Ryan Blaney was thinking about victory in Bristol while battling Carson Hocevar with 43 laps to go. Moments later, he crashed after the No. 77 driver made contact with him, and a livid Blaney went to the pit lane to confront Hocevar. He was punched twice as a result, and since then, there has been plenty of discussion about whether the incident will have any consequences following the dramatic altercation.

Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson was asked by veteran reporter Bob Pockrass whether he believes NASCAR should hand out a penalty to Hocevar. He made his stance clear on the matter.

“What’s he gonna get penalized for? By whom? I thought the drivers would fight. They can fight,” Dickerson said per Pockrass’ X account.

The fight turned out to be the highlight of the night. Blaney was unhappy with Hocevar, who has been involved in several controversial moments this season, including one just two weeks ago when he wrecked RFK Racing driver Brad Keselowski. He walked over to Hocevar, supposedly to talk to him, but within seconds, things turned aggressive, with about a dozen people needed to separate the two. And the entire thing surprised everyone, even Dickerson.

Dickerson, although he feels the situation is rather unfortunate, doesn’t think it warrants a penalty.

“I was kind of surprised by Ryan, because I mean, like, we were listening to it, and Carson was saying, “Inside.” I mean, whatever, man. I mean, it’s just hard racing. I don’t know. I don’t want to see Blaney mad at Carson. I love him,” Dickerson said when Pockrass asked whether he would defend his driver.

Blaney and Hocevar were both fighting for second place, and after the Team Penske driver moved ahead, he dropped down to make a defensive move. Hocevar, however, had already committed to the bottom lane and attempted a crossover maneuver. Neither driver backed out, sending Blaney spinning into the wall.

He was classified 33rd and dropped to sixth in the Chase standings, which understandably left him livid. He blamed Hocevar, who insisted after the race that he had no intention of wrecking Blaney and put the blame back on him. Hocevar also accused Blaney of starting the fight, claiming he was simply defending himself when the No. 12 driver approached him after getting out of his car.

As for NASCAR, the sanctioning body does not normally issue penalties every time drivers get into a fight. This was a heat-of-the-moment incident, something the sport has generally allowed in the past. In 2019 at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano fought after the race after the Penske driver was sent into the wall. The two drivers settled things between themselves, and NASCAR treated it as a heat-of-the-moment incident.

NASCAR tends to issue penalties when a fight appears to be premeditated. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., for instance, was fined $75,000 after waiting nearly two hours to confront Kyle Busch following the 2024 North Wilkesboro All-Star Race.

For now, Dickerson does not expect NASCAR to punish Hocevar for the fight. Since it happened right after the on-track incident, it could be seen as a heat-of-the-moment reaction. Whether NASCAR agrees with that view remains to be seen.