The NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday night featured a first-lap tussle that escalated into a post-race brawl between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch at the recently repaved North Wilkesboro Speedway. Team Penske dominated qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 as if the suspensions for its push-to-pass scandal never happened. It’s Monday, May 20, 2024 and this is Racing Recap, your summary of last weekend’s motorsports highlights.
Stenhouse Waited The Entire Race To Fight Busch
Let’s get the worst aspect of the All-Star Race out of the way. Joey Logano led 199 out of 200 laps on his way to victory lane. The Penske driver drove the entire race on Goodyear’s option tire. The tire supplier provided prime and option compounds for this exhibition event. The option was intended to be faster and less durable than the prime, but Logano has no issue maintaining control of the front.
The race’s most shocking moment started on the first lap when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran Kyle Busch up against the wall. Busch immediately retaliated, chasing down the No. 47 Camaro and punting the car into the wall. The damage was too severe for Stenhouse Jr. to continue and he parked his wrecked car in Busch’s pit box and told the Childress driver’s crew chief that he’d be waiting for him after the race. The 2023 Daytona 500 winner didn’t really have a choice. North Wilkesboro Speedway doesn’t have a crossover tunnel beneath the track. He was stuck in the field until the race was over.
As soon as the race ended, Stenhouse waited by Busch’s hauler. As Fox interviewed the race winner, the pair had a heated argument that quickly escalated into fists flying. Stenhouse threw a right jab, and then the pit crews started grappling as NASCAR security pulled people apart. I don’t think this feud is going to blow over anytime soon.
Race Results
1. – Joey Logano (Penske)
2. – Denny Hamlin (Gibbs) – +0.636 seconds
3. – Chris Buescher (RFK) – +4.893 seconds
4. – Kyle Larson (Hendrick) – +5.312 seconds
5. – Ryan Blaney (Penske) – +5.451 seconds
Penske Locks Out Front Row For Indy 500
Joey Logano’s dominance at North Wilkesboro was foreshadowed by his Penske stablemates locking out the front row at the Indianapolis 500 in qualifying. It was the second ever time that a single team secured the top three positions. Scott McLaughlin won pole with a record four-lap average of 234.220 mph ahead of Will Power and Josef Newgarden. The only real threat to the lockout was a mechanical problem. When using qualifying boost pressures, the turbocharged Chevrolet engines were prone to plenum fire. However, the only time this struck a Penske entry was Will Power during the practice session on Monday morning.
Fast Six Results
1. – Scott McLaughlin (Penske) – 234.220 mph
2. – Will Power (Penske) – 233.917 mph
3. – Josef Newgarden (Penske) – 233.808 mph
4. – Alexander Rossi (McLaren) – 233.090 mph
5. – Kyle Larson (McLaren) – 232.846 mph
6. – Santino Ferrucci (Foyt) – 232.692 mph
There’s nothing like Bump Day at Indianapolis. It wasn’t entirely surprising who ended up at the back of the field, but the drama surrounding who would miss the Greatest Spectacle in Racing was nerve-wracking. The Coyne cars were the favorites to go home and needed to be driven at 110 percent to get any speed out of them. Katherine Legge tagged the Turn 4 wall during her run but was still able to put up a solid speed. Her teammate Nolan Siegel wasn’t as fortunate. The talented young driver put his car crashed his car during his buzzer-beater attempt to make the race.
Back Row Results
31. – Katherine Legge (Coyne) – 230.092 mph
32. – Marcus Ericcson (Andretti) – 230.027 mph
33. – Graham Rahal (RLL) – 229.974 mph
34. – Nolan Siegel (Coyne) – 229.566 mph