Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s surprise punch to Kyle Busch Friday night not only caught Busch off guard, but also stunned the media and Denny Hamlin. The fistfight broke out when Kyle Busch responded on Lap 2 for a bump from Stenhouse on the first lap.
That scrap reminded Hamlin of his own 2019 battle with Joey Logano, the most recent winner of the All-Star race in North Wilkesboro.
Reflecting on the incident, Hamlin opened up about the whole ordeal and certainly didn’t mince words, issuing a bold warning to anyone thinking about crossing him.
Denny Hamlin has a message for the drivers.
After the all-star race wrapped up, the drama kicked into high gear when Kyle Busch, still in his full racing getup, approached Ricky Stenhouse Jr to call him out for “wrecking” him, all while a TV crew captured the scene. Words were exchanged, and before you knew it, Stenhouse Jr landed a quick right hook on Busch’s jaw against the backdrop of exploding fireworks. He didn’t stop there; he threw another punch and then shoved Busch, who stumbled over a tire. Race officials and team members quickly swarmed to break it up.
Busch ended up tussling with a guy in a grey sweater, thought to be one of Stenhouse Jr’s crew, swinging a punch back. Denny Hamlin chimed in later, suggesting that talking things through is usually best. But, he made it clear that if someone else starts trouble, no one should step back.
On a recent episode of his podcast, “Actions Detrimental,” Denny Hamlin reminisced about the last time he tried to throw a punch. When his co-host asked about it, Hamlin said, “Last time I threw a punch was Joey [Logano] at Martinsville it didn’t land. […] But again I think it was all as long as you’re levelheaded and we have a conversation I think that then we can have a conversation.“
The incident he was referring to happened back in 2019. During that race at Martinsville, Hamlin and Joey Logano tangled on the track, with Logano’s No. 22 Ford taking the brunt of it. He spun out and managed to claw his way back from 19th to finish eighth, while Hamlin’s #11 Toyota finished a solid fourth. After the race, the two met up for a heated exchange on pit road that quickly went south after Logano gave Hamlin a shove on the shoulder. Their crews had to jump in and separate them, although both drivers seemed ready to settle it with fists. During the scuffle, one of Logano’s crew members, Dave Nichols, ended up pushing Hamlin to the ground. Nichols was later suspended by NASCAR for his part in the post-race dust-up.
After touching on how he tried to talk things out with Joey Logano until things got physical, Denny Hamlin brought up his calmer interaction with Ross Chastain. Hamlin mentioned that their conversation didn’t escalate to a fight because they managed to have a normal chat. But he added, “I mean so I just think every situation is different but I’m definitely a fighter if you put me in a corner. No doubt!”
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