Carson Hocevar does not hold any ill will toward Ryan Blaney after their fight at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend.
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In fact, Hocevar only views his fellow driver in a more positive light, especially after Blaney acknowledged on Denny Hamlin's podcast that he lost the fight.
"I think Ryan's one of the coolest guys in the garage," Hocevar said at Kansas Speedway. "I mean, he's got a cool mustache, drinks whiskey and all that, right? I think he looks the part really well.
"I thought he made me more of a fan, honestly. When he went on there, I had respect for that, for sure. He could have held some ice on his eye and whatnot, but he went right out there and did it, and I have the utmost respect for that."
Blaney joined the podcast mere days after the fight and showcased his black eye, one that remained as he headed to Kansas Speedway a week later.
Ryan Blaney has a visible mark from last weekend's fight at Bristol.
He said that he doesn't anticipate a change in how he races Carson Hocevar on the track since the wreck was a "50-50" incident and they haven't had an issue in over a year. pic.twitter.com/hvSaA52wN8— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) September 25, 2026
He explained that he had wanted to express his displeasure to Hocevar for the incident that led to him crashing with just over 40 laps remaining in the race, and he said that he regretted his actions due to wanting to set a good example for viewers.
Hocevar doesn't necessarily regret his actions after the race. He apologized to his father for the fight, but he views the on-track incident leading into the wreck as two drivers just battling for an important spot late in a race.
He doesn't believe that this wreck and the post-race brawl will affect how he and Blaney race the rest of the 2026 season.
"Yeah, I mean, for me, I've watched this sport all my life," Hocevar said. "This tends to be the stuff that brings people closer together and you laugh about it.
"I've never had a problem, really, with him on a racetrack. We've been running good together. I think he's as stand-up of a guy as he could be. He could look at it and know that that was just racing and whatnot.
"In the heat of the moment, ever driver is going to be biased towards themselves. And then you look at it and maybe look at things differently. You know, I looked at some things differently, obviously, from the situation. But at the same time, when you're in the heat of the moment, it's just the heat of the moment."
