NASCAR

Kyle Busch thought Joey Logano did him dirty during NASCAR's Kobalt 400 race ... so he went after the guy with fists after spinning out.

Busch rushed Logano and his crew on pit road Sunday after Logano appeared to have made Busch spin out in the race ... costing him a shot at victory.

You can see Busch stomping over like he's on a mission, and that's when Logano's pit crew got involved.

Busch left the rumble fuming with a bloody forehead. Clearly he doesn't like being cut off.

Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman says he's taking on a new challenge as the owner of a NASCAR racing team ... telling us he LOVES the sport and wants to inspire black kids to love it too.

TMZ Sports spoke with Merriman who revealed he's part-owner of a NASCAR K&N team ... a regional series used to develop drivers. It's like the minor leagues ... a stepping-stone to get to the majors.

Why NASCAR? SM told us he's a HUGE racing fan, having caught the bug at a race some years ago ... and said he wants to do something to promote his passion to black youth.

"We thought NASCAR would be a huge deal for us, kinda going into a different demographic. There's not a whole lot of minorities looking to be into NASCAR."

Merriman says he thinks once black kids are introduced to the vroom-vroom life -- you might see more of them get involved with NASCAR ... maybe even choose that sport over the NFL or the NBA.

The last Earnhardt with the name Dale may have already rolled off the assembly line ... 'cause Dale Jr. tells TMZ Sports he will NOT name his future kid Dale Earnhardt III.

Screw the bars and the online dating sites -- ya wanna find a smokin' hot lady, hit the RACE TRACK ... that's what Kyle Busch did.

The NASCAR driver hit up Craig's in West Hollywood Thursday night with his fitness model wife, Samantha ... and they explained how fast cars brought them together almost 10 years ago!

Kyle also makes his prediction for Daytona 500 -- himself -- and tells us who he's most concerned about when he hits the track on Feb. 26.

But enough of that ... check out the pics of Kyle's wife -- and go buy a ticket to a NASCAR race already.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished first in 2016 by getting married to his longtime girlfriend before the clock struck 12 on NYE.

NASCAR's golden boy tied the knot Saturday night to Amy Reimann, who he got engaged to last June. The ceremony went down at Childress Vineyards in North Carolina, and Dale looks like he couldn't have been happier to ring in 2017 with a pair of wedding bands.

A big chunk of the NASCAR community was there too -- from Chocolate Myers and Danica Patrick to Bubba Wallace -- to wave in their star driver toward the finish line. Congrats!

If NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson wins a record-setting 8th championship next year ... he'll be spraying Monster Energy drinks instead of champagne.

A close family friend of Robby Gordon's father called 911 after entering the house and seeing 2 dead bodies, and immediately said it looked like a murder-suicide.

The friend was very calm during the call -- he says he's a retired firefighter -- and says "Baja" Bob Gordon's body was in the bathroom and his wife, Sharon, was in the bedroom. He says he could see a rifle next to Bob's body.

As we reported ... a butcher knife was found near the wife's body. Police are investigating all angles of the case.

NASCAR's Hall of Fame suffered heavy damage when the Charlotte protests turned into rioting and looting.

Police put the area on lockdown after the crowds shattered windows in several buildings in Charlotte's NASCAR Plaza. The riots also hit the Charlotte Hornets team store.

Steve Harvey says he has NO DESIRE to own a NASCAR team ... despite allegations in a new lawsuit -- saying straight-up, "I don't even like fast ass cars!"

We broke the story ... a racing exec is suing NASCAR and nearly all of its racing teams for more than $500 MILLION -- claiming he tried to team with Harvey to start a team last year, but NASCAR shot them down. The exec, Terrance Cox, claimed racists at NASCAR blocked the move.

But Harvey says the whole thing is B.S. -- claiming he NEVER tried to start a NASCAR team ... and says Cox is lying about the whole thing.

In fact, Harvey went on his radio show and says his relationship with Cox was only supposed to be about helping underprivileged youth ... but things turned weird, so Harvey backed away.

