Ryan Blaney may have just wanted to confront Carson Hocevar aggressively after their clash under the lights in Bristol. However, it ended up turning into one of the most spectacular brawls of the season. Hocevar landed two big punches on the Team Penske driver as the tens of thousands in attendance cheered on.
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It was some response from Hocevar, who reaffirmed his status as one of the most hated figures in the garage among drivers. However, the fact that neither of them was penalized by NASCAR officials, or that officials didn’t even hint that they might yet, is something veteran journalist Jordan Bianchi completely agrees with.
“NASCAR security gives you one move. You get one move. If you grab somebody, that’s your one move. If you wanna punch somebody, that’s your move,” Bianchi said on the Teardown podcast, as he broke down the Hocevar-Blaney brawl.
Bianchi was right next to the scene when the incident unfolded. He revealed that Blaney appeared to calmly walk toward Hocevar before grabbing him by his race suit, which immediately set the No. 77 driver off. Hocevar responded with a huge right hook to Blaney’s face, followed by another as officials tried to restrain the two, sending the No. 12 driver to the ground. Blaney eventually got back up and charged toward Hocevar once more, but failed to make as clean a connection.
What Bianchi noted was that Blaney’s first instinct was simply to “grab” Hocevar. The Spire driver, meanwhile, went for something far more impactful. And according to Bianchi, that was the first move that security personnel on track allow. On top of that, NASCAR doesn’t really look to punish drivers who showcase their emotions — verbally or physically — in the ‘heat of the moment’.
This Hocevar-Blaney incident happened moments after the race ended. Similarly, when Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain fought in Kansas in 2023, Gragson’s first instinct was to grab his rival. Chastain didn’t wait and, like Hocevar did on Saturday, responded with a right hook. Neither driver was penalized.
When NASCAR does step in is when a driver plans an attack minutes or hours in advance. At North Wilkesboro in 2024, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. waited two hours in the garage to fight Kyle Busch. The 38-year-old, who currently drives for Hyak Motorsports, was fined a historic $75,000 for the incident.
As for what happened this Saturday, Bianchi believes that penalizing either Hocevar or Blaney would be a travesty. NASCAR’s social media has boomed since it began sharing videos of the two drivers brawling on Sunday, with millions of views and fans saying they love it. It has a proper old-school feel to it. It was a fight, but one that the community seems to encourage, adding some spice to an already heated Chase battle.
Bianchi said in the podcast, “You’ve got one of your most popular drivers in Ryan Blaney, your other most popular driver in Hocevar. I know people don’t like him, but he’s popular, and he’s also, by the way, public enemy number one with people in the garage. And you’ve got these guys fighting at Bristol, of all places? On a short track on a Saturday night? This is quintessential NASCAR.”
There are seven races left in the 2026 Chase, and the Hocevar vs. Blaney subplot is one that fans will keep an eye on. This was hardly Hocevar’s first incident of the season, with another major one involving former Cup champion Brad Keselowski dominating headlines just a couple of weeks ago. At Darlington, much like Bristol, he made contact with the No. 6 driver and spun him out of the race. Keselowski threatened him afterward, saying that “his time is coming.”
Back then, Hocevar appeared indifferent. He labeled it as “just a spin” on a night when the majority of the NASCAR community was certain he was at fault. Bristol was different. He insisted he had no intention of taking Blaney out and that the Team Penske star did it to himself. As for the brawl, he admitted it was all about self-defense.
What happened at Bristol was simply two drivers settling their differences in the heat of the moment. Whether NASCAR continues to see it that way will become clear if any penalties follow.