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.
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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. And he was glad that NASCAR didn’t penalize Blaney or Hocevar, while speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “I’m glad that those guys got to do their deal and move on with it.”
In 2024, Stenhouse was handed a $75,000 fine in North Wilkesboro after the All-Star Race for punching Kyle Busch. This came after Stenhouse Jr. got wrecked by Busch, on lap 2 of the race. And unfortunately, Stenhouse Jr. couldn’t escape the infield garage as are no tunnels or sky bridges at North Wilkesboro. However, there’s one crucial element that separates the Blaney-Hocevar fight from the 2024 brawl.
Stenhouse Jr. publicly stated that “I’ll handle it,” making his intentions clear. And when Busch came to meet him at his hauler, he was greeted with a punch. It was total chaos, as crew members and even Stenhouse Jr.’s dad got involved in the fight. And this, in turn, allowed NASCAR to make a decision to penalize Stenhouse Jr. and his crew. Meanwhile, the Bristol brawl was a little different.
Blaney himself explained he wanted to vent his feelings at Hocevar, but things escalated quickly. “I just really wanted to grab him and just kind of pretty much yell at him, you know, and show my displeasure,” Blaney said on the Actions Detrimental podcast. But if you take into account the championship status, his frustration with Hocevar was fair.
Blaney was upset about how his DNF dropped him down to sixth in the Chase standings. And this comes right after the race at Gateway, where he had brake rotor failure, leaving points on the table. All in all, this wasn’t a premeditated fight, but two drivers standing their ground, and NASCAR saw it like that as well.
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.”
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 fans argue that it wasn’t a fair fight as NASCAR officials got hold of the driver while Hocevar was throwing punches. And crew members from the No. 77 team also pilled on Blaney, throwing him to the ground. So there’s a case to be made that the Penske driver didn’t have the freedom to defend himself as he was crowded out by crew members. Yet this doesn’t change the scenario Blaney faces regarding his championship hopes.
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 cost him ground in the Chase and dropped him 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.