Ryan Blaney was still sporting a shiner under his left eye when he arrived at Kansas Speedway on Friday.
asserted
he → sport → Friday
“I wish it had healed a little quicker,” he admitted, “but it did not.
asserted
it → wish → ?
The tension between Blaney and Carson Hocevar, who delivered the haymaker that left Blaney with the black eye last weekend, has apparently eased a little bit quicker.
asserted
that → deliver → eye
Blaney called the on-track incident that led to a pit-road fracas “just a racing” thing, upon further reflection, the kind of stuff that happens at a fender-to-fender track like Bristol Motor Speedway.
asserted
that → call → Speedway
“It’s kind of the opposite of how I normally am.
asserted
I → ’ → ?
I get fired up quickly but I calm down really quickly,” Blaney explained.
asserted
Blaney → fire → ?
“These things happen.
asserted
things → happen → ?
The on-track, it happens really, really fast.
asserted
it → happen → track
You’re making decisions in a split-second of a moment, and sometimes you can be skewed or not skewed on what you think happened, and then you know, watching the incident, pretty 50-50, I thought.
asserted
I → make → incident
The incident last Saturday night unfolded 41 laps before Joey Logano captured the checkered flag.
asserted
Logano → unfold → flag
Blaney had just taken second with a pass around the outside of Hocevar, who countered by steering his No. 77 Chevrolet down the track.
asserted
who → take → track
Blaney moved to block him, Hocevar stayed on the gas, and the result sent the No. 12 Ford spinning into the wall.
asserted
Ford → move → wall
It was a big blow to Blaney, who had led a race-high 202 laps, and his hopes of winning a second Cup Series championship.
asserted
who → lead → championship
“It’s just kind of built,” said Blaney, who now trails Kyle Larson by 52 points in the Chase for the championship.
asserted
who → build → championship
“A couple of rough finishes back-to-back and you realize, man, this is not going the way I thought it was going to go.
asserted
it → realize → back
But as he brought his car to a stop along pit road, Blaney was there waiting, and despite standing several inches shorter than the 6-foot-4 Hocevar, went right after him with a shove.
asserted
Blaney → bring → shove
Hocevar responded with two overhand rights, the first knocking Blaney’s hat off and the second connecting with his cheek, sending one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers to the ground.
asserted
second → respond → ground
Blaney scrambled to his feet and threw a left hook that clipped Hocevar’s own hat before team members could intervene.
uncertain
members → scramble → hat
I think Ryan is one of the coolest guys in the garage,” Hocevar said.
asserted
Hocevar → think → garage
“I didn’t want to hit him, and looking back, I 100 percent see where he wanted to just throw a shove in there and yell.
asserted
he → want → shove
But in the moment you’re not going to see that.”
asserted
you → go → that
Hocevar said he had no regrets over what transpired on pit road.
asserted
what → say → road
“I don’t think so.
asserted
I → think → ?
My dad is probably the least controversial person I ever met in my life.
asserted
I → meet → life
He’s got a local business so he freaks out if he gets a bad Google review.
asserted
he → get → review
I texted him and was like, ‘Sorry about that.’
asserted
I → texte → that
He was proud that I defended myself,” Hocevar said.
asserted
Hocevar → defend → myself
“If we were racing anywhere lower than second, I think, you know, I maybe look at it differently, but I think Blaney does, too.”
asserted
Blaney → race → it
With a brazen driving style, the 23-year-old Hocevar has made plenty of enemies — and, yes, quite a few fans — during his third full Cup Series season.
asserted
Hocevar → make → season
It was just a few weeks ago he spun out Brad Keselowski during the Southern 500, leaving the frustrated former champion to declare: “His day is coming, and it’s coming hard.
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it → spin → champion
Turned out his day came at Bristol, only it was Blaney — not Keselowski — trying to deliver the punishment.
asserted
Blaney → turn → punishment
NASCAR seems to be leaning into the brewing feuds, too.
asserted
NASCAR → seem → feuds
Promotional posters for the race at World Wide Technology Raceway, which came on the heels of the Darlington dust-up, declared: “A Rivalry Worth Watching: Hurricane Hocevar vs. Bad Brad Keselowski.
asserted
which → come → Keselowski
So it wasn’t entirely surprising that NASCAR chose not to punish Blaney or Hocevar this week.
asserted
NASCAR → choose → Blaney
“We’re not going to encourage fighting, but what we are going to encourage is passion,” NASCAR chief executive Steve O’Donnell said during an appearance on Kevin Harvick’s podcast Monday.
asserted
O’Donnell → go → podcast
“Blaney’s showing his passion, showing his fire.”
asserted
Blaney → show → fire
Blaney called it the right decision by NASCAR, and not just because it kept the series from digging into his pocketbook.
asserted
it → call → pocketbook
“I would fully understand getting slapped with a penalty if I went over and initiated a punch or something,” Blaney said.
asserted
Blaney → understand → punch
“I initiated a confrontation, Carson defended himself.
asserted
Carson → initiate → himself
I’m glad they didn’t do anything.
asserted
they → ’m → anything
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
