NASCAR's All-Star race Sunday night looked a whole lot more like a UFC event -- at least at the end -- when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hauled off and socked Kyle Busch in the face for wrecking into him earlier in the evening.
The scene was chaotic ... after getting run over by Busch in the second lap of the contest at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, Stenhouse Jr. waited all night long to confront the NASCAR superstar in the raceway's garage.
2024 All-Star race @ North Wilkesboro, Ricky Stenhouse Jr's full race onboard. pic.twitter.com/4UJ0rS6sK0
— Andrew (@Basso488) May 20, 2024
He got in Busch's face, told him he was pissed over the crash ... and then he threw a right hand that connected with the driver's left cheek. He appeared to throw at least one more punch -- before all hell then broke loose.
Crews for each of the guys jumped in and began wrestling with one another ... as Stenhouse Jr. and Busch were both taken to the ground. The two tried to get up to get in the mix further -- although they were ultimately held back from one another.
What Kyle Busch said about the contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as he walked to his hauler, where Stenhouse was waiting. pic.twitter.com/BAfXStPOsM
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 20, 2024
Thankfully, after several moments of scuffling, cooler heads prevailed ... and all parties were separated.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spoke with @JamieLittleTV after throwing a punch at Kyle Busch. #NASCAR #AllStarRace pic.twitter.com/NeHQFkjjS4
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 20, 2024
Busch didn't speak with reporters following the fracas, but Stenhouse Jr. did ... and while his frustrations had ended in violence just minutes before -- he seemed to say his beef with his colleague was now over.
It's been a tough season for both dudes -- Busch is currently 13th in the Cup Series standings, while Stenhouse Jr. is 26th -- although they'll each look to get back on track when they hit the Coca-Cola 600 in Concord this weekend ... hopefully with less haymakers this time around.