No penalties will be issued to Carson Hocevar or Ryan Blaney after their fight on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said Monday on Kevin Harvick’s “Happy Hour” Podcast.
The two contenders in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 each landed punches in a pit-road altercation following the Bass Pro Shops Night Race that sparked after an on-track incident between them.
Joining Harvick on his podcast, O’Donnell noted that NASCAR officials have stated “drivers need to handle their business outside of the car.” That manifested itself through Blaney and Hocevar’s conflict Saturday, factoring into the sanctioning body’s decision not to penalize either driver.
The fracas began on the race track in a battle for second. Hocevar attempted a crossover move on Blaney and darted to his left. Blaney attempted to block the pass and contact was made, sending Blaney’s car into the Turn 1 wall. The team deemed the damage irreparable given the few laps remaining, ending Blaney’s day prematurely.
After he was evaluated and released from the infield care center and following the conclusion of the race, Blaney walked to Hocevar’s car and reached for Hocevar. Hocevar reacted by swinging, landing punches to Blaney before Blaney was taken to the ground. Blaney bounced back and returned for a swing of his own before the two were separated again.
Blaney went to his team’s hauler following the scrum while Hocevar spoke to media members to offer his perspective, noting: “I understand why he’s [Blaney’s] upset. That’s probably his championship. So I understand 100%. And I’d probably be mad at me, too. Whether it was his mistake, my mistake, my fault or not, I’d be pretty pissed if I was him.”
A note from NASCAR Communications on Monday stated: “Further review is being conducted to determine penalties to any crew members involved in the incident, and if necessary, any penalties will be announced later this week.” O’Donnell said during his appearance that NASCAR prefers not to see crew members involved in the confrontation. NASCAR Communications later announced Tuesday that no penalties will be issued from the Bristol race weekend.
Blaney sits sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series Chase points standings, 52 points behind series leader Kyle Larson entering Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Hocevar is eighth, 85 points behind Larson and 33 markers behind Blaney.
RFK Racing announced Monday that the organization has parted ways with Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of team co-owner Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.
RFK indicated in a statement that Bullins had left for “a new opportunity” and that the split was amicable. Mike Skarbowski was listed on NASCAR’s official roster portal and on this week’s Cup Series entry list as the new crew chief for Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford, starting with Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Bullins joined RFK Racing for the start of the 2025 Cup Series campaign, marking a reunion with Keselowski from their time working at Team Penske. Keselowski has missed the postseason field the last two seasons, and he ranks 18th in Cup Series points.
Bullins has won 10 times in NASCAR’s top division, with half of those victories arriving during Keselowski’s last two seasons under the Penske banner (2020-21). Bullins also guided Ryan Blaney to three Cup Series wins, adding one each with Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton. Bullins also has 21 wins in 100 starts in what’s now called the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Skarbowski was last listed on RFK’s rosters as a team manager for its three-car operation. Previously, Skarbowski served as a race engineer with Trackhouse Racing.
The NASCAR Cup Series transitions from the short-track confines of Bristol Motor Speedway to the 1.5-mile venue at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, the site of the fourth race of The Chase presented by Mobil 1 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The contest will be the 30th points-paying race of the 2026 season and act as the first of three straight 1.5-mile tracks on the docket. Chase Elliott is the defending winner.
No. 12 Team Penske Ford driver Ryan Blaney and No. 77 Spire Motorsports pilot Carson Hocevar enter the Kansas weekend not far removed from their Bristol pit-road tussle. Blaney enters the weekend 52 points behind Chase points leader Kyle Larson, sixth in the championship table. Hocevar, meanwhile, is 85 markers behind the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Thirty-six cars are entered into this weekend’s Chase race.
After an up-and-down postseason bout at Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Kansas Speedway on Saturday for the second race in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The event is the 20th points-paying race of the 2026 campaign.
No Chase drivers finished inside the top five at Bristol, with Layne Riggs finishing 32nd. Beginning The Chase as the top seed, the No. 34 driver remains atop the championship table, but with only a three-point lead over Kaden Honeycutt in the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota.
Thirty-six race trucks are entered into Saturday’s contest.
To Late Model Stock competitors, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway is the equivalent to the Daytona 500
Martinsville has long been a hub for Late Model Stocks, but the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 has served as the facility’s crown jewel event for the discipline since 1995. The event has only grown in prestige with each passing year, consistently attracting the best Late Model Stock drivers in the Southeast seeking to take home a grandfather clock.
