NASCAR news: Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar throw hands post-Bristol fight appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar turned their Bristol rivalry into a physical fight Saturday night in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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The ugly altercation started with 43 laps remaining when Hocevar made contact with Blaney while battling for second. Blaney had led 202 laps and won Stage 2 before the contact sent his No. 12 Team Penske Ford into the outside wall. He finished 33rd after the crash.
“Something’s going to happen tonight,” Blaney said after being evaluated and released from the infield care center.
Blaney followed through after the race. He waited on pit road before walking toward Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion grabbed Hocevar’s fire suit, and Hocevar responded with two punches to Blaney’s head.
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Security quickly took Blaney to the ground, but the former champion got back up and moved toward Hocevar again before crew members and officials separated the drivers.
Hocevar finished third at Bristol and moved to eighth in the playoff standings. He defended his move that triggered the confrontation and said he did not believe he caused Blaney’s crash.
“I wasn’t trying to wreck him, it just looked like to me he got a run and I went left and he spun,” he said afterwards. “He didn’t even talk. He said like one thing, and then came after me, and I wasn’t going to take it. He spun himself and then wants to instigate a fight.”
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The contact ended a strong night for Blaney, who had controlled much of the race before the late incident. Hocevar, meanwhile, secured a top-three finish and valuable playoff points.
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The fight now adds to Hocevar’s growing list of run-ins with fellow drivers. With the Round of 12 next on the NASCAR playoff schedule, the 23-year-old will carry the Bristol controversy into the next stage of the postseason.
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