NASCAR Suspends Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s DAD for Role in All-Star Race Brawl

NASCAR's weekly penalty report that came out this morning had a surprising name on it—Richard Stenhouse.

No, not NASCAR Cup Series veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

It was Stenhouse's dad who took what many could consider the tougher penalty.

Stenhouse Jr. ignited a post-race brawl with rival Kyle Busch almost immediately following Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro And, according to NASCAR's penalty police, Dad got into the fray.

NASCAR today handed out penalties for the rhubarb, including $75,000 fine for Junior and an indefinite suspension for Senior.

Two members of Stenhouse's No. 47 JTG Daugherty race team were also suspended for having played roles in the incident. Team mechanic Clint Myrick was suspended for the next eight Cup Series races, and tuner Keith Matthews was suspended for the next four Cup Series races.

No word from NASCAR on why Stenhouse Jr.—who first confronted and then threw the first punch at Kyle Busch and turned the incident from verbal to physical—dodged a suspension, despite the fact that he had 198 laps to calm down and think about his actions that ultimately led to a brawl.

Stenhouse Sr. was suspended for violating NASCAR Member Code of Conduct (Sections 4.4.D in the NASCAR Rule Book).

Family members of NASCAR drivers frequently carry "hard card" credentials issued by NASCAR that allow them entry and access to normally restricted areas during a race weekend and the race itself. What this means for Stenhouse Sr. is that he'll at least for the time being be without some of his normal weekend access to driver and team areas.

“I think it’s fair to say that when you have crew members and family members that put their hands on our drivers, we’re going to react,” NASCAR senior vice president of Competition Elton Sawyer said Wednesday morning on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “... when crew members and family members get involved, we are going to react. That’s exactly what we did.”

Stenhouse was first out of the All-Star Race following a crash just two laps into the 200-lap event. He blamed Busch and even parked his beat-up car in Busch's pit stall after the incident.

Stenhouse then issued a warning as he left the infield care center that he would "handle it" after the race.

He did.

And, today, so did NASCAR.