A Brawling Conundrum: Can NASCAR Encourage Passion While Not Condoning Fights?

NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell was clear when speaking about not penalizing Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar for their fight Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. There would be no deduction in points and no fines issued. “We’re not going to encourage fighting, but what we are going to encourage is passion,” he said on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast Monday. So that begs the question: Is that possible? And what is the line where passion goes too far? It apparently isn’t with approaching another driver forcefully after a race, which is typical. And apparently a driver can throw a punch if he feels even slightly that he needs to protect himself. NASCAR is in a little bit of a tough position. Typically in sports, a punch warrants an ejection or — at minimum — a fine. Even in hockey, where it’s accepted and somewhat celebrated, players still have to do time in the penalty box. NASCAR, with its “Hell Yeah” marketing campaign and a swear jar contest, is trying to show that it isn’t apologizing for embracing its brand. That brand? It’s a rough-and-tumble contact sport with a foundation of grassroots, unbridled passion. The Hocevar-Blaney fight is going to be used to promote the Bristol night race for the next decade. If NASCAR penalizes the drivers and uses that very fight to promote the race, many people will consider the league to be hypocritical. NASCAR didn’t fine Ross Chastain in 2023 when he decked Noah Gragson after Gragson confronted him after a race. But Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has to wonder why he got a $75,000 fine for clocking Kyle Busch after the 2024 All-Star Race. NASCAR will say that wasn’t a punch delivered in the heat of passion, since it happened 70-80 minutes after Stenhouse was wrecked out of the event and Stenhouse was by Busch’s hauler afterward. As O’Donnell indicated, NASCAR would prefer a fist fight over drivers using their race cars as weapons. Back in the day, that might have worked, but with the speeds they carry now and the potential injury to drivers (and fans if parts fly in the stands), they can’t have demolition derbies. But as with everything, NASCAR needs to be careful. The league can’t have fights every race. It can’t have drivers throwing punches in hopes of selling more t-shirts later. Not saying Hocevar threw the punch with that intent but he’s likely profiting off his fists. If NASCAR puts a driver who fights on probation, would that make him a sitting duck to be decked the next time he angers a driver? If the fighting escalates, NASCAR needs to figure out a way to at least discourage the frequency of it. Maybe it could be as simple as losing pit selection or a little bit of practice time. Just a little something to at least indicate that NASCAR and its executives are not encouraging throwing punches. That would also send a message to any possible corporate sponsors who could be worried, while the drivers still get the benefit of selling more merchandise and increasing their fan bases.