"I've just changed my style of fight" - When Richard Childress issued a warning to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. over his Kyle Busch wrecking remark
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into a major brawl during the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. As the brawl turned out to be an ugly one, NASCAR took disciplinary steps and penalized the parties involved. Amid this, Richard Childress, the owner of Richard Childress Racing, came out with a warning for Stenhouse Jr.
Busch and Stenhouse Jr. made contact during the first lap of the race. However, the turning point of their race arrived in the second lap when Busch rammed the rear of Stenhouse Jr.'s Chevrolet from behind, ruining his race.
Following the completion of the race, the JTG Daugherty driver confronted the Richard Childress man. He went physical, threw punches at the two-time Cup Series champion, and warned of a payback at Charlotte. However, Stenhouse Jr.'s antics did not go down well with Childress.
"I mean I would have jumped right in the middle of it," Childress said in a media interview. "I would have started fighting, I don't fight as fair as I used to I'm a little older but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said that going to wreck the #8 car at Charlotte.
"Well, when I see him, I'm gonna tell him if he does I'm older but I've just changed my style of fight. He'll carry a rough ass beating," he added.
Following an investigation, NASCAR penalized Stenhouse Jr. with $75,000, which was the highest fine for a driver in stock car racing.
The governing body also suspended Stenhouse Jr.'s father, Ricky Stenhouse Sr. temporarily for his involvement in the fracas. However, they let Kyle Busch go without any fine.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stated he wouldn't wreck Kyle Busch at Charlotte
During the heat of the moment at North Wilkesboro, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. warned Kyle Busch that the former would wreck the latter during the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, he took back his words ahead of the race.
"It was the heat of moment,” Stenhouse Jr. told the media. “You never want to wreck anybody on purpose, especially somewhere like Charlotte.” He further added that he lost respect for Busch "for wrecking us on purpose, especially in that moment. (But) I’m not going to waste my time trying to get him back.”
Busch, on the other hand, did not want to make contact with the JTG Daugherty racing driver either. He wanted to focus on the top three instead.
“I don’t need to a fight with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., I need a fight with the top three guys so I can start winning some races,” Busch said.
Notably, neither Kyle Busch nor Ricky Stenhouse Jr. failed to qualify for the 2024 Cup Series. Even though Stenhouse Jr. claimed a victory at Talladega in October, it was during the second round of 12 race.