Ryan Blaney’s wife, Gianna Blaney (formerly Gianna Tulio), waded into her husband’s feud with Carson Hocevar following Saturday’s pit road fight at Bristol Motor Speedway, commenting on NASCAR’s Instagram post of the incident.
“Not surprised by the #77 aggressive behavior with the criminal record he has,” Gianna wrote, referring to Hocevar’s car number, before adding a follow-up comment alleging the Spire Motorsports driver resolved the said criminal offense out of public view. “Wait, I forgot most of you don’t know about it because he got it paid off!! Oops *allegedly*”
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Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney get into an altercation after the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.Chris Graythen/Getty Images
No public record has verified her claim, and neither Hocevar nor NASCAR has commented on it. Athlon Sports could not independently confirm the allegation. The comments came in response to a NASCAR-posted video of the pit-road altercation between Hocevar and Blaney, which had drawn more than 140,000+ likes and thousands of comments as fans reacted to the fallout from the two drivers’ late-race contact.
Gianna, a former Miss Hooters International titleholder, married Blaney in December 2024 after the two began dating in 2020. She has remained a visible presence at races throughout Blaney’s career and has occasionally used her platform to defend him during on-track controversies.
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Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney’s Histories With NASCAR Penalties
Hocevar’s file with NASCAR predates this season. He was fined $50,000 and docked 25 driver points in 2024 for hooking Harrison Burton’s Ford under caution at Nashville Superspeedway, a penalty that came roughly 15 months after NASCAR parked him for two laps in a Truck Series race at Martinsville for a similar move. Spire Motorsports separately fined him $50,000 in 2025 over derogatory comments he made about Mexico City during a livestream, and NASCAR fined him another $50,000 in October 2025 for revving his engine near safety workers at Kansas. His history of contact with other drivers also dates back to the 2023 Truck Series championship race, when he spun eventual runner-up Corey Heim.
Carson Hocevar waits at his pit stall during a lightning delay for practice at Darlington Raceway.Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Blaney has his own record of penalties and incidents, including several from this season alone. NASCAR disqualified his car following a 2023 race at Las Vegas for a shock-length violation, a penalty the sanctioning body reversed a day later. Earlier this year, the Penske driver was penalized after contact with AJ Allmendinger exiting his pit stall at Kansas Speedway, an incident that damaged both cars and dropped him from the top 10. The 32-year-old was also assessed a commitment-line penalty earlier in Saturday’s race at Bristol, before his run-in with Hocevar, after an aborted pit stop sent him to the tail end of the longest line.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been one of the few prominent voices defending Hocevar’s aggressive style, saying he does not want to see the young driver change his approach. Saturday’s fight with Blaney, however, marked one of the more physical confrontations of Hocevar’s young Cup Series career, and Gianna’s comments suggest the tension may not be limited to the two drivers involved.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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