Will Buxton has commended Carson Hocevar for standing his ground after his heated fight with Ryan Blaney following Saturday night’s Bristol Night Race. He said there should not be an “old boys club” in NASCAR where established drivers receive special treatment from younger ones.
The comments came after a wild finish at Bristol Motor Speedway that ended with Blaney and Hocevar fighting on pit road. Blaney led a race-high 202 laps and was fighting for second place late in the race when he passed Hocevar with 44 laps remaining. On the next lap, Hocevar made contact with the No. 12 Ford, sending Blaney into the outside wall. He finished 33rd, while the 23-year-old went on to finish third.
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Buxton discussed the crash and the post-race fight and said Hocevar should not be expected to show extra respect simply because other drivers have been in NASCAR longer.
“I kind of, I don’t get that. Good on Carson for standing his ground and being like, ‘No, I’m not part of the old boys club,” he said on the FOX Sports SPEED podcast.
“You boys haven’t welcomed me to this sport. Like I hoped I would be welcomed to, I’ve been made this pariah by you all. And all I’m doing is racing the way that I always thought I should race and getting here. You guys are just kind of picking on me every week.”
“It’s a cue. You come at me, I’ll swing for you.”
Buxton added that Carson Hocevar has earned his place in the Cup Series through his performances.
Blaney approached Hocevar and grabbed him before the latter threw two punches. The Team Penske star then returned a punch before NASCAR officials and crew members pulled the two drivers apart.
Ryan Blaney takes half blame for post-race fight with Carson Hocevar
Ryan Blaney reflected on the incident during Denny Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental podcast on Monday.
“I’d say it’s a 50-50. I’d put it on both parties. He’s not 100% to blame. I’m not 100% to blame. I think it was just two guys fighting for the bottom at Bristol,” he said.
Blaney added that he regretted going after Carson Hocevar after the race. He revealed that he had not planned to throw punches and only wanted to have a serious conversation with Hocevar.
Blaney’s best friend Bubba Wallace was also surprised by his anger.
“No, that surprised the f**k out of me,” Wallace said.
Wallace said he was “proud of Blaney for having some passion” but admitted the confrontation caught him off guard.
Edited by Palak Gupta
