Dale Earnhardt Jr. “surprised” by the severe penalties from NASCAR on Ricky Stenhouse Jr. over Kyle Busch fight

There have been multiple fight breakouts over the years in NASCAR.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. “surprised” by the severe penalties from NASCAR on Ricky Stenhouse Jr. over Kyle Busch fight

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via IMAGO) Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Kyle Busch fight (In Circle)

The All-Star Race in North Wilkesboro would be remembered for its heated altercations after the race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch were seen exchanging blows in the pitlane as the confrontation ramped up quickly. Subsequently, NASCAR dished out stringent penalties for the Sternhouse side of the garage, which surprised Dale Earnhardt Jr.

On lap two of the All-Star race, Kyle Busch shunted Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the wall, which ended the latter’s race in an instant. This enraged the 36-year-old, who waited for the race to finish to have a chat with Busch regarding their incident. However, this chat escalated quickly as Stenhouse threw the first punch that started chaos in the pitlane.

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On the other hand, NASCAR had recently adopted strict rules and penalties for physical violence between drivers and garages, and subsequently issued a $75,000 fine for Stenhouse Jr., and his father was suspended indefinitely with more penalties for the JTG garage. This stringent action shocked Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he had been part of multiple confrontations over the years, but rarely any one of them had been penalized by the organizing body.

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Wow, I’m surprised by the severity of all these penalties.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in a tweet

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has suggested NASCAR to change the prizes for winning races

For the past two decades, the prize pool of a race win for a driver has remained at $1 million. However, as time has transformed over the years, the monetary value of the races has gone down and drivers have been heard lamenting the old format. Moreover, Earnhardt became the latest addition to this list as he suggested some changes in the old format to adapt to the changing times.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a HMS driver back in 2017
Dale Earnhardt Jr., a HMS driver back in 2017 (Credits: Guardian)

The 49-year-old stated that $1 million is an insignificant amount for a highly successful driver like Denny Hamlin, who co-owns a racing team. On the other hand, such an amount could be monumental for a rising driver. Thus, he recommended that race winners should get a reserved spot in the second round of playoffs, as this would level up the playing field and give all of them an equal chance.

What’s a million dollars to Denny Hamlin? Well, the dude has won 50 races! It means a lot different than it might to Harrison Burton, right? Definitely, a million dollars is a lot of damn money to Harrison Burton. He would be thrilled to get that check, right? So, it doesn’t mean the same for all the drivers whereas a boost into the playoffs holds the same value for anyone in the series.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in his Dirty Mo Media podcast

Despite Earhardt’s suggestions, there has been no confirmation from NASCAR regarding any change in the prize structure. Moreover, NASCAR is keen on moving in the same direction and a change in the format seems highly unlikely.

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