Kyle Busch had to answer to two Ricky Stenhouses after a controversial start to the NASCAR All-Star race Sunday.
With fireworks lighting up the sky in the background, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. threw a right hook at Busch during a post-race argument after Busch crashed Stenhouse out of the race on just the second lap; Stenhouse tried to pass Busch on the first lap.
Busch ended up tripping over a tire as he was pushed backward, and when he got up, Stenhouse’s dad, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., was trying to hold Busch back from his son and they scrapped as a larger brawl broke out between the drivers’ teams.
Stenhouse Jr., who was waiting for Busch after the race and claimed he did not touch Busch’s car during the first lap, also fell down during the fracas.
“Dad! Dad!” Stenhouse Jr., 36, shouted after getting knocked down, per The Athletic, before asking a crew member, “Can you get my dad?”
Busch finished in 10th place in the race won by Joey Logano, who started from the pole position and led all but one of the 200 laps at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina.
“Bring it! I don’t give a f–k,” Busch yelled at Stenhouse Jr., according to The Athletic. “I suck just as bad as you! Let’s go!”
Busch is 13th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, while Stenhouse Jr. is 26th.
Because there’s no tunnel at the track, Stenhouse Jr. had to wait around until the end of the race after crashing out.
Stenhouse Jr. said during an interview on the FS1 broadcast afterward that Busch has “been bad-mouthing” him since Stenhouse Jr. wrecked him once at Daytona.
“Just definitely built-up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about myself,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I know he’s frustrated because he doesn’t run near as good as he used to.”
Stenhouse Jr. won the 2023 Daytona 500.
