This writer has always been in favor of a “boys, have it” policy and allowing the drivers to sort out their own problems (within reason). The only time we should see the sanctioning body intercede is when it becomes a real safety issue, like intentionally right-hooking cars into the wall at high speeds or putting bystanders in danger when the car is being used as weapon.
But Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway was was a relatively brief post-race confrontation following short-track contact. There’s a reason they call it ‘The Last Great Colosseum,’ and it’s partly because of memorable blowups between drivers exactly like what we saw between Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney.
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Most still remember Dale Earnhardt getting hit with a water bottle thrown by Rusty Wallace, Kevin Harvick jumping over a car to get at Greg Biffle, or Tony Stewart’s perfect helmet throw into the nose of Matt Kenseth’s car.
Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney fight
Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney fight
These are iconic Bristol moments, and it only helps to raise NASCAR’s visibility when emotions overflow in the heat of battle. It shows just how much this means to the drivers involved, and what’s at stake with a champion to be crowned in less than two months.
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Hocevar himself said NASCAR would “lose ticket sales” if they went that route. What happened on the track was a racing deal, and what happened after was a heated disagreement that quickly escalated into punches being thrown.
Will there be penalties?
Watch: From on-track to fight, this is what happened between Blaney and Hocevar
But will NASCAR consider issuing penalties? Recent history leads me to believe that they probably won’t. NASCAR’s new CEO, Steve O’Donnell, has also recently said he does not necessarily object to drivers fighting.
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“I’m okay with it. I think that’s fair,” O’Donnell said while appearing as a guest on the Racin’ With the Boys podcast. “We went through an era where there were too many fines. Fining everybody. What happened was, if you go up and down pit road right now, a lot of guys look like you — big dudes, right? And some of our drivers aren’t that big. So guys were getting in fights and the crew guys were piling on. It got a little dangerous. Where we’re at is, if the drivers want to handle their business, great. When the crew guys start piling on, that’s when we’ve got a challenge (like Jeff Gordon vs. Brad Keselowski at Texas in 2014).”
With all that being said, here’s how the most serious altercations in the Cup Series were handled by the officials in recent years:
2023: Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson
This situation closely mirrors what we saw at Bristol, and is likely going to be used as the benchmark for how NASCAR reacts here. Just like Blaney, Gragson confronted Chastain after the 2023 Kansas race and immediately grabbed his firesuit. Mirroring Hocevar, Chastain reacted with a right-hook to the face of Gragson, and the two drivers were separated. Gragson didn’t find his way back to Chastain like Blaney did with Hocevar, but that shouldn’t impact how NASCAR reacts here.
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NASCAR Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer classified the Chastain/Gragson fight as a heat-of-the-moment exchange, but they did have conversations with both drivers to ensure no further escalation.
2024: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch
In the most recent fight between Cup drivers, Stenhouse waited for Busch after their run-in during the 2024 All-Star Race. After a brief discussion, Stenhouse punched Busch in the face, and it quickly spilled over into a multi-person brawl by the haulers. Ricky’s father even got a piece of KB in the process.
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The result was an indefinite suspension for Stenhouse Sr., while Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000. The $75,000 fine was notable because NASCAR said the incident was not simply a heat-of-the-moment confrontation. In explaining that penalty, NASCAR said that it wasn’t a heat-of-the moment deal, with Stenhouse waiting until after the race and even getting a change of clothes before the fisticuffs. Blaney did wait until after the race, but he also didn’t come in swinging either.
2022: Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022, Wallace was run up into the wall, and impulsively right-hooked Larson into the outside wall moments later. Both drivers crashed, and Wallace then tried to fight Larson in the infield, grabbing at his firesuit and shoving him.
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NASCAR chose to suspend Wallace for one race, but a very important distinction here is that the penalties weren’t issued for the fight. It was solely a reaction to the intentional right-hook on track, which does not apply to Bristol 2026, as the contact was deemed a racing incident.
There were also more minor confrontations in recent years where NASCAR didn’t penalize anyone either. Chris Buescher grabbed and shoved Tyler Reddick after Darlington 2024, resulting in no action from the Sanctioning Body. In 2023 after Pocono, Ryan Preece stuck his head into Corey LaJoie’s window net and was dragged away as things got physical, but again, no penalties.
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In conclusion, this writer will be surprised if NASCAR decides to issue fines or any other penalties for the Hocevar/Blaney altercation. They may want to have a meeting at the NASCAR hauler before the next Cup race in Kansas, but hopefully they choose to stay hands off.
No crew members crossed the line from the replays I saw, cars weren’t used as weapons, but two drivers simply got into a confrontation where frustrations boiled over into a brief scuffle. That’s just part of the culture of NASCAR racing.
As Robin Pemberton once said: “Boys, have at it, and have a good time.”
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Read Also:
Carson Hocevar punches Ryan Blaney after late Bristol NASCAR clash
Other NASCAR drivers react to Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney fight
Ric Flair told drivers to take their helmets off and fight; NASCAR delivered
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