Ross Chastain Defends Ryan Blaney-Carson Hocevar Fight at Bristol as Part of NASCAR’s Tradition

A post-race fight at Bristol Motor Speedway last week is drawing praise, not condemnation, from one of NASCAR’s own drivers, who says letting competitors settle disputes with their fists is simply part of the sport’s culture.

While Joey Logano celebrated a win at the Bristol, Tennessee track, driver Ryan Blaney went looking for Carson Hocevar. Blaney had finished 33rd after a crash triggered by contact with Hocevar’s car, and he threw a couple of punches at Hocevar once he caught up with him. Hocevar defended himself.

Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 car, called the altercation “NASCAR 101” in an interview with OutKick.

“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 said.

Chastain drew a comparison to one of the sport’s most famous confrontations, the 1979 Daytona 500 fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison, which many credit with helping launch NASCAR into the national spotlight. Chastain said that brawl had more “horsepower behind it” than the Blaney-Hocevar scuffle, but the underlying principle was the same.

Chastain noted that it’s NASCAR security, not the drivers, who ultimately decide when to intervene.

“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 said.

He said he wasn’t sure in the moment whether Blaney had planned the confrontation from the instant the crash occurred.

“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, who has had his own history of fights on the track, said he hopes he’s past that stage of his career.

“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.

These days, Chastain said he’d rather crack open a beer than throw a punch after a rough race.

“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.

He added that a win calls for the same reward, delivered even faster.

“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,” Chastain said.

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