NASCAR's most popular driver, Chase Elliott, has slammed NASCAR after the sport's governing body levied a record fine on Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earlier this week for his involvement in a brawl following last Sunday's All-Star Race in North Wilkesboro.
Elliott knew Stenhouse was fined for punching Kyle Busch, but the 2020 Cup Series champion didn't know the exact amount until he was informed at a press conference Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.
Stenhouse was fined $75,000 — the largest fine for a driver altercation in NASCAR history — and Elliott was in disbelief when he learned the exact amount.
“$75,000? Wow,” Elliott said. “I heard they fined me, but I didn't know it was $75,000.”
“Yes, that's a lot of money. A lot of money. It seems incredibly expensive to me.”
Elliott's shocked reaction stems from the fact that NASCAR fined Stenhouse despite him actively sharing footage of the altercation on his social media channels. What Elliott takes issue with is what he believes to be a double standard in that NASCAR not only penalized Stenhouse, but also handed him a record fine despite the fact that the altercation was publicized multiple times.
“I think it's too much for the circumstances,” Elliott said. “They're going to fine him and then they're going to promote him? What are they doing? It's just weird.”
“It's not right to impose huge amounts of money as fines, but then we're going to hype this up everywhere to get more clicks. I'm not in favor of that at all.”
Elliott is not the only one to have raised this issue, with Daniel Suarez also posting a similar opinion on X:
“If it's so wrong, why is it on NASCAR's social channels?” Suarez wrote. “It's okay to show emotion. I don't get it.”
After the All-Star Race, Stenhouse confronted Busch about Busch appearing to intentionally crash Stenhouse on the second lap of a non-points qualifying event, with Busch believing Stenhouse had been too aggressive on the opening laps.
After the race, Stenhouse was waiting for Busch in Busch's Richard Childress Racing truck, where he had been waiting for Busch for over 90 minutes before the crash. After a brief, heated argument between Busch and Stenhouse, Stenhouse punched Busch in the head, which sparked a fight between the two teams, with Stenhouse's father lunging at Busch and a fistfight starting between the two.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into a fight after the All-Star Race. pic.twitter.com/IJMttBw90W
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) May 20, 2024
Busch was not suspended for his actions. NASCAR suspended Ricky Stenhouse Sr. indefinitely and two members of Stenhouse Jr.'s JTG Daugherty Racing team, mechanic Clint Myrick for eight races and engine tuner Keith Matthews for four races.
NASCAR hasn't always penalized drivers who get into fights, but the difference is that Stenhouse had plenty of time to cool down before starting the fight, NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer explained Wednesday.
“We'll wait 198 laps and when that decision is made, we'll address it,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “There are some decisions that could have been made differently.”
“We want to allow the two drivers time to express their differences, but if it escalates to a physical confrontation we will again have to respond.”
NASCAR did not determine that Busch intentionally wrecked Stenhouse, so Busch was not penalized.
NASCAR's decision to suspend Stenhouse Sr. was in keeping with NASCAR's policy that non-competitors may not be involved in conflicts.
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(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)