Ryan Blaney promised something was going to happen.
It did.
And NASCAR is letting it stand.
Two days after Blaney and Carson Hocevar turned a late-race crash at Bristol Motor Speedway into a post-race fight on pit road, NASCAR has decided neither driver will be penalized for throwing punches.
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NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell revealed the decision Monday during an appearance on Kevin Harvick’s “Happy Hour” podcast, effectively closing the book on the drivers’ involvement in one of the most heated moments of the Cup Series season.
There will be no fine. No points penalty. No suspension.
And NASCAR’s reasoning was nearly as noteworthy as the decision itself.
“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.”
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In other words, NASCAR isn’t endorsing what happened at Bristol. But it’s also not interested in punishing two drivers for settling a dispute that started behind the wheel.
For Blaney and Hocevar, that’s a significant distinction.
Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar’s Bristol night went from racing to fighting
The remarkable part of Saturday night is how quickly everything changed.
Blaney had spent much of the Bristol Night Race looking like a driver capable of winning it. He won Stage 2, led a race-high 202 laps and was fighting near the front as the laps disappeared.
Then came Hocevar.
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With 43 laps remaining, Blaney took second from the No. 77 Chevrolet. Hocevar attempted to cross back underneath him, Blaney moved down and the two made contact.
Blaney spun and slammed the outside wall.
His night was over.
His anger wasn’t.
After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Blaney made no attempt to disguise what he intended to do next. Asked about Hocevar, he offered a warning that became considerably more meaningful a short time later.
“Yeah, something’s going to happen.”
Sure enough, once the checkered flag had fallen, Blaney found Hocevar on pit road.
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Words quickly gave way to punches. Blaney swung. Hocevar swung back. People from the surrounding teams rushed into the middle before the confrontation could go much further.
A race that Blaney had once controlled ended with him in the middle of a scrum on pit road.
Hocevar, meanwhile, wasn’t backing away from his version of what happened.
“I wasn’t trying to wreck him, it just looked like to me he got a run and I went left and he spun,” Hocevar said afterward. “He went after me and I wasn’t going to take it. … He spun himself and then wants to instigate a fight.”
That disagreement clearly isn’t going anywhere just because NASCAR declined to issue penalties.
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NASCAR isn’t completely finished with the Bristol fight
For the two drivers, the matter is settled as far as NASCAR is concerned.
For everyone else who became involved? Not quite.
NASCAR Communications said Monday that officials are continuing to review the actions of crew members who entered the confrontation.
“Further review is being conducted to determine penalties to any crew members involved in the incident, and if necessary, any penalties will be announced later this week,” NASCAR said.
O’Donnell’s comments also made NASCAR’s position fairly clear. There is room for drivers to show emotion and, within reason, handle disputes themselves. Crew members piling into those confrontations is another matter.
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That leaves the possibility of discipline elsewhere, but Blaney and Hocevar themselves can move on to Kansas without NASCAR adding another consequence to what was already a costly night.
Blaney enters the next race sixth in the Cup Series standings, 52 points behind leader Kyle Larson. Hocevar is eighth, 85 points behind Larson and 33 behind Blaney.
Of course, a NASCAR ruling can close the disciplinary portion of a feud. It can’t necessarily end the feud itself.
And tucked inside O’Donnell’s explanation was one line worth remembering as Blaney and Hocevar return to the same racetrack this weekend:
“We’ll obviously watch what happens the rest of the way.”
After Bristol, NASCAR might not be the only one.
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