NASCAR’s decision to let Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney walk away without penalties for their heated Bristol fight has given the post-race fallout another talking point. CEO Steve O’Donnell confirmed Monday on Kevin Harvick’s “Happy Hour” podcast that neither driver will be punished for the pit-road confrontation. That decision has now drawn an interesting reaction from Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who knows firsthand what it is like to face NASCAR’s discipline after a heated altercation.

Stenhouse took to X to respond to the news with a simple “👌🏻” emoji. It was short and sweet, but one that takes the community back to what was NASCAR’s largest fine ever issued for a physical fight

In 2024, Stenhouse was handed a $75,000 fine in North Wilkesboro after the All-Star Race, for punching Kyle Busch, although the circumstances surrounding that were notably different from what happened between Hocevar and Blaney last Saturday. The Bristol fight happened right after the race ended, with Hocevar still in the pit lane.

The adrenaline was still high, and Blaney was upset about how his DNF dropped him down to sixth in the Chase standings. O’Donnell explained on Monday why the sanctioning body chose not to issue penalties to either driver.

“If drivers are going to handle their own business, the way we looked at that, how it played out, we’re not going to encourage fighting, but what we are going to encourage is passion, right?” O’Donnell said. “And those are two guys — Blaney’s showing his passion, showing his fire. So no, there’s nothing coming from us in terms of [penalties]. We’ll obviously watch what happens the rest of the way, but nothing in terms of post-race penalties.”

As for Stenhouse’s 2024 incident, he hinted immediately after Busch took him out that the issue was far from over. Following his release from the infield care center, he told reporters, “I’ll handle it,” before adding, “Eh, you can just watch afterward.”

Stenhouse then waited for Busch to arrive at the No. 8 hauler. After a brief exchange between the two drivers, Stenhouse threw a right hand that caught Busch in the side of the face. Both went to the ground before Stenhouse’s father became involved in a face-to-face confrontation with Busch as members of both teams began scuffling.

NASCAR officials stated at the time that they could not allow drivers to wait hours after a race before deliberately starting a fight. While they encouraged drivers to express their frustrations, they drew the line at a full-blown, premeditated brawl. In other words, the circumstances surrounding Stenhouse’s confrontation went beyond a spontaneous reaction immediately following an on-track incident.

By comparison, Blaney and Hocevar’s fight happened in the heat of the moment, something NASCAR has generally been more willing to overlook. We saw something similar in 2023, when Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain got into a fight right after the Kansas race. VP of Competition Elton Sawyer also viewed that as a heat-of-the-moment reaction and chose not to take further action.

The sanctioning body is not giving everyone involved a free pass, though. Officials are still reviewing the actions of crew members who may have gotten involved. While drivers handling their differences themselves may avoid discipline under this approach, team personnel who enter a physical confrontation could still face fines or suspensions.

Blaney enters Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series Chase standings, 52 points behind leader Kyle Larson, while Hocevar sits eighth, 85 points off the lead and 33 points behind Blaney. So while both drivers may have escaped NASCAR-issued penalties for their Bristol confrontation, the fight still came at a cost for Blaney.

His late-race crash and 33rd-place finish saw him lose ground in the Chase and drop further down the standings. With the Chase standings tightening and Blaney already losing valuable ground, their next encounter could add another chapter to the growing tension between the two.