Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar Say Bristol Is Behind Them
· Yahoo Sports
Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar say their fight at Bristol Motor Speedway has not turned into a feud. Hocevar even shared how he tried to help Blaney buy a Ferrari.
Both drivers spoke with reporter Matt Weaver during their media availabilities at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday. Noah Lewis posted Hocevar’s comments on X.
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.@MattWeaverRA asked @CarsonHocevar and @Blaney where things stand between them.
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) October 24, 2026
Here’s what both had to say:#NASCARpic.twitter.com/jmOlOxKmi1
The two fought on pit road after the Sept. 19 race at Bristol. On Lap 457 of 500, contact between the two while racing for second sent Blaney into the outside wall. Blaney finished 33rd, and Hocevar finished third.
On Denny Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental podcast, Blaney later said he regretted how he acted. NASCAR did not penalize either driver. Mike Forde, NASCAR’s vice president of racing communications, said Blaney’s appearance on the podcast helped shape how officials viewed Blaney.
Hocevar said the two got along before Bristol. He recalled Blaney catching a flight home on his team’s plane after Blaney won at New Hampshire in August.
“I mean, we were cool before,” Hocevar said.
He said he connected Blaney with Zeigler Auto Group, a sponsor of his Spire Motorsports team, to find a Ferrari.
“I hooked him up with Zeigler to try to get him a Ferrari because he wanted one, and like every race car driver, they’re cheap, and he didn’t want to buy it for the price of an old Ferrari,” Hocevar said.
After Bristol, Hocevar paid Blaney a visit.
“So one of Zeigler’s guys had a Ferrari. So I went over to his motor in a Ferrari and gave him a box of cigars, just kind of out of a respect thing because they didn’t have to go, obviously, on Actions Detrimental and stuff,” Hocevar said.
“So it’s just a fun story that I’ll be able to tell for a long time. But I want to make sure I rolled up to his bus in a Ferrari just to kind of egg at him a little bit. But we’ve always been cool,” Hocevar said.
Blaney confirmed the help, though he did not buy the car.
“I didn’t pull the trigger on it, but he did help me with contacts,” Blaney said.
He said the fight has not changed how they race each other.
“I don’t walk around with a grudge on my shoulder; I get over that stuff and go out. And the funny thing is, we had our little mix-up at Bristol, and we’ve raced each other even better than we were before,” Blaney said.
They will start next to each other in the order Sunday at Talladega, where drafting help matters more than almost anywhere in motorsports. Hocevar starts 26th and Blaney 27th, according to MotorBiscuit’s qualifying report.
Blaney is fifth in the Chase standings, 40 points behind Kyle Larson. Hocevar, who won at Talladega in April, is 11th, 158 points back.