Steve Harvey's bid to start a NASCAR team crashed and burned ... and at least one racing exec thinks it's because stock car racing honchos are racists.

Cops investigating the possible murder-suicide of NASCAR superstar Robby Gordon's father say they've recovered a butcher knife near the body of Sharon Gordon ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement tells us ... the knife was collected as evidence from the scene. Cops say the significance of its discovery is unclear at this moment.

The Gordon family's attorney, Steve Nichols, tells TMZ ... the family believes the knife played an important part in what led to Bob taking his own life.

Sources tell us the knife is a strong sign there may have been mutual combat between Robert "Baja Bob" and Sharon before their deaths.

Police have said Gordon strangled Sharon and then killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Nichols tells us there's never been a history of violence in the Gordons' long marriage.

The father of NASCAR superstar Robby Gordon strangled his wife, Sharon, and then shot himself in a murder-suicide at their Orange County, CA home ... officials say.

The bodies of 68-year-old Robert "Baja Bob" Gordon and 57-year-old Sharon Gordon were discovered Wednesday afternoon.

The Orange County Coroner’s Office describes the death of Robert as being consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the death of Sharon was a result of strangulation.

Cops say a rifle was recovered inside the house.

We're told cops are conducting ballistics tests on the weapon to see if it was, in fact, the gun used in the murder-suicide.

1:55 PM PT -- The Orange County Coroner's Office says both autopsies are complete.

An emotional Robby Gordon broke his silence on the death of his father and his father's wife in an apparent murder-suicide ... saying he's devastated and vows to get to the bottom of the deadly incident.

"This is devastating," Gordon told The Orange County Register ... "[My father] taught so many and I want everyone to know what a good man he was."

The bodies of Robert "Baja Bob" Gordon and Sharon Gordon, were found at a home owned by the NASCAR driver Wednesday night. Cops say a rifle was found at the scene.

Cops are not saying what they believe happened inside the home -- but Gordon told The OCR, "The truth will come out."

Gordon also held a news conference and thanked his friends in the racing community for the support.

The father of NASCAR superstar Robby Gordon was found dead along with a woman believed to be his wife ... inside a Southern California home owned by his son.

Officials say 68-year-old Robert Gordon -- aka Baja Bob -- was discovered inside the home on Wednesday. The body of 57-year-old Sharon Gordon was also found inside the home.

Baja Bob was a famous off-road racer.

Cops told CBS2 in L.A. they believe they are dealing with a murder-suicide. Investigators say they found a weapon inside the home.

UPDATE -- Officers say a rifle was found inside the home.

NASCAR legend Tony Stewart just fired a huge shot at Colin Kaepernick -- calling him a "dumbass" and an "idiot" over his National Anthem protest.

"I'm sorry but @Kaepernick7 needs to learn the fact about police before running his dumbass mouth," Stewart said on Twitter.

"He has no clue what they go thru! #idiot."

Stewart is essentially echoing the sentiments of the San Francisco Police Officers Association -- which claimed the QB showed an "incredible lack of knowledge."

So far, Kaepernick has yet to respond to Stewart or the SFPOA.

3:04 PM PT -- Dolphins running back Arian Foster saw Tony's tweet and has responded -- saying, "How about attempting to educate him via your views instead of fueling hatred."

Bryan Clauson -- one of the top short-track dirt-car drivers in the world -- died Sunday following injuries sustained in a bad crash from a race on Saturday ... officials confirm.

The 27-year-old was racing in the 39th Belleville Midget Nationals in Kansas when he made contact with another car and flipped several times. His car was then slammed into by another car.

Clauson was airlifted to a nearby hospital -- but died from his injuries the following day.

Clauson's family issued a statement saying, "Our Bryan fought to the end with the same desire that he demonstrated behind the wheel of all the various race cars he would park in victory lane."

"However, we were more proud of our Bryan that took a moment to make a young fan's day, or demonstrated his uncommon kindness and appreciation toward his friends, family and fans."

Clauson had made 26 starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.