The Viva Mexico 250 had just about everything you could ask for in a road course showdown! Narrow turns, wrecks, bold strategy calls, you name it. It was a race that kept fans and drivers on their toes all afternoon. Well, Shane van Gisbergen dominated the final stage like he was driving a different league altogether. The result? A win by over 16 seconds. Behind him, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott rounded out the podium (first for a NASCAR) after a gutsy drive through chaos.

But while the focus should’ve stayed on SVG’s masterclass and the history made on foreign soil, NASCAR being NASCAR, things got spicy elsewhere. And no, it’s not the tacos! Not everyone left the track celebrating. Some carried a little more than confetti back home. And in one case, let’s just say a message was delivered. And back in the States, that message sparked a hilarious turn of events no one saw coming.

Kyle Larson enters the Hocevar-Stenhouse saga

The final laps of the Viva Mexico 250 weren’t just about strategy and pace. Instead, they came with a side of smoke, sparks, and an old-fashioned grudge match. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had been running a solid race before things took a wild turn late in the event. As the laps ticked down, Carson Hocevar (never shy when it comes to aggressive racing) tagged Stenhouse coming out of a tight corner and spun him around. The contact dashed any hopes of a strong finish for the No. 47 and lit a fire that didn’t cool down after the checkered flag.

Given the history between them, a similar incident happened at Nashville—Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wasn’t happy. And it showed. After the race, while Hocevar was still strapped to his car, Stenhouse made his feelings crystal clear. He leaned over toward Hocevar, who was parked nearby, and fired off a warning that quickly went viral: “I’m going to beat your a– when we get back to the States.”

That moment instantly became NASCAR’s version of a post-credit scene. Fans and media alike were waiting for what would come next once the series returned stateside. And then, the unexpected happened. Enter: Kyle Larson. Just days after the race, Larson posted a few photos on Instagram of him and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hanging out at Dodger Stadium, where they met with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Seems innocent enough, right? Just until you read the caption. “@stenhousejr getting a lecture from manager Dave Roberts on how to control his anger,” Kyle Larson posted. It was playful. It was perfectly timed. And it hit the internet like a green-white-checkered finish. What started as a heated warning ended in a ballpark roast. And the NASCAR community? Well, they loved every second of it, because while tempers in this sport burn hot, the internet never forgets… or misses a chance to pile on. And boy, did the fans pile on.

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Fans let their creativity loose on social media

Once Kyle Larson’s Instagram post hit the feed, the floodgates officially opened. The caption alone was enough to send the NASCAR community into a full-blown roasting session. And the comments? Instant classics. One fan wrote, “The caption is golden.” Yup, we can’t disagree on that. Larson hit the perfect notes in taking a dig at Stenhouse Jr.’s latest actions (or lack thereof).

Another commented, “Larson trying to stay on Ricky’s good side 😂” because let’s be honest, after what went down in Mexico, who wouldn’t want to avoid being Stenhouse’s next target? Another added, “No black eye & back in the States! Lol,” calling back to Ricky’s now-legendary swing at Kyle Busch during the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro in 2024.

Yes, that happened. After a similar late-race dustup that ended in a wreck, Stenhouse waited for Busch post-race and landed a punch that had the entire garage talking for weeks. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 by NASCAR for the incident. Fans haven’t forgotten. One commenter joked, “Hopefully @rowdybusch stays out of your way this weekend,” while another chimed in with, “I was just telling my friend who doesn’t watch NASCAR that @stenhousejr is the driver that will get out and throw hands 😂😂😂.”

The internet also dusted off one of Ricky’s less-flattering nicknames, “Ole Wrecky Spinhouse,” a callback to his more accident-prone days that, fair or not, still follows him around every time there’s contact on track. The Spinhouse name is legendary! There are even dedicated parody accounts for the same.

Whether you think he’s hot-headed or just passionate, there’s no denying Ricky Stenhouse Jr. brings something to the sport. The kind of drama you can’t script. The kind of moments fans eat up. And judging by this week’s comment section, it’s clear that Ricky Stenhouse didn’t just come back to the States. He came back to memes, punchlines, and maybe a little legend status.