Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been fined $75,000 by NASCAR following an altercation with Kyle Busch after Sunday’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
Stenhouse punched Busch post-race in the garage after the two tangled on-track on lap two, which pinned the driver of the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing behind the wall.
NASCAR officials also issued multi-race suspensions to two of the No. 47 team’s crew members. Mechanic Clint Myrick was suspended for the next eight races while tuner Keith Matthews was suspended for four events due to their involvement in the post-race altercation.
Busch, nor any of his crew members, were penalized for the incident.
Stenhouse’s father, Richard Stenhouse, was also been suspended indefinitely for violations of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct (Sections 4.4.D in the NASCAR Rule Book).
“I think it’s fair to say that when you have crew members and family members that put their hands on our drivers, we’re going to react,” NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer said Wednesday morning on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “There’s not a lot of detail I’m going to get into due to the fact that these are appealable penalties, and I want to make sure that we’re fair to that process.
“With that being said, and we’ve been consistent about this, when crew members and family members get involved, we are going to react. That’s exactly what we did.”
After the incident during the All-Star Race, Stenhouse parked his race car in Busch’s pit box before having a word with the No. 8 Chevrolet team on top of the pit box.
When asked how he intended to handle the situation while speaking to the media, Stenhouse stated, “watch after the race.”
Since there isn’t a tunnel to leave the infield at North Wilkesboro, Stenhouse waited for the final 198 laps to be completed before confronting Busch.
Also on the penalty report, competition officials issued two penalties after the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ race at North Wilkesboro.
Officials gave a one-race suspension to the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team’s rear tire changer, Dawson Backus, for violating the rule book section on crew protective clothing/equipment, specifically helmet straps.
Crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz was also fined $2,500 after the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Grant Enfinger was found with one unsecured lug nut in a post-race check.
An indefinite suspension was handed to Rowan Mason for a behavioral violation of Sections 4.1 and 10.1.A in the Rule Book (Substance Abuse Policy). Mason was last listed on NASCAR’s team roster portal as a mechanic for the No. 5 Our Motorsports team in the Xfinity Series.