NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch clash in a brawl at the All-Star Race
Speeding cars turned into swinging punches at Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race in North Carolina, where drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch engaged in a fight that later involved their crews.
According to NASCAR, tensions flared after Busch bumped Stenhouse's No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, causing it to slam into a perimeter wall. The crash eliminated Stenhouse from the race after just two laps (out of 200) at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Stenhouse then parked in Busch’s pit box, climbed over the wall, and approached Busch’s crew. With North Wilkesboro lacking an exit tunnel, he had to wait for the race to finish to confront Busch.
During the post-race fireworks, the two drivers were recorded speaking in the garage when Stenhouse threw a right hook at Busch’s face.
Video posted by NASCAR showed Stenhouse visibly agitated while speaking with Busch. Busch remarked, “We all hit each other,” to which Stenhouse replied, “You hit the fence and then you hit me.” Busch responded, “I don’t believe you.” Stenhouse shot back, “Go back and watch it,” before swinging at Busch.
Moments later, others nearby intervened, separating the two and causing them both to fall. Crew members also got involved, throwing punches at one another. In a video shared by NASCAR on X, Busch is seen swinging at a man who was separating him from Stenhouse.
In a post-fight interview with Fox Sports, Stenhouse said, “You know, I feel like Kyle and I have always raced each other really hard. Then, I wrecked him once at Daytona, and he’s kind of been bad-mouthing me ever since then. I feel like we get along OK outside the racetrack. I talk to him quite a bit. I’m not sure why he was so mad that I shoved it three wide. But he hit the fence, came off the wall, and ran into me. I don’t know — when I was talking to him, he kept saying that I wrecked him. Definitely built-up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about myself.”
