"There could have been different decisions made": NASCAR VP explains reasoning behind penalizing Ricky Stenhouse Jr

VP of Competition in NASCAR Elton Sawyer explained the reasoning behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr's penalty for physically clashing with Kyle Busch after the end of the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Two of his crew members are also facing multiple-race penalties, meanwhile, Busch was not penalized.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr was fined $75,000 for "violating the NASCAR code of conduct." This decision faced backlash from some drivers and fans on social media. Explaining this fine/penalty, Elton Sawyer stated that "different" decisions could have been made throughout the length of the race by Stenhouse Jr.

He spoke on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:

"What I will say, when you wait, you know, 198 laps and you make those decisions that were made, again, we're going to react to that. There could have been different decisions made once we start to get to the point where it gets physical."

Given the fact that North Wilkesboro is not equipped with a tunnel for the drivers, Stenhouse Jr waited on the track till the end of the race. It was at this moment that he got into a heated argument with Kyle Busch and ended up punching him.

This was because the latter had pushed Stenhouse hard on the second lap which ended his race. He did this seemingly because Stenhouse attempted to overtake him when the race started but pushed him wide, however, Busch's car was not damaged by it.

Sawyer mentioned that the authorities wanted the drivers to discuss these matters but the action was taken because the incident turned physical.

"We want the two drivers to be able to have their time to express their differences. But again, once it escalates to where there's been a physical altercation there, again, we're going to react and granted there was no tunnel, granted there was no crossover bridge, but better decisions could have been made throughout that period of time that between the incident that happened on the racetrack and the incident that happened in the garage post race."

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Dale Earnhardt Jr finds NASCAR's penalty on Stenhouse severe

Along with the $75k fine and the suspension of two crews, Keith Matthews and Clint Myrick for four and eight races (respectively), his father, Rick Stenhouse Sr has been suspended indefinitely. He was also seen attacking Busch in the viral social media clip.

Reacting to these penalties, Dale Earnhardt Jr mentioned that the penalties from NASCAR were severe. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Wow, I’m surprised by the severity of all these penalties."

Apart from this, he also backed Freddie Kraft, Bubba Wallace's spotter, stating that he thought the fine was much less than the $75k.

Furthermore, Earnhardt Jr defended Stenhouse Jr's move on the track when he attempted to overtake early in the race. He mentioned that because of the short track and the race, overtakes are extremely difficult and a driver has a higher chance during restarts. He further stated that he did not deserve to be hit into the wall for pushing hard on Busch.