The list of drivers who have won a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 includes numerous legends in the Late Model Stock discipline. Five-time NASCAR Local Racing Series national champion Philip Morris leads all drivers with three ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victories, but other winners include Lee Pulliam, Josh Berry, Peyton Sellers, Dennis Setzer and Carson Kvapil.
Along with a grandfather clock, the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown is also on the line for a handful of drivers entered in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Both accolades are among the hardest to claim in Late Model Stock competition, as earning them requires surviving the intensity and unpredictability the event always provides.
Tickets to Saturday’s race at Martinsville Speedway are available here. Below is everything to know ahead of the 2026 ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
Dozens of the best Late Model Stock competitors will descend upon Martinsville Speedway this weekend for a shot at a grandfather clock. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
What TV channel is the 2026 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 on?
All on-track action for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 can be seen live on the NASCAR Channel, which is available on Tubi, The Roku Channel, Xumo Play, Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video and more.
FloRacing, the official streaming home for all NASCAR Regional properties, will also carry live coverage of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
Below is the complete broadcast schedule for the weekend.
Complete schedule for the 2026 ValleyStar Credit Union 300
On-track activity for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will take place between Sept. 25-26, 2026.
The event is headlined by the 200-lap Late Model Stock feature, with four 25-lap qualifying races setting the field for the main event.
Below is the complete schedule at Martinsville Speedway (all times ET).
Friday, Sept. 25, 2026
Time
Event
9 a.m.
Ticket booth opens
1 p.m.
Parking opens
2:30 p.m.
Fan gates opens
3:15-6:15 p.m.
Practice
8 p.m.
Qualifying
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026
Time
Event
9 a.m.
Ticket booth opens
11 a.m.
Parking opens
1:30 p.m.
Fan gates open
2-3:30 p.m.
Autograph session
4 p.m.
First qualifying race (25 laps)
To follow
Second qualifying race (25 laps)
To follow
Third qualifying race (25 laps)
To follow
Final qualifying race (25 laps)
5:10-5:30 p.m.
ValleyStar Credit Union 300 hot laps
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Pre-race ceremonies
6:35 p.m.
Driver introductions
7 p.m.
Feature race (200 laps)
Race format
The field for Saturday’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will be set by a combination of qualifying and the four 25-lap qualifying races. Competitors will first qualify on Friday evening, with the fastest qualifier earning a $5,000 bonus.
Starting positions for the 40-car field are determined by the qualifiers. The top 10 finishers in each qualifying race will secure a place in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. There will not be a last chance qualifier.
Caden Kvapil is locked into the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. He earned his starting position by winning the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway. Kaden Honeycutt won the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway to earn a guaranteed starting position, but is not entered in Saturday’s race. If Kvapil fails to race his way in, the first three qualifying races will have 10 transfers with the last feature only having nine.
The 200-lap feature includes three segments: 100 laps, 75 laps and 25 laps. Each segment winner receives a $1,000 bonus.
In the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 feature, the leader of each lap receives $25, with $5,000 available in the lap leader bonus pool. If the race extends beyond the scheduled distance, there will be unlimited attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, unless there are time restraints or adverse conditions. The winner will earn $32,000 to go along with a grandfather clock.
Landon Pembelton joined a small, but notable list of two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winners at Martinsville Speedway last year. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
ValleyStar Credit Union 300 entry list
The current entry list for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 features 90 competitors.
Headlining the stacked group of competitors is Corey Heim, who won the NASCAR Cup Series event at Naval Base Coranado as well as the Brickyard 400 this year as part of a part-time schedule with 23XI Racing. Heim nearly won the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 during his first attempt in 2018, but lost to C.E. Falk III on the final green-white-checkered attempt.
The team Heim is driving for is Nelson Motorsports, an accomplished Late Model Stock operation that won its lone ValleyStar Credit Union 300 in 2017 with Timothy Peters. Heim will be joined on the Nelson Motorsports roster by veteran Jared Fryar, whose accomplishments include winning the 2022 Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway.
Among the drivers the Nelson Motorsports duo will have to deal with at Martinsville includes Caden Kvapil, the current Virginia Triple Crown points leader. The JR Motorsports driver won the Hampton Heat earlier this year and will attempt to deliver team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. his third ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory.
Two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Lee Pulliam will be Kvapil’s teammate this weekend, driving the No. 8 NASCAR Channel Chevrolet. Pulliam nearly brought home another grandfather clock last year, but was beaten by Landon Pembelton in a thrilling photo finish.
