Ryan Blaney's Bristol Warning to Carson Hocevar Turns Into Pit Road Fight

Sports admin September 20, 2026 0 Comments

Ryan Blaney’s Bristol Warning to Carson Hocevar Turns Into Pit Road Fight

Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar exchanged punches on pit road following Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, capping off a feud that built over the final 43 laps of the NASCAR Cup Series race. The confrontation came after Hocevar’s car made contact with Blaney’s while the two battled for second place, sending Blaney into the outside wall and ending his night with a DNF.

How the Fight Between Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar Started

Blaney had just taken second place from Hocevar when the two entered Turn 1 together. Blaney tried to protect the bottom lane, and Hocevar did not lift off the throttle, sending Blaney’s No. 12 Ford hard into the outside wall. Speaking to reporters afterward, Blaney did not hold back when asked about fault in the incident. “I got crashed,” Blaney told the media during a post-race interview.

A wild scene on pit road. pic.twitter.com/lYzBtdEsqO

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 20, 2026

After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Blaney made his intentions clear before the race had even finished, telling reporters, “Something’s going to happen.” He made good on that promise once the checkered flag fell, walking straight to Hocevar’s pit stall and grabbing him. Hocevar responded by throwing punches that sent Blaney to the ground, before Blaney got back up and threw a punch of his own as crew members from both teams rushed in to separate the drivers.

Hocevar defended his response to the confrontation afterward. “I got ran into a lot for the win,” Hocevar said to on-track media reporters.

Bristol Fight Adds to Carson Hocevar’s Growing List of Feuds

The incident with Blaney is the latest in a string of on-track run-ins for Hocevar this season, including a Darlington incident with Brad Keselowski that prompted Keselowski to vow retaliation. Bubba Wallace, one of Blaney’s closest friends in the garage, weighed in on the fight after seeing the pit road scene unfold. “That surprised the f*ck out of me,” Wallace told an on-track interviewer.

Blaney’s runner-up bid was erased by the incident, and he finished 33rd after his second consecutive DNF in the Chase. Hocevar, meanwhile, salvaged a third-place finish that moved him up in the Chase standings heading into next week’s race at Kansas Speedway.

More NASCAR News

NASCAR Cup Series Race Results, Winner From Bristol Motor Speedway
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Proposes Wild Idea After NASCAR’s 974 Million Gain
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race Results, Winner From WWT Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series Starting Lineup: Qualifying Results for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway

This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 1:02 AM.