Chase Elliott, the sport’s most popular driver, pointed out criticism of NASCAR after the sanctioning body imposed a record fine on Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for his role following the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro earlier this week.
Elliott knew Stenhouse had been fined for throwing a punch at Kyle Busch, but the 2020 Cup Series champion didn’t know the exact amount before being notified Friday during a news conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. .
Stenhouse was fined $75,000, the largest fine ever levied for a driver fight in NASCAR history. Elliot looked in disbelief when he learned the exact dollar figure.
“75,000? Wow,” Elliot said. “He was told he had been fined, but he didn’t know it was $75,000.
“Yes, there are so many. That’s a lot of money. “I think that’s rough.”
Elliott’s surprising reaction stems from the fact that NASCAR fined Stenhouse despite actively sharing footage of the fight across social media channels. What Elliott took exception to is what he sees as a double standard in which NASCAR promoted the fight several times but did so by not only penalizing Stenhouse but also imposing a record fine.
“I think that’s a lot in that situation,” Elliott said. “You’re going to fine him, but you’re going to get publicity out of it? What are we doing? It’s a little strange to me.
“It’s too much money to fine a man. It’s not okay, but you’ll be blasting it all over everything to get more clicks. “I don’t really agree with that.”
Elliott is not the only driver raising concerns. Daniel Suarez also posted similar sentiments about X.
“If it’s so wrong, why is it spreading all over NASCAR’s social channels?” Suarez posted. “We should be allowed to show our emotions, but I don’t understand.”
Stenhouse confronted Busch after the All-Star Race after Busch appeared to intentionally destroy him on the second lap of the non-points event in what he thought was an overly aggressive move on the opening lap.
Once the race was over, Stenhouse waited for Busch in Busch’s Richard Childress Racing carriage for more than 90 minutes from the time of the crash until the confrontation. After Stenhouse and Busch exchanged brief, heated words, Stenhouse punched Busch in the head. This sparked a fight between each team, with Stenhouse’s father lunging at Busch and starting a physical confrontation between them.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. compete after the All-Star Race. pic.twitter.com/IJMttBw90W
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) May 20, 2024
Bush was not suspended for his actions. NASCAR suspended Ricky Stenhouse Sr. indefinitely, along with two members of Stenhouse Jr.’s JTG Daugherty Racing team, mechanic Clint Myrick for eight races and engine tuner Keith Matthews for four races.
While NASCAR doesn’t always punish drivers for fighting, Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, explained Wednesday that Stenhouse had ample time to cool off before starting the fight.
“We’ll wait for 198 laps and make a decision and we’ll respond,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “A different decision might have been made.
“We want both drivers to have time to express their differences. “But once it escalates to a physical altercation, we will respond again.”
Busch was not punished because NASCAR could not confirm whether he intentionally destroyed Stenhouse.
NASCAR’s decision to suspend Stenhouse Sr. was consistent with NASCAR’s policy of not having non-competitors participate in matchups.
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(Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
