Looks like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. cannot let sleeping dogs lie. Remember the All-Star race last year? Tension boiled over between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch on just the second lap. Busch had shoved Stenhouse into the wall after aggressive pre-wide racing, ending the latter’s night early. And once the race concluded, Stenhouse parked his car in Busch’s pit stall, and it rained fire with Ricky throwing punches at Busch. Since then, the two haven’t crossed paths. But fast forward to today, and one racing statistic changed everything.

Kyle Busch’s No. 8 car has found itself in the thick of chaos this season, with a staggering 50% crash rate, according to Auto Racing Analytics. This means that he has been caught in an incident in half his starts. And the Hyak Motorsports driver wasn’t letting that one slide.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. takes a sly jab at Kyle Busch’s stats

Taking to X, Stenhouse Jr. didn’t hesitate while taking a dig at Kyle Busch, writing, “Crazy to think the guy that gave me the nickname Wrecky Spinhouse is on this list 🧐.” He isn’t over the brawl that broke out at North Wilkesboro last season. In fact, NASCAR fined Stenhouse $75,000, the largest fine in history, and suspended his father and key crew members after he chucked a right hook at Busch.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is no stranger to his nickname “Wrecky Spinhouse Jr.” because he crashes his car and damages a lot of equipment. And it was actually the two-time Cup Series champion, Busch, who coined the name after a series of incidents in which Stenhouse Jr. was involved.

And the name has stuck around since then; it resurfaced publicly when Denny Hamlin accidentally called Stenhouse Jr. “Wrecky” during his podcast while discussing the ongoing beef between Carson Hocevar and Stenhouse this year. And now the Hyak Motorsports driver seized his chance to get back “Rowdy.”

But to be fair, Kyle Busch‘s 2025 season has been such that even the stats cannot save him. The Richard Childress Racing driver has suffered 2 DNFs this season until now, and his season has been riddled with incidents that he either sparked or couldn’t escape unharmed. At the inaugural Mexico City’s Viva Mexico 250, Busch spun just seven laps into the race, clipped another car, and ignited a massive multi-car wreck involving drivers like Kyle Larson and AJ Allmendinger—Busch’s race ended in the last-place DNF.

A similar misstep unfolded at Richmond Raceway, where Busch nudged Chase Elliott’s car on a tight restart, triggering an 11-car crash that handed Elliott his first DNF of the season while Busch walked away but added to his chaos tally. Very unlike Busch, what makes his troubles even more striking is how frequently they have disrupted not just his day but also the days of contenders around him.

Beyond the dramatic wrecks, he also suffered a violent crash in practice at Iowa Speedway, demolishing his car before the race even began, forcing him to start from the back. Add to that moments where Busch was involved in multi-car wrecks simply by being part of the pack, for example, Kansas, and you have a driver whose 2025 campaign is as much about survival as it is about speed.

But as Kyle Busch seems to have found some momentum in the playoffs, he seems to be gaining massive ground before the year ends. Just take his recent Las Vegas run, for example. Busch ran a solid race at his home track in Las Vegas. Avoiding all the mayhem, he hovered around the top 10 throughout, and by the end of the day, he managed a P8 finish, far better than his previous runs.

And now, the 40-year-old is more than ready to chart his path to victory lane. But as fans celebrate his progress, they aren’t going to let Stenhouse Jr.’s remark just fly by.

NASCAR fans slam Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s comment about Kyle Busch

The NASCAR fanbase didn’t hold back after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gave his snarky comment. While the 38-year-old might have hoped to score some laughs, fans instantly reminded him why the nickname still follows him. One comment summed up the mood: “One clean year and wrecky thinks he’s allowed to talk. Maybe there’s a reason why everyone uses Busch’s nickname for you? Maybe it wouldn’t have stuck if you weren’t always wrecking as well? Kyle Busch is on that list and is STILL higher than you in points lmfao.”

Others were quick to double down on Busch’s superior record, especially given that 2025 has been one of the toughest seasons of his career. One fan jabbed, “Worst season of his career yet, he STILL has 100+ points on your head, btw.” The stats don’t lie; Busch has accumulated 681 points, whereas Stenhouse Jr. has only managed 532 points. For many fans, that made the Tennessee native’s comment look less like humor and more like misplaced confidence.

And then came the knockout punch, quite literally, referencing their past fight at the 2024 All-Star race. One fan mocked, “How many Cups do you have again, hmm? That pitiful, cheap shot of a punch you threw, however long ago it was, is the closest you’ll ever get to touching a Cup. Lmao.” Another added salt to the wound with, “Crazy to think there was a reason for it at the time, and the fact he has your total cup wins times 15. 😭😭”

Busch stands at an impressive 63 career Cup wins, whereas Stenhouse Jr. has only 4 to his name. The online consensus was clear: until Stenhouse Jr. can match Busch’s career stats or his composure, maybe it’s best not to stir up old rivalries that the fans aren’t ready to let go.