NASCAR Driver's Fight Costs Him $75K

UPDATE May 22, 2024 8:11 AM CDT

NASCAR has fined driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $75,000 for picking a fight with Kyle Busch after their race over the weekend, reports the AP. Stenhouse's father, who joined in the melee, was suspended indefinitely, while Busch received no penalty. The fistfight came after they tangled in the race itself, too. Details below.

May 20, 2024 9:11 AM CDT

You might recall the NASCAR driver who threw his bumper at a rival. Two more drivers mixed it up Sunday night in a high-profile incident in front of the cameras. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. punched Kyle Busch after their race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, and the Athletic captured it in video here. The punch led to a melee that included Stenhouse's father getting in the mix and the racer shouting, "Dad! Dad! Can you get my dad?" It appears nobody was hurt in the fight, and it's not clear if there will be repercussions. (NASCAR is tweeting out its own video of the melee.)

Busch knocked Stenhouse out of the race on only its second lap by causing him to crash into a wall, and because the track doesn't have a way for drivers to exit early, Stenhouse had to stew in the infield for the rest of the race, notes Yahoo Sports. He then confronted Busch when the race ended, and the two men hurled accusations at each other over what led to Stenhouse's crash. You can watch the crash via Fox Sports, whose announcers explain it. "Sometimes, I believe NASCAR and WWE are one and the same," writes Chris Branch of the Athletic. (More NASCAR stories.)