While Joey Logano celebrated at Bristol Motor Speedway last week, Ryan Blaney went to fight Carson Hocevar.
Blaney, ticked off after finishing 33rd following a crash that resulted from contact with Hocevar’s car, took a couple of swings at Hocevar. NASCAR star Ross Chastain called the incident “NASCAR 101.”
“But seeing Ryan be upset and go to Carson and seeing Carson defend himself when he gets grabbed, I think that’s NASCAR 101. I think that’s what’s made our sport,” Chastain told OutKick in a recent interview.
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Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 WABASH Ford, get into an altercation after the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 19, 2026, in Bristol, Tenn. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Chastain referenced the infamous fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison at the end of the 1979 Daytona 500 as a moment when the sport took off. Chastain said that fight had a lot more “horsepower behind it” than Blaney and Hocevar’s dust-up.
The driver of the No. 1 car said NASCAR security decides whether to break up a fight.
“I was glad to watch it, and I think security did a good job to let it happen, but then, NASCAR security gets to decide what they want to do and they decide to step in when they think it’s time,” Chastain told OutKick.
Chastain said he had no idea what was happening in the moment or whether Blaney had intended to go after Hocevar from the moment the crash happened.
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Ross Chastain waves to fans during driver introductions before the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C., on Sept. 6, 2026. (Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“No, I have no idea. I don’t think Carson had any idea that Ryan would be coming over there like that. I don’t even know if Ryan really knew ’cause he had some time to think about it. He had to go to the care center, do interviews, walk back over to the holler, and then he waited on the race stand and walked over,” Chastain said.
Chastain has been in a few fights, and while they are part of the fabric of the sport, he said he hopes his fighting days are over.
Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 WABASH Ford, get into an altercation after the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 19, 2026, in Bristol, Tenn. (Getty Images)
“It won’t take much of a YouTube search to see. I’ve had my fair share of (fights) as well. I’m not saying anybody should fight, and, and I hope — I’m 33. I hope my fighting days are long behind me. Because getting punched is not something that I ever want to feel again. I don’t want to feel that. I’ve made it to a spot in life where I hope I’m done with it,” Chastain said.
After a race, Chastain would much rather drink a beer than get into a fight.
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The collector’s edition Busch Light hunting can. (Courtesy of Anheuser-Busch)
“There’s bad races where we crash, we’re out early, and it’s like, you know what, the work’s done. All the prep, all the focus, all the pressure of racing in the Cup Series is done. OK, let’s have a beer. Let’s just take a moment. All right, let’s get out of here. Now, we’re loaded up, we’re done, done with the weekend. I’ll rehydrate later,” Chastain said on behalf of Busch Light.
“Then in the wins, definitely a Busch Light. And that’s where you see me as soon as physically possible when I get out of the car and I’m done driving, that’s when I want it. I’m hollering at my crew to bring me a beer. I don’t want to even walk to the cooler. I want, as soon as I get out, I wanna have one ’cause the work’s done. And, and if we’ve won, that’s a big reward.”
Busch Light is releasing limited-edition hunting cans for the 20th anniversary of the fan-favorite hunting cans. Through the national Busch Taxidermy Canimal Sweepstakes, fans can win custom “Canimal Taxidermy Trophies,” detailed, handcrafted mounts made from Busch Light cans and transformed into iconic hunting trophies. Fans can enter the sweepstakes online.