Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reveals what he said to Kyle Busch's team when he climbed on top of the pit box

There was a lot going on at North Wilkesboro and it had little to do with the leaders. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made sure of that. The NASCAR driver marched up to Kyle Busch’s pit box to warn his crew chief about what was coming.

When Ricky Stenhouse Jr. put his car into Kyle Busch’s pit box, it felt like things were either going to escalate or calm down. They sure did escalate. Stenhouse then walked up to Randall Burnett and told him exactly what was going down after the race.

Well, sort of. Stenhouse opened up about the conversation he had with the No. 8 crew chief and company on the pit box while on NASCAR Race Hub. It was after Stenhouse had been issued a $75,000 fine.

“I just told Randall, Randall and I actually were talking probably for a solid 30 minutes behind our hauler before the race actually,” Stenhouse said. “Just talking about the season, talking about Darlington the week before, and their kind of frustrations of the way they’ve been running.

“Obviously that came to a head there [at North Wilkesboro]. But I got on the pit box and told Randall, ‘Hey, nothing against y’all, I like y’all. Just let your driver know that I’ll be waiting for him after the race since I can’t leave. That’s all I said.”

For Ricky Stenhouse Jr., I think this came down to a few factors. The whole situation, not just going into the pit box. The 2023 Daytona 500 winner has not had the best season. He does not get to race in the All-Star Race every year like Busch.

So, when he got wrecked on Lap 2, it was frustrating. Add that to comments Busch has made that Stenhouse has taken exception to, and it was a perfect mix.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earns $75,000 fine for Kyle Busch fight

When NASCAR handed down the penalties this week a lot of fans were confused. As was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. himself, apparently. Fights happen in NASCAR and nothing happens as a result of it. Ross Chastain punched Noah Gragson right in the face last year at Kansas. No fines, no penalties.

However, there are a few key differences between that fight and Stenhouse vs. Busch. Gragson went straight to Chastain after the race ended and was the instigator. No one else got involved besides security and neither driver made a move to get violent with security, either.

Meanwhile, in the Stenhouse situation: Ricky waited two hours and 198 laps for Busch to finish the race. He did not calm down during that time. Not to mention he already parked his car in their pit stall. Then, he did not one but two media interviews implying that he would fight Busch.

Finally, during the fight, his crew members got involved as did his father. Third party involvement is a big no-no from NASCAR. They want drivers to keep things between themselves. That didn’t happen in this case. So, $75,000 fine to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Not to mention his crew members’ suspensions.