What was a relatively docile race at Bristol Motor Speedway turned to chaos in the closing laps, and a lead NASCAR Cup Series championship contender suffered a major blow (followed by a few more on pit road after the race concluded).
Ryan Blaney looked primed to cut Denny Hamlin’s lead in the standings with a strong run midway through the race, but an unfortunate commitment-line penalty erased his advantage over the field. Blaney fought back in the final stage and was running second to Ty Gibbs – until a block on Carson Hocevar ended Blaney’s day.
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Hocevar has emerged as NASCAR’s new brash star – frequently becoming involved in on-track action that leaves other drivers fuming. Just two weeks ago, Brad Keselowski vowed to seek revenge on Hocevar after being spun at Darlington – but that brewing feud has quickly taken a backseat to the Blaney vs. Hocevar fight that ensued after Joey Logano stole the win on Saturday night.
After Hocevar and Blaney tangled, Hocevar appeared to have the best shot to surpass Ty Gibbs and win the race. Hocevar had a tire advantage on Gibbs and eventually got the position on track to take the lead – but Gibbs aggressively tried to defend his position, allowing Joey Logano to pass both of them and take the checkered flag.
Once the drivers made it to pit road – before Logano had even finished celebrating on track – Blaney stormed his way over to Hocevar, shoved the driver of the No. 77, and promptly received two punches to the face.
Here’s what NASCAR media and fans were saying after the fight:
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: NASCAR fans react to the Carson Hocevar vs Ryan Blaney fight
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