There was a lot going on last night during the rescheduled Busch Light Clash. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was involved in half of it. When it wasn’t Michael McDowell he was getting angry with, it was NASCAR Cup Series rookie John Hunter Nemechek.
Nemechek was also involved in a couple of incidents outside of Stenhouse Jr. However, it was an incident with the 2023 Daytona 500 champion that was the most intense.
While the mid-race concert with Machine Gun Kelly was canceled due to the improvised schedule, there was still a break of about 20 minutes. Not the usual process in NASCAR but for The Clash, it is there.
Fans watching on TV might have heard of this incident. But they didn’t see it. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got out of his car and marched over to Nemechek. Then, he proceeded to take down the window net and stick his head in the car.
Stenhouse Jr. wasn’t happy with how Nemechek had raced him on restarts. So, he let him know about it.
The Daytona 500 winner is feeling a little spicy to start the year. He isn’t going to get pushed around by anyone, apparently. After how good of a season JTG Daugherty and Stenhouse had in 2023, they want more this year.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. making enemies early
Here is what I like about the incidents with Michael McDowell and John Hunter Nemechek – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is going to have to race these guys all year. In an ideal world for these drivers, they are going to be gunning for those playoff spots in the 14-16 range.
So, they are going to see each other often on the track. That will only lead to more opportunities for these drivers to get retaliation and more chances for a little mistake to turn into a much bigger issue.
I think it is a good sign that these three drivers made the big show at the Busch Light Clash as well. It is going to be a very competitive Cup Series season this year. From top to bottom, there will be chances for most drivers to have great races.
Just think about Josh Williams almost making the main event. Justin Haley had a top-10 car until a mechanical issue took him out in his first-ever start at Rick Ware Racing.
It remains to be seen if this is a one-off for these smaller teams or the start of a trend. For now, it looks good to me. I’m sure at Daytona, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won’t get too upset with anyone.
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