Kyle Busch is no stranger to post-race altercations. Just ask the winner of Sunday’s main event, Joey Logano. An image of a bloody KFB forehead from Las Vegas back in 2017 rings a rowdy alarm in the minds of many, as the former Joe Gibbs Racing teammates duked it out on pit road following questionable contact at the Kobalt 400.

Nevertheless, Busch had his hands full after a long time this year at North Wilkesboro. After a ‘controversial’ early-race push from the #8 Chevy rendered Ricky Stenhouse Jr hopeless and fuming at his All-Star DNF, it consequently brought about a full-blown brawl by the RCR haulers, potentially bringing in suspensions as the week progresses into Charlotte. 

With Stenhouse Jr following on the ‘festivities’ with calls of a charity boxing match, fellow dirt track colleague Kyle Larson seems to be cheering on the 2023 Daytona 500 winner. In case, a regulated brawl does indeed transpire for the duo at odds, NASCAR’s two-time Cup winner may face another upset, as per Larson, regardless of his former WWE 24/7 champion status.

Kyle Larson’s take on the Stenhouse Jr. vs. Busch feud

Returning to North Wilkesboro from Indianapolis following fast 6 qualifying for the Indy 500, it is important to note Larson secured his Double Duty starting spot alongside Alexander Rossi and Santino Ferrucci in Row 2. From 320+mph winged beasts running laps of The Brickyard to manning sprint cars to checkered flags on dirt circuits, Larson’s most recent cross-promotional ventures have proved once again that he can excel in just about anything with four wheels on a racetrack.

Like Larson, another million-dollar hopeful on Sunday, Stenhouse Jr. has faced a similar upbringing in racing. Starting at a very young age and making his way through these regional dirt circuits mentioned above, JTG Daugherty’s #47 driver has overcome the odds relatably to claim his place as a full-time Cup Series driver in stock car racing’s premier competition experience.

That story certainly resonates loudly with Hendrick Motorsports’ #5 driver, considering the rough-and-tumble atmosphere of regional racing has molded him, as well as his Cup Series colleague making all the noise alongside Kyle Busch this week, and when AP journalist Jenna Fryer asked Larson who would win an “actual fight” between Busch and Stenhouse Jr. in light of all the recent fracas, the usually conflict-avoidant racecar driver opined, “Oh, Ricky, for sure. He’s a scrapper. And he doesn’t stop. He won’t stop.”

Explaining his reasons for picking Stenhouse Jr., Larson then stated a difference in mentality influencing his choices: “He may get beat up, but he won’t quit.” 

A big ‘wreck you’ at Charlotte?

The camaraderie between these dirt track diehards was apparent after Stenhouse Jr.’s first-ever Daytona 500 win for JTG Daugherty last year. Although Larson crashed out on the final lap battling for a top-5 position, he was certainly happy to see his fellow grassroots racer claim victory in record-breaking fashion too. The 2023 Daytona 500 was the longest-ever running edition of the official opening race of the NASCAR season.

But on the other hand, the #47 driver’s displays since Daytona have left a lot to the collective imagination. With two top-5 finishes in the next 50-odd races (including the non-points All-Star events), Stenhouse Jr.’s average outings have often pushed his inspirational story to the sidelines due to the fleeting and unforgiving nature of racing calendars.

However, tangling with one of NASCAR’s biggest stars has placed Ricky in the spotlight for the time being, for all the wrong reasons. As it happens, all members involved in the nasty post-race brawl may face suspensions following Tuesday. Speaking to Alex Weaver, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Racing Development, John Probst announced, “I would say that we’ve already started looking at the tape. We’ll take a deep dive into that Tuesday, and certainly there will be some announcements, I would anticipate. There’s a lot of folks involved there, that we don’t like seeing.”

But if suspensions don’t arrive through the week, we may witness further fireworks at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. Laying out a conclusion to his fisticuffs with Kyle Busch, Stenhouse Jr. blurted out, “I’m going to wreck you at Charlotte.” How much of that statement will hold in reality? We will find out next Sunday, with points at stake, once again in North Carolina.