Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. used the All-Star race in North Wilkesboro to physically resolve the angst that had been developing between them over the last few years. After getting wrecked by Rowdy in the second lap of the race, Stenhouse Jr. waited by his hauler and landed a fist on his face after a heated argument. The only issue that Kevin Harvick has with the punch is the timing of it.
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The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver ruled on his podcast early this week that Stenhouse Jr. did nothing wrong during the race and that Busch overreacted. He said, “I think Kyle is frustrated with his situation and everything he has going on. I think we finally have seen the trigger that pushed Kyle over the edge with the performance of what they’ve been doing on the race track.”
@KevinHarvick would have thrown a punch earlier. He shares his thoughts on the #NASCAR #AllStarRace fight between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch.
New episode ➡️ https://t.co/yrElmfUe1m pic.twitter.com/DVkBhl51cN
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) May 22, 2024
Stenhouse Jr.’s words after the altercation too clarified his position with Busch and how he’d decided to finally stand up to him. Harvick continued, “I think they both took the opportunity of the All-Star race to settle things up. I think if I was going to do it, I think you should have just decked him right in the walk up.” Harvick’s opinion about Busch being frustrated is not without company.
Did Kyle Busch’s lack of results push him over the edge?
The reason for Busch choosing to wreck Stenhouse Jr. was ill-founded according to many analysts and racing icons. The #47 JTG Daugherty Racing driver had made use of a gap to make a three-wide move alongside Busch and Michael McDowell in the first lap. Not liking how it forced him into the wall, Busch had relentlessly retaliated and put Stenhouse Jr. out of contention immediately after.
Racing icon Jeff Burton analyzed the psychology behind the entire sequence on NBC recently and voiced an opinion on the same lines as that of Kevin Harvick. He said, talking about the reasons for his frustration, “Whatever you think about him, he’s also a human being. The guy loves to win and he hasn’t been able to on a frequent basis. There’s no way that’s not on his mind.”
Busch currently sits 13th in the points table with two top-5s and five top-10s. He is yet to find the victory lane in 2024. Notably, by this point on the calendar in 2023, he’d already secured two victories and fixed a playoff spot. Regardless of whether it was because of prior history or the frustration of not winning, both Busch and Stenhouse Jr. stand to face strong penalties for their actions.
