Ryan Blaney Admits He 'Got His Ass Kicked' in Pit Row Fight with Carson Hocevar
The NASCAR driver reflected on his post-race altercation with rival Carson Hocevar, admitting his confrontation did not go as planned.
NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney has broken his silence on the pit row fight with rival Carson Hocevar that occurred after Saturday night's race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Blaney admitted that the confrontation did not unfold as he had intended and that he ultimately took a physical beating.
Following the incident that ended Blaney's race, the 32-year-old driver approached Hocevar on pit road, initiating physical contact. The situation quickly escalated, with Hocevar delivering two punches before the drivers were separated. Blaney then broke free and pursued Hocevar, throwing punches himself before they were definitively separated.
"I'll be honest, I went over there and I got my ass kicked, for sure," Blaney said on fellow racer Denny Hamlin's podcast, "Actions Detrimental." "I ate a two piece, and got tagged pretty good. I just wanted to show my displeasure."
Blaney explained that his plan was to have a "stern conversation" with Hocevar and that he did not intend to throw punches. However, he acknowledged that his aggressive grab of Hocevar likely prompted a defensive reaction.
The altercation stemmed from an incident with 43 laps remaining in the race. Hocevar made contact with Blaney while moving to the inside entering a turn, spinning Blaney into the wall and ending his race.
After the race, Hocevar stated he would have been upset if he were in Blaney's position. "Whether it was his mistake, my mistake, my fault or not, I’d be pretty pissed if I was him," Hocevar said. "I saw him coming, and he’s moving pretty fast, and then he grabbed me, and I was like, ‘OK, I’m not going to wait.’ I’ve seen enough of these. I’m going to start swinging and see what happens."
Blaney expressed regret for his actions, describing them as "really unlike" him and mentioning his efforts to set a positive example for younger fans. He recounted how Hocevar landed a solid right hook that knocked off his hat, followed by a second punch to his cheek.
"And so I got back up — which was the funniest part of this thing — and everyone forgot about me," Blaney said. "I was like, ‘I got to get back in.’ … I got back in there and kind of tackled this one guy into Carson and tried to jab a left and kind of missed. And then, really, it was over."
The Bristol race was the third event in the 10-race postseason playoff. Blaney currently holds sixth place in the standings with 52 points, while Hocevar is in eighth, 85 points behind the leader. The next race is scheduled for Sunday at Kansas Motor Speedway.