CONCORD, N.C. — Chase Elliott criticized NASCAR for fining driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $75,000 for punching Kyle Busch following Sunday night’s All-Star Race after it had used video of the fight on social media.
It was the largest fine ever handed down for fighting in NASCAR history.
Elliott, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, said he knew Stenhouse had been fined but appeared stunned when informed the amount by a member of the media.
“That seems like a lot for that situation,” Elliott said. “You are going to fine him, but you are going to promote with it? Like, what are we doing? That’s a little strange to me. … That’s a lot of money to fine a guy. It’s like, ‘It’s not OK, but we are going to blast it all over everything to get more clicks.'”
Elliott was referring to NASCAR posting video of the fight at North Wilkesboro Speedway on the social platform X along with the words: “We’ll call this a … difference of opinion.”
Busch was not penalized.
Stenhouse’s father, Ricky Sr. — who has no affiliation with his son’s team — was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on Wednesday for his role in the fracas when he went after Busch. Stenhouse mechanic Clint Myrick was suspended for eight races and engine tuner Keith Matthews for four races for their roles in the fight.
Stenhouse and Busch tangled on the first lap, and then Busch seemed to deliberately wreck Stenhouse on the next lap. Stenhouse rolled his damaged Chevrolet down pit lane and parked it in Busch’s pit stall. He then climbed the spotter’s ladder and exchanged words with members of Busch’s crew before retreating to his hauler.
Stenhouse stewed in the infield for about two hours, waiting on Busch to finish the race, then confronted him and threw a punch, igniting a melee between the teams.
“I think, really, what we all want is consistency and knowing what the rule is and what’s OK and what’s not OK,” All-Star Race winner Joey Logano said. “That’s really all you ask for. Whether it’s the car or restarts or altercations apparently, just let me know the rules, is what I want to know. What is the price I’m about to pay if I make this decision and is it worth it? That’s really how it’s got to be, is just looking for consistency in that to where it’s the same all the time, and I know it’s hard to do. That’s a lot to ask for because every situation could be a little bit different. It’s a judgment call. There’s no black and white.”
The Ottawa Senators have opened up a nice gap as the first wild card, with 75 points and 26 regulation wins in 65 games. Beyond them, things get interesting.
If it comes down to the regulation-wins tiebreaker at season’s end, the Rangers have an upper hand over all the rest, with 29 in that column, compared with 23 for the Jackets, Red Wings and Bruins, and just 22 for the Habs.
The Canadiens host the Panthers also at 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
The Blue Jackets face the visiting Rangers also at 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
And if they have their sights set on catching the Senators, these clubs are all rooting for the Maple Leafs, who host Ottawa (7 p.m., ESPN+). It’s a great night for multiple streaming devices!
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 62 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 75.9 Next game: vs. WPG (Sunday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 22
Points: 45 Regulation wins: 13 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 55.1 Next game: vs. WSH (Saturday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 5
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
The Texas Rangers‘ pitching staff took another hit Friday, when right-hander Jon Gray suffered a right wrist fracture.
Gray was struck by a line drive from Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia to lead off the fourth inning that knocked him out of the game.
“Not good news, not good news,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “It’s terrible. I feel awful for him, to be this close to getting the season going. It’s just not good news. I’ll get back in there and find out more, but right now, there is a fracture.”
Gray’s injury is the third setback for the Rangers rotation this week. The team said Thursday that left-hander Cody Bradford would start the season on the injured list because of soreness in his throwing elbow. Tyler Mahle had been scratched from a start with forearm soreness, but the right-hander returned to pitch in a minor league game Thursday.
Gray went 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA in 23 appearances (19 starts) for the Rangers last season, when he was shut down in September for a foot injury that required surgery. He is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
TOKYO — Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time Most Valuable Player belted a long two-run homer to right field in the third inning to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance.
The Dodgers put on quite a power display in the third with Michael Conforto, Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández all going deep to give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage.
The Dodgers are playing in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series. The team is playing two exhibition games against Japanese teams before starting the regular season with two games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season in 2024. He played several seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan before coming to the U.S. in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.