after the race. However, Busch’s reaction as if he didn’t do anything wrong just was the tipping point for the JTG Daugherty Racing driver.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gave Kyle Busch a chance to set the record straight

Now confrontation after the race isn’t something new to NASCAR racing. Remember Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick were involved in a heated dialogue after the race at Darlington? The only difference in that instance was that Reddick accepted that he was in the wrong, and it quickly diffused the situation. And Stenhouse Jr. was hoping for a similar outcome with Rowdy.

What made matters worse was that Stenhouse Jr. wasn’t able to exit the infield and was stuck with the thought of confronting his rival. “I feel like I have him an ample amount of time to at least maybe apologize. We know Kyle, and he’s probably not going to, and I felt like that was kind of the thing that just pushed me over the edge. Just waiting on hey man I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I definitely crossed the line or something.” He said this on episode 64 of the Happy Hour podcast.

Usually, NASCAR lets these kinds of events and confrontations between the drivers slide. However, in this instance, they chose to reprimand the driver of the #47 car and the entire team involved in the ruckus. Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 and barred his father from races until further notice. Mechanic Clint Myrick and engine tuner Keith Matthews were also slapped with multi-race suspension penalties.

On the flip side of things, there could’ve been more repercussions for the #47 team after being involved in such incidents. However, with a Talladega win to their name and more support from the fans, they have come out stronger. “It was cool; my whole team was behind me, all of our partners were behind me. I’ve got a lot of great fans at the racetrack from it, so not all is bad,” Stenhouse Jr. added.

Apart from his brawl with Rowdy, the Memphis, Tennessee, native also shared his take on his win at Talladega, which was his fourth on the superspeedway.

A lot of preparation and luck pushed the #47 car into the victory lane

Trending

Despite 2023 Disaster, Chase Elliott Risks Angering Rick Hendrick by Choosing Alex Bowman’s HMS Banned Tactic

Kurt Busch Finally Breaking Radio Silence After Criminal Charges Forced 3-Month-Long Hiatus Has NASCAR Fans Breathing Easy

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Sister Recalls the Sacrifice Forced on Them by Tony Stewarts’ Stranded Mentee Before Their Big Moment

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Was Caught Off-Guard by Ken Schrader’s Boozy ‘Bargaining’ Tactic

Kyle Larson’s Efforts Reap Results as America’s Oldest Sprint Car Racing Makes Its Return After a Year of Hiatus

Daytona and Talladega races are called wildcard events for a reason. With most of the field bunched together in a draft, saving fuel, it almost becomes a game of chess for the crew chiefs to plan out a winning strategy, especially with the Next Gen car. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s last win came at the Daytona 500 last year, and having missed the playoffs, the Talladega fall race was their best shot at redemption this year.

The #47 Chevy was probably among the top 5 best-running cars on the day. Starting on the tail end of the field, the driver made significant gains as the race went on. Winning stage 2 and leading the field at the right time, evading the biggest big one in NASCAR history. So it was a mixture of the driver executing the plans well with a slice of luck. The #47 car got banged up pretty badly with an impact on the left door but still managed to see off the challenge by Brad Keselowski and William Byron taking the checkered.

“It was wild; we had already cleared the 38 and making sure the 9 was directly behind me, and all of a sudden you got smoked in the door, and luckily it hit me kind of dead center of the car; it moved my car a lane up a little bit… when the wreck happened, green white checkered you never know how it’s going to be, and luckily we all got it right for once and we had enough fuel,” Stenhouse Jr. added.

It was a big win for the entire JTG Daugherty Racing team, who had a torrid outing so far in 2024. Given that the clouds of uncertainty loom around their sponsors and co-owner rumored to be leaving the team by the end of 2024.