“We’re Not WWE”: Kyle Busch Upset by NASCAR’s Hypocrisy Forcing Drivers into Unfair Brawls

NASCAR is a unique sport that allows the drivers to get into each other’s faces but, at the same time, also penalizes and brandishes fines if things go overboard. What’s more shocking is that NASCAR also uses brawls and fights as their promotional content. This was the case after Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr got involved in a physical altercation after the All-Star race.

However, Busch was on the receiving end of the fight and caught a punch by his rival driver. He didn’t even have time to respond, as he was quickly swarmed by the crew members, while officials tried to break the fight. It is indeed weird to see NASCAR allowing the first contact but doesn’t allow a rebuttal. Well, for the first time since the brawl last weekend, Kyle Busch opened up about the incident and questioned NASCAR’s stance on the fights.

Busch wants NASCAR to have a clear stance on the fights between drivers

One of the major trends that seems to follow from all the recent fights is that the driver who manages to land the first punch is ultimately the only contact the drivers have during the fight. Ross Chastain landing a punch on Noah Gragson was an example of that, and again, Stenhouse Jr landing a right hook on Rowdy further backed the theory.

Sharing his take on the unspoken NASCAR norm regarding the fight, Kyle Busch, in an interview on Kenny Wallace’s YouTube channel, said, “Yeah, I agree. You either gotta not let it happen at all or you gotta let it go, for at least the guy not throwing the first punch have a way being able to get back into it (…) So they’re promoting it and yet they don’t want us doing it. Or they penalize you for doing it.”

The RCR driver himself has used this tactic to his advantage. Back in 2017, when he got involved in a fight with Joey Logano on the pit road, he was the one who threw the first punch. And that was about it, as soon as everyone started scrambling and trying to separate the drivers. Demanding a clear stance by the officials on the fights, he added, “We all want to have clearer rules but obviously too we’re not WWE, so if we’re not going to set up clear and concise areas for us to fight in, then I don’t know that we need to be fighting.”

It wasn’t just Kyle Busch who was looking for more clarity on NASCAR’s part. Reacting to the fines and suspension Ricky Stenhouse Jr and his team incurred, Dale Jr and Freddie Kraft were also puzzled to see officials brandishing penalties after promoting the fight via their social handles.

Dale Earnhardt Jr surprised to see a hefty fine

NASCAR’s social media handle was buzzing after the fight between Stenhouse Jr and Kyle Busch. So much so that they shared multiple perspectives and views of the brawl. It didn’t stop there; they went on to share meme material, which, in all fairness, was hilarious. However, they announced a hefty fine of $75,000 for the JTG Daughtery Racing driver, along with the suspension of two crew members from the #47 team. Meanwhile, Stenhouse Sr is indefinitely suspended after being involved in the ruckus.

Reacting to the double standards of NASCAR’s way of handling fights, Freddie Kraft, Bubba Wallace’s spotter via X, wrote, “At one point I might have been on the you better not use it as promotional material” bandwagon. But these days, please use anything and everything you can to get people to come to the track, or tune in on television.”

Even Dale Jr seemed to have agreed with the arguments made by Kraft and responded, “Good point. I just thought it might be a 25k fine max”.

Given that NASCAR fights have always been big hits among fans, it’s hard for officials to intervene with a ruling that completely bans physical confrontation.