Hey guys, following the elimination of my position at RacingAmerica.com, the last few months have been a whirlwind for me, as I navigated how to get my ducks in a row to make everything in my journalism world make sense for providing for my family.
Thankfully, it looks like I have achieved that, and I am happy to have the time to be back to producing The Daily Pit Stop, our daily newsletter, which keeps you up to date on news in the world of NASCAR. Thanks for being here, and reading everything I do, it means so much! - Toby Christie
NASCAR Not Penalizing Hocevar or Blaney Following Bristol Fight
Many wondered what penalties would arise from the post-race altercation and fistfight between Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar following last Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Well, apparently, the answer is none. At least for the drivers involved, that is.
On Monday evening, NASCAR sent out a memo to the media detailing that the sanctioning body had decided not to penalize the drivers for the post-race fistfight, but that further review of the incident is being conducted to determine penalties for any crew members involved in the post-race scuffle. If any penalties are to be handed out, they will be announced later this week.
This is good news for the bank accounts of Hocevar and Blaney, as the previous precedent for fighting in NASCAR had been a $75,000 fine. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. received a fine of $75,000 after punching Kyle Busch at the conclusion of the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2024. Since then, drivers have been hesitant to throw hands after the races.
Now, it seems not only is self-policing on the racetrack back, but it also seems like the boys are officially allowed to “Have at it” off the track as well.
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Ryan Blaney Admits “I Got My Ass Kicked” By Carson Hocevar
Two days removed from his post-race fistfight with Carson Hocevar at Bristol Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney, who didn’t provide much post-fight comment last Saturday night, joined the Actions Detrimental Podcast to talk about the whole ordeal, including the lead-up to the incident, the on-track crash, and the aftermath.
Blaney, who was obviously heated after being crashed from the second position with just 42 laps remaining in the race, says that, looking back at the incident, he would assign 50% blame to himself and 50% blame to Hocevar.
But still contends, "I probably didn't deserve to get absolutely trashed."
Blaney says he didn’t intend to fight Hocevar after the race, and only intended to sternly talk to his competitor. But he came in quite aggressively and grabbed Hocevar, which led Hocevar to swing first. Blaney said he didn’t blame Hocevar for taking the punch given the situation.
The Team Penske driver was embarrassed by his post-race actions.
"There are things that I regret," Blaney stated. "I try to set a good example for kids who are watching, who are fans, their parents who are allowing these kids to watch races and root for their driver. And I try to act a certain way to be what a kid would want to look up to. And I look back on those things, and I definitely regret the way I acted, and that's really unlike me. But I was just frustrated, and you just do these things."
But Blaney did own up to the fact that he DID NOT win the fight.
"And I'll be honest, I went over there, and I got my ass kicked, for sure," Blaney admitted. "I ate a two-piece and got tagged pretty good. I just wanted to show my displeasure."
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Hocevar, Blaney Exchange Punches In Post-Race Scuffle at Bristol
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Garcia Takes First Career Truck Series Win; Loose Wheel Dooms Riggs