Ric Flair told drivers to take their helmets off and fight; NASCAR delivered

The theme of the month has been that no one was going to do anything about it and that changed with Ryan Blaney on Saturday in the Bristol Night Race.

It, of course, refers to Carson Hocevar.

When the Chase for the Championship began three weeks ago, NASCAR sent out an unorthodox press release titled 15 vs. 1, which highlighted the simmering tension between Hocevar and literally everyone he shares the race track with each week.

They hate him.

It had reached something of a boiling point in the Southern 500, when there was an incident between Hocevar and Brad Keselowski, with the 2012 Cup Series champion saying his day was coming.

“His day’s coming and it’s coming hard.”

For what it’s worth, that day was not Saturday night as Blaney took his shot on pit road after an incident between them in the closing laps at Thunder Valley but the 2024 champion was twice rebuffed in his efforts to extract something out of Hocevar.

Hocevar rocked Blaney with a pair of punches that was a decisive finishing blow. Blaney made a second run at Hocevar but was intercepted by Spire Motorsports crew members protecting their driver.

It’s Bristol Baby.

Watch: From on-track to fight, this is what happened between Blaney and Hocevar

The reason for their altercation is still a matter of perspective. Hocevar crossed over Blaney racing for second. Blaney shaded low to block. There was contact and that sent the Team Penske No. 12 into the wall and out of the race.

Arguably, that was his championship too.

For his part, these are the moments that Ultimate Race Fan Carson Hocevar always dreamed of being part of and played to the crowd once the ruckus had dissipated. He also gave Blaney a passing middle finger for good measure.

“That was the first time I ever hit anybody,” Hocevar said. “So, it was a cool story. At least it was at Bristol of all places. He got a pretty good in though too, right? I thought so. I don’t know if he tripped on somebody or got a decent one in. I don’t know what a good one feels like. I’ve never thrown one.”

His team owner co-owner, Jeff Dickerson, said afterwards that he wasn’t aware that Hocevar could fight. That was apparently news to the driver too. And the crowd certainly issued approval … mixed in with some boos from the Penske 12 faithful as well.

“I just happened to look up and they were all kind of cheering,” Hocevar said. “I kind of waved at them and they all stood up and got pumped-up. So again, a very cool moment for me.

“Hopefully they can sell some tickets next year and improve ticket sales.”

He said it made him feel a little better for having lost the race.

“We get a cool story and we get to be in the highlight reel, I guess, because that’s of course everything I want to be a part of,” Hocevar said.

He admitted it!

Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar fight

For his part, Blaney called his shot very similar to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2023 All Star Race moment too.

Are you going to say something to him?
“Yes. Something is gonna happen.”

Are you going to talk to him tonight?
“Yeah.”

What’s going to happen?
“I don’t know yet.”

Now we do.

The day at the track began with a press conference from professional wrestling legend Ric Flair. The Nature Boy is also a casual NASCAR enthusiast, who offered to drivers that on Saturday that they should show their fire and passion … and do it without their helmets on.

“If they’re mad, they want to kick somebody’s ass, go kick it,” Flair said. “Just make sure they take their helmet off. They need to fight with your fight with their helmets on. Just get the helmet off and then smack them. I want to see the real emotion and I think that’s cool.

“if you’re trying to tell me they don’t get mad at each other out there, bumping each other around, I would say you’re incorrect. I’m sure that they’re not all best friends. This sport is too competitive and insensitive.”

Say no more, Naitch.

During the fight, Josh Berry and Bubba Wallace were locked in. Berry waved at Hocevar after it was over. They wanted to see something done too.

“I didn’t really see the accident to see what actually caused it, but just, yeah, it was a long time coming,” Berry said.

Wallace said he didn’t know what caused it either but he appreciated the passion from Blaney, arguably his closest friend in the garage.

The last time something this big happened, NASCAR fined Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $75,000. Is Hocevar expecting it to come his way too?

“I would have to think not (because) I kind of got to defend myself at some point,” Hocevar said. “I think we’d lose ticket sales if we did.”

He says that as someone who understands why Blaney was mad too.

“Whether it was his mistake, my mistake, my fault or not, I’d be pretty pissed if I was him,” Hocevar said. “That’s 100 percent his championship so I would be mad too.”

Watch: Hocevar on fight with Blaney: ‘They got an old-school Bristol show’