Not Noah Gragson, Kyle Busch names NASCAR driver who had ‘more reasons’ to punch Ross Chastain

Darlington Raceway - Day 2
Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet, speaks to the media during a press conference at Darlington Raceway on May 13, 2023 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch has offered an interesting take on Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson’s post-race altercation at Kansas Speedway last weekend.

When asked about the incident during the Darlington pre-race news conference, Busch said that Denny Hamlin – who won the Cup Series race at Kansas – had more reason to confront Chastain than Gragson.

"Did that need to happen afterwards? Yeah, I don’t know if Noah was the right guy. I think Denny has more reasons to do that," Busch said.

Busch further criticized Chastain by saying that he has "been the most frustrating" driver to deal with as he "has it every single week," referring to the Trackhouse Racing Team driver’s penchant for ruffling feathers with his aggressive driving.

The two-time Cup Series champion also felt that security stepped in "about 10 seconds too quick" and urged NASCAR to consider introducing hockey-style rules for confrontations.

"You let one guy get a hell of a hit in and you block the other guy from getting a hit back, you gotta at least let the guy try and then maybe get in," Kyle Busch said. "I would seriously urge NASCAR to go with some hockey rules, once you get to the ground we’re gonna break it up."
"Let them get a good 30 seconds in, it’s gonna be way better for TV and ratings are gonna go off the charts."

NASCAR's senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer has confirmed that there will be no penalties levied on either Chastain or Gragson following Sunday's incident. Sawyer explained how the sport's sanctioning board came to the decision not to penalize either of the Cup Series drivers.

"As we’ve said before, our sport is an emotional sport. Our guys, again, using Sunday, everybody was on the edge, so when you felt like your day hasn’t gone the way you had hoped it would, and someone may have impacted that in a way that you’re not happy, you’re gonna show your displeasure.” Sawyer said.

Kyle Busch's infamous sucker-punching incident with Joey Logano

Kyle Busch was involved in a similar incident with Joey Logano in 2017, after his No. 18 Toyota Camry spun out on the last lap of the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Kobalt 400 in Las Vegas.

After the race, Kyle Busch headed straight for Logano, whose aggressive racing sent the former spinning down pit road at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Busch punched Logano before being pulled to the ground by the crew. He was eventually removed from the altercation by NASCAR officials, and he had sustained a small wound to his forehead.

Although this incident happened years ago, this incident is still one of the most famous post-race fights in NASCAR history.

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Edited by Shubham Banerjee