NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The talk going into the NASCAR All-Star Race was about “soft” — as in how soft tires Cup Series teams can use to put on a good race.
But the talk after Sunday night’s race will include about anything but soft — a wild melee between cand Kyle Busch that followed a dominating race victory by Joey Logano.
Busch took out Stenhouse two laps into the race in retaliation for contact on the opening laps at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The track — a throwback to NASCAR’s more grass-roots days — doesn’t have a tunnel so drivers who don’t finish a race have to wait until after the race to leave.
That meant Stenhouse waited for Busch and after a short conversation, threw a right hook at Busch’s face. Members of both teams got involved until Busch left the area about a minute later.
Any penalties likely will be announced Tuesday. NASCAR typically lets drivers throw punches but it will determine whether any crew members get disciplined.
All the while, Logano celebrated winning $1 million.
“That was awesome. … What an incredible [car]. It was so fast,” Logano said.
Stenhouse indicated he was going to do something after the race. He said he would handle it, and when asked by FOX Sports how he would handle it, he said: “You can just watch afterwards.”
The JTG Daugherty Racing driver felt Busch took his frustration of a tough season out on him early in the race.
“He left the door wide open, I went through the middle, almost had him clear, the 34 [of Michael McDowell] kind of ran up the track and we all kind of touched there — nothing major,” Stenhouse said. “Then Kyle tried to wreck me in [Turns] 3 and 4 and then finally did wreck me in [Turns] 1 and 2. … He just did a poor job on the start and then was mad about it — I think that’s the way his season has gone.”
