NASCAR fans witnessed a violent fight between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch just a few days ago after the 2024 All-Star Race. The battle on the track translated into a confrontation on the pit straight, and it quickly became one of the most iconic battles in the sport. Let’s look back at this recent incident and nine others that have become the best fights in NASCAR history.
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. vs Kyle Busch—2024
The fight between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch happened after the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race. It started in Lap 2 when Busch forced Stenhouse into the wall, damaging the car and ending his chances of victory.
Stenhouse being angry, confronted Busch in the garage area after the race. They started cursing each other, and before long, Stenhouse threw a punch at Busch, as a result, both drivers started fighting with their crews, and NASCAR officials had to separate them (watch it here).
Also Read: 10 questions all NASCAR fans should know the answers to
9. Jeff Gordon vs. Jeff Burton— 2010
The incident between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton happened during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway. It started when Burton rear-ended Gordon under caution, and the two cars ended up in the wall.
Gordon was furious and went straight to Burton to confront him on the track after the crash. It did not take long for both drivers to get into a physical fight over the incident. They were physically assaulting each other before the officials intervened.
This fight was unexpected for many fans and commentators because Gordon and Burton were known to be good-mannered and disciplined (watch it here).
8. Greg Biffle vs. Jay Sauter—2001
The 2001 NASCAR Busch Series race season saw a physical confrontation between Greg Biffle and Jay Sauter during the AutoLite Fram 250 race at Richmond International Raceway. The tension between the two drivers was already high at that point in the season, but it escalated when, during the race, Sauter turned into Biffle’s car, which spun Biffle out.
Furious, Biffle got out of his truck, walked right up to Sauter’s car, and punched him through the window net (watch it here).
7. Tony Stewart vs. Joey Logano—2013
There was some heated action in the NASCAR 2013 Cup season, such as the feud between Tony Stewart and Joey Logano. The on-track incident happened in March at Auto Club Speedway during the race. Towards the last lap, Stewart attempted to overtake Logano, but Logano, instead of allowing him to pass, forcefully moved his car in front of Stewart, causing contact between the cars.
This caused Stewart to spin out, and his chances of winning went down the drain. Frustrated, Stewart went to find Logano and confronted him. Stewart began yelling at him and then shoved him. Their rivalry continued throughout the season as they quarreled and collided on the track (watch it here).
6. Kevin Harvick vs. Greg Biffle—2002
Another memorable fight in NASCAR racing history: Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle in 2002. At Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Busch Series race, tempers flared up between the two racers. In the race, there was a pretty intense fight on the track between Harvick and Biffle.
But things took a turn when Biffle brought Harvick into contact, making the latter spin into the wall. Following the race, a frustrated Harvick waited for Biffle to finish the race in the pit lane in order to confront him.
The confrontation between Harvick and Biffle turned ugly almost immediately, with the two drivers being quite vocal and physical. The event became rather popular among the fans and received widespread coverage in the media (watch it here).
5. Kyle Busch vs. Joey Logano—2017
The incident between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano occurred in March 2017 right after the Kobalt 400 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the last lap, Logano’s car hit Busch’s, who was leading the race at that time, spun off, and lost positions.
After the race, Busch went to confront Logano in the pit area and things escalated to chaos when Busch punched Logano. Logano’s crew members stepped in to stop the fight although Busch was left with a bleeding forehead but no serious injuries.
Busch later said that his aggression stemmed from his irritation with what seemed to be Logano’s more aggressive nature on the track since joining Team Penske (watch it here).
Also Read: 20 richest NASCAR drivers of all time – Where does Dale Earnhardt Jr. land in the top 20?
4. Rusty Wallace vs. Darrell Waltrip—1989
It would be impossible to talk about the most memorable NASCAR race incidents without mentioning the 1989 battle between Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip. This one occurred during The Winston at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. In the last lap of the race, Wallace’s car made contact with Waltrip’s car and forced Waltrip to spin out and crash. Wallace came out the winner of the race, while Waltrip and his team were left seething with anger. A pre-emptive strike and heightened tension resulted in a heated aftermath in the garage.
Post-race, Waltrip was furious with Wallace and went to confront the latter in the garage. That escalated to physical contact with Waltrip in his racing suit shoving Wallace, who was having a victory lap. Crew members and NASCAR officials had to intervene and pull both drivers apart when they were arguing (watch it here).
3. Matt Kenseth vs. Brad Keselowski—2014
It would be impossible to talk about the most memorable NASCAR race incidents without mentioning the 1989 battle between Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip. This one occurred during The Winston at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. In the last lap of the race, Wallace’s car made contact with Waltrip’s car and forced Waltrip to spin out and crash. Wallace came out the winner of the race, while Waltrip and his team were left seething with anger. A pre-emptive strike and heightened tension resulted in a heated aftermath in the garage.
Post-race, Waltrip was furious with Wallace and went to confront the latter in the garage. That escalated to physical contact with Waltrip in his racing suit shoving Wallace, who was having a victory lap. Crew members and NASCAR officials had to intervene and pull both drivers apart when they were arguing (watch it here).
2. Jeff Gordon vs. Clint Bowyer—2012
The incident between Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer that took place at the AdvoCare 500 in Phoenix in 2012 was one of the most sensational and well-documented fights in the history of NASCAR. After several on-track incidents during the season, tempers rose as Gordon deliberately caused an accident by hitting Bowyer’s car which led to a multiple-car crash.
Bowyer ran through the garage to get to Gordon and while they two traded blows, it was their crews that got physical. The following anarchy that was televised live sparked a lot of penalties and fines but was etched in NASCAR history (watch it here).
1. Cale Yarborough vs. Donnie Allison—1979
Arguably, the most famous fight in NASCAR history was the incident between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison during the 1979 Daytona 500 race. Yarborough and Allison, who were within the final lap of the race made attempts at overtaking each other but unfortunately collided, and this made the two cars spin and veer off at the infield, leaving their respective chances of winning the race irrelevant. In the chaos, Richard Petty came out and moved forward and up to the winning position.
Yarborough and Allison were driving their cars when they got involved in an accident and both got out of their car to further confront each other aggressively. It did not take long for Donnie’s brother, Bobby Allison to jump in the fray as well. This took place as a live national broadcast and quickly brought an unprecedented focus on NASCAR and made the Daytona 500 an event no one would want to miss (watch it here).