Chase Elliott, the most popular driver in NASCAR, has criticized NASCAR after the sanctioning body fined Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a record-breaking amount earlier this week. Involved in a fight after the All-Star game in Nippon Wilkesboro.
Elliott knew Stenhouse had been fined for punching Kyle Busch, but the 2020 Cup Series champion held his own on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The exact amount was not known until the press conference.
Stenhouse was fined $75,000, the largest fine issued for a driver fight in NASCAR history. Elliott looked in disbelief when told the exact dollar figure.
“Seventy-five thousand? Wow,” Elliott said. “I heard he was fined, but I didn’t know it was $75,000.
“Yeah, a lot. That’s a lot of money. It seems crazy to me.
Elliott’s shocked reaction came after NASCAR fined Stenhouse despite actively sharing footage of the race on his social media channels. Elliott objected to what he saw as a double standard by NASCAR in repeatedly promoting the race, but not only punished Stenhouse but also issued a record fine.
“That seems like a lot for this situation,” Elliott said. “You’re going to punish him, but are you going to use it to get a promotion? Like what are we doing? That’s a little weird to me.
“It costs a lot of money to fine one person. It’s not good, but we will try our best on everything to get more clicks. I don’t really agree with that.
Elliott isn’t the only driver to ask this question. Daniel Suarez expressed similar sentiments on X.
“If it’s so wrong, why is it on NASCAR’s social channels?” Suarez posted. “We should be allowed to express our emotions, I don’t understand that.”
After the All-Star race, Stenhouse faced off with Busch, who appeared to sabotage him on the second lap of the non-points race, with Busch believing the move on the first lap was too aggressive.
After the race, Stenhouse waited for Busch in his Richard Childress Racing truck, which took more than 90 minutes from the time he crashed to the time of the conflict. After Stenhouse and Busch had a brief but heated exchange, Stenhouse punched Busch in the head. This sparked a fight between their respective teams, which included Stenhouse’s father charging at Busch and sparking a physical confrontation between them.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fight after the All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/IJMttBw90W
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) May 20, 2024
Busch was not suspended for his actions. NASCAR suspends Ricky Stenhouse Sr. indefinitely and also suspends two members of Stenhouse Jr.’s JTG Daugherty Racing team, the mechanics Clint Myrick was suspended for eight games and engine tuner Keith Matthews was suspended for four games.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, explained Wednesday that while NASCAR doesn’t always punish drivers who get into fights, the difference is that Stenhouse has enough time to cool down before initiating a fight.
“What I’m saying is, when you wait 198 laps and you make those decisions, we’re going to react to that,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “A different decision might have been made.
“We hope that both drivers will be given time to express their differences. But again, should the situation escalate into a physical altercation, we will react again.
Busch was not penalized because NASCAR could not establish that he crashed Stenhouse on purpose.
NASCAR’s decision to suspend Stenhouse Sr. is consistent with NASCAR’s policy of prohibiting non-race competitors from participating in confrontations.
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(Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
