JTG Daugherty Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. seems to have cooled down after throwing hands with former NASCAR champion Kyle Busch during last Sunday’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
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The #47 and #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 drivers were seen brawling at the historic venue as the exhibition race concluded over a disagreement at the start of the race.
After trading blows off the track, Stenhouse Jr. elaborated on his mindset as he waited to talk to Busch after the event. The 36-year-old seems to have buried the hatchet with the #8 driver after a day of cooling off.
He spoke about the same on the Stacking Pennies podcast hosted by fellow NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie and said, “I feel like he races hard. I think we’ll just race hard. I told him I might crash him at Charlotte. I’m not going to crash him at Charlotte, then that just keeps it going. As far as my end goes, I’m past it. Whether he is or not I’m sure we’ll talk about it at some point.”
This is the angle.
My Lord.– Stenhouse’s old man DEFINITELY wanted to smash Kyle Busch’s face.
– I can’t get over Busch’s big hoss pit crew guy just eliminating everyone he sees, literally throwing them through the air.
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) May 20, 2024
The first lap of the 200-lap-long event saw Stenhouse Jr. go three wide with Busch on the outside which seemingly resulted in him hitting the outside wall. The Richard Childress Racing driver did not take too kindly to this aggressive move. He retaliated by spinning the #47 driver into the wall, ultimately ending his race.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Corey LaJoie touch on modern-day racing etiquette in NASCAR
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and fellows Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie went on to discuss the nature of modern-day stock car racing as a result of what transpired at North Wilkesboro last Sunday.
Both drivers spoke about how the parity between teams and drivers especially mid pack has led to a no-holds-barred style of racing to cultivate in the sport. What has come to be know as ‘The Hornet’s Nest’ as LaJoie calls it, Stenhouse Jr. spoke of how the reality of racing with the Next Gen Cup car is. He said, “If you don’t think the race at the front is good just watch kind of mid-pack. We’re going at it. There’s a lot of times where you get run in the fence, you get used up a little bit because you’re trying to clear somebody by an inch. It’s just part of it.”
Corey LaJoie seemed to agree with his podcast guest and added, “The etiquette now is way different.”
It remains to be seen whether Kyle Busch is ready to bury the hatchet with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
