Ryan Blaney calls out Carson Hocevar for hooking Harrison Burton: 'Something I've seen too many times'
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney took issue with Carson Hocevar’s actions during last weekend’s race in Nashville.
Hocevar had been battling with Harrison Burton for a myriad of laps last Sunday, and then the No. 77 wheelman decided to show his frustration with the No. 21, right-rear-hooking Burton under caution in a shocking turn of events.
Of course, wrecking someone under caution is a big no-no, and it’s something that multiple drivers and media members were angry about. In particular, Blaney harkened back to Hocevar’s spotty track-record, bringing up past examples of the young wheelman letting his anger get the best of him.
“That’s something I’ve seen too many times out of that guy from different series,” Blaney said regarding Hocevar, via Dustin Long of NBC Sports. “That’s not cool. Don’t do that. They parked Layne Riggs for two laps for running through the back of somebody in that truck race (last weekend) at Nashville. I think everyone made a big deal when Hocevar did that in the Cup race, and then they rightfully penalized him after the race. That’s the only way you’ll get that stuff to stop. You have to make them pay a lot of money, fine them from points, things like that. If it’s bad enough, make them sit out.
“You know, that’s just stuff that you learn as a young driver. Don’t do. There are a lot of no-nos, and that’s one of them. And I don’t care if it’s under caution or under green, both of them are bad. Obviously, under green is worse.”
One thing Blaney did agree with was NASCAR’s handling of the situation. Hocevar was fined $50,000 and docked 25 driver points for violating the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct, NASCAR announced Tuesday evening.
The penalty dropped Hocevar from 22nd to 24th in the standings, 181 points behind the playoff cutline. Effectively, it’s now caused Hocevar to need a win to get into the playoffs, even more than before the penalty.
“I think NASCAR did the right thing of penalizing because you have to slap people. There has to be repercussions for what you do when it’s something like that,” Blaney added. “And like I said, that’s something I’ve seen reoccurring with him that hopefully he learns from it, and hopefully when there’s a little bit of hole in his pocket after the money he had to pay, it teaches you a lesson of don’t do that anymore.”
Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see if Carson Hocevar changes his behavior on the track. Ryan Blaney will remain careful around the No. 77 on the track, as the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion certainly wasn’t shy with his words regarding the young wheelman’s actions.