A late fight for second place at Bristol Motor Speedway turned into a fight on pit road between Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney after Saturday night's NASCAR Cup Series race.
NASCAR's official recap said the confrontation followed contact on lap 458. Blaney had just moved ahead of Hocevar when the two cars came together, sending Blaney into the wall and out of the race.
From the track to pit road
Motorsport.com reported that Blaney finished 33rd after the crash, while Hocevar continued to a third place finish. Blaney approached Hocevar after the race and grabbed him by the firesuit. Hocevar responded with punches before crew members and others separated them.
The incident provided a volatile finish to a night won by Joey Logano. It also deepened the frustration around Blaney's title campaign after a strong run ended in the closing laps.
What the drivers said
Before the pit road fight, Blaney told reporters he believed Hocevar had failed to lift after Blaney protected the lower lane. Hocevar later said he believed Blaney had spun while trying to block the crossover move and maintained that he had not intended to wreck him.
NASCAR had not announced any penalties for the altercation as of Sunday afternoon. Any discipline would be a separate development.
*Featured image: Carson Hocevar at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2026, photographed by TaurusEmerald. Licensed under [CC BY SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).*