Ryan Blaney & Carson Hocevar trade punches on pit road after late Bristol contact

by NASCAR.com Staff Report

Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar carried a late-race clash beyond the checkered flag Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, trading punches on pit road following a fiery conclusion to the Bass Pro Shops Night Race.

The altercation came after contact between the two with 43 laps remaining ended Blaney’s otherwise dominant night. Blaney was battling near the front entering Turn 1 when Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet made contact with the rear of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, sending Blaney spinning hard into the outside wall and out of the race.

Ryan Blaney had led a race-high 202 laps and won Stage 2 before the incident, a costly end to a night in which the 2023 Cup Series champion had positioned himself for a significant points haul in Race 3 of The Chase presented by Mobil 1.

After climbing from his car, Blaney was blunt about his view of the contact.

“He crossed and never lifted, and I got crashed,” Blaney said.

The frustration carried to pit road after the 500-lap race. Blaney approached Hocevar after the No. 77 driver climbed from his car and shoved the Spire product. Hocevar responded by throwing punches, and Blaney went back after Hocevar before crew members separated the two.

Hocevar, meanwhile, continued after the contact and remained in contention for the victory deep into the closing laps. Joey Logano ultimately took the lead with seven laps remaining and won, with Kyle Larson finishing second and Hocevar third.

The incident capped an eventful night for both Chase contenders. Blaney entered Bristol fourth in the standings, 33 points behind then-leader Denny Hamlin, and had already collected stage points with a sixth-place result in Stage 1 before winning Stage 2.

Hocevar entered the night ninth in The Chase standings, 88 points behind Hamlin, and his third-place result marked a strong finish despite the post-race confrontation.

The Bristol fireworks did not end when the checkered flag fell, and this may not be the end of them, either.

This story will be updated.