Current:Home > NewsJoey Logano dominates NASCAR All-Star Race while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fights Kyle Busch -AssetLink
Joey Logano dominates NASCAR All-Star Race while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fights Kyle Busch
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:39:56
Joey Logano provided the fireworks on the track in a dominant performance Sunday night, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch had a real flare-up that closed the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Polesitter Logano put his No. 22 Ford out front for a record-setting 199 of 200 laps and snared the $1 million purse, winning the Cup Series' All-Star Race in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Without another set of soft tires, Logano stayed out when NASCAR threw its final planned caution with 50 laps left, while many in the field took on new rubber.
The 2016 All-Star Race winner then stayed ahead of Denny Hamlin to win the non-points race by 0.636 seconds.
"We came here and tested and ran over 800 laps at the tire test," said Logano. "I wish this one counted for points, but a million bucks will work as well."
Chris Buescher, who was involved in two dramatic endings over the past two weeks, came in third.
Following a day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, defending All-Star Race winner Kyle Larson arrived at the speedway by helicopter about 90 minutes before the green flag. He came home fourth, while Ryan Blaney finished fifth.
After Busch was squeezed into the wall with Stenhouse just ahead of him, Busch's No. 8 Chevrolet caught Stenhouse's No. 47 and turned it into the Turn 2 wall on Lap 2 for the first caution.
An angry Stenhouse then parked his damaged Chevrolet in Busch's pits and confronted Busch's crew chief Randall Burnett.
That carried over after the race.
With his car retired after two laps, Stenhouse was forced to stay at the 0.625-mile speedway, which only has a back gate to exit the infield and no tunnel. He vowed to see Busch afterward.
The two got face-to-face at Busch's hauler and aired their differences. Stenhouse then suddenly connected with a right hook to the two-time Cup champion's left cheek, and a melee broke out.
"I'm not sure why he was so mad," said Stenhouse. "He hit the fence and came off the wall and ran into me. When I was talking to him, he kept saying I wrecked him.
"It's built-up frustration with how he runs his mouth all the time about (me). I know he's frustrated because he doesn't run as good as he used to. I understand that."
Logano, Buescher, Blaney and Brad Keselowski – all drivers who stayed out on the soft tires after the Stenhouse caution – paced the field through 50 laps.
Logano's Ford stayed out front, but Bubba Wallace's No. 23 Toyota fought door-to-door with Logano for 25 laps to stay on the lead, and it did when the second yellow flag, a scheduled one, waved at the halfway point for mandatory pit stops.
With the five cars on soft tires running equal or better times compared to everyone else, teams opted for the softer tires during the stop, just like they did to start the event's 40th running.
Logano and Christopher Bell ran side-by-side with 92 laps to go, but Hamlin slipped into the mix and gained second behind Logano. All-Star Open winner Ty Gibbs then spun for the third caution on Lap 119 after Busch tapped him.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- 40 Celeb Swimsuit Picks Under $45: Kyle Richards, JoJo Fletcher, Porsha Williams, Paige DeSorbo & More
- Workers sue Disney claiming they were fraudulently induced to move to Florida from California
- Gayle King calls Justin Timberlake a 'great guy' after DWI arrest: 'He's not an irresponsible person'
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- California’s Bay Area is Heating Up. Its Infrastructure Isn’t Designed For It
- Canada says it’s ‘deeply disturbed’ after Bombito gets targeted on social media with racist messages
- Free dog food for a year? Rescue teams up with dog food brand to get senior dogs adopted
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- How to find your phone's expiration date and make it last as long as possible
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 3 kids 'found safe' after they never returned home from Colorado park, police say
- How Prince William Has Been Supporting Kate Middleton Throughout Her Health Battle
- Lilly King's fabulous five minutes: Swimmer gets engaged after qualifying for Olympic event
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Rickwood Field game jerseys: Meaning of Giants, Cardinals uniforms honoring Negro Leagues
- She asked 50 strangers to figure out how she should spend her $27 million inheritance. Here's what they came up with.
- Prosecution rests in the trial of a woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend
Recommendation
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Straight A's
Parts of Washington state parental rights law criticized as a ‘forced outing’ placed on hold
Louisiana becomes first state to allow surgical castration as punishment for child molesters
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
South Carolina governor visiting Germany, a major driver of the state’s economy
Why Heidi Klum Stripped Down in the Middle of an Interview
MLB at Rickwood Field: 10 things we learned at MLB's event honoring Negro Leagues