Carson Kvapil, Caden’s older brother who delivered JR Motorsports their most recent ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory, is also entered this weekend. A two-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winner this season, the elder Kvapil will drive the No. 32 for Go FAS Racing at Martinsville.
The elder Kvapil and Pulliam make up two of the six previous ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winners entered in Saturday’s race. Other winners chasing another grandfather clock this weekend include Pembelton, Trevor Ward, Peyton Sellers and Jason York. If Pembelton prevails on Saturday, he will join Philip Morris as the only other driver to win the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 three times.
Other drivers making the trip to Martinsville this weekend include recently crowned ARCA Menards Series East champion Tristan McKee, along with Treyten Lapcevich, Carson Loftin, Tyler Reif, Doug Barnes Jr., Kyle Dudley, Conner Jones, Woody Howard, Brandon Setzer, Landon Huffman, Tate Fogleman, Bobby McCarty and Andrew Grady, among many others.
Below is the complete 2026 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 entry list.
(Drivers in bold are eligible for the Virginia Triple Crown)
BRISTOL, Tenn. — It was Ford versus Chevrolet. It was wily veteran versus wilier bandit. It was champion vs. intimidator-in-training.
It was all that stock car racing sells itself to be, and then some.
That was Bristol Motor Speedway in the waning hours of Saturday night, two drivers on the opposite sides of the emotional spectrum coming together — first on track and second on faces. Ryan Blaney: Mr. Cool, smart on track and generally smarter still as he travels through the responsibilities of racing that are not on track. Carson Hocevar: Disrupter, rascal, mischief-maker, talent beyond his years.
Those who have been up and down NASCAR roads for years could have predicted the post-race violence as soon as Hocevar’s Chevrolet bounced Blaney’s Ford from contention for the race win (and possibly for contention for the championship). This was tailor-made for the latest in a long line of prominent physical disagreements: Cale Yarborough versus the Allisons at Daytona. Rusty Wallace plunking Dale Earnhardt with a water bottle at Bristol. Tony Stewart versus almost everybody everywhere. An angry Kevin Harvick leaping a vehicle to get at Greg Biffle at Martinsville.
This one was even foretold by one of the participants. In comments after the crash, Blaney let the world know “something’s gonna happen,” and his fury, pent-up at that moment outside the infield medical center, was unleashed in a no-holds-barred moment a few minutes after Hocevar exited his car.
Blaney led with his mustache. There was no discussion, no exchange of ideas, no debate. Despite the presence of more than a few brawny NASCAR officials and team members ready to play tag-team roles if necessary, Blaney plunged through as if on a strong backstretch run at Daytona and shoved Hocevar, prompting Hocevar to respond with a wicked right that Sugar Ray Leonard would have endorsed. From there, the mess disintegrated into more arms swinging and pushing and yelling, even as the grandstand crowd saluted with raucous cheers.
Somewhere, someone was printing more Hocevar T-shirts.
The irony of the situation is that blame for the on-track incident that sparked the post-race brouhaha could be shared by the two drivers, Blaney moving down too late to block a Hocevar charge, Hocevar, who claimed he was hard on the brakes, giving no quarter when hard racing between the two easily could have continued until the end.
Hocevar clearly enjoyed the moment. His hair barely tousled by the roughhousing, he gestured to the cheering crowd, then, after a longer-than-necessary waiting period, he answered every question from media members, seeming to revel in the fact that he might have put up a major wall in Blaney’s pursuit of another championship.
Despite his physical and verbal protests, Blaney was spirited away into the night (or the hauler), and Team Penske executives refused to discuss the incident.
More — much more — will be said about this, of course, and the video from a hot Bristol night will live throughout the rest of The Chase and beyond.
The third race of The Chase presented by Mobil 1 saw Joey Logano make all the right moves and earn his third victory of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Logano joined Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney as the only drivers with three or more wins this season. Logano also pulled to within 16 points of Kyle Larson for the lead in the standings. But the big headline, of course, came from the post-race altercation between Blaney and Carson Hocevar that saw fists fly and frustrations boil over.
Here’s where we stand in The Chase coming out of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race and heading to Kansas Speedway for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This week, it has to be the incident between Blaney and Hocevar on Lap 458 of 500 at Bristol. Not only did Hocevar’s contact with Blaney lead to a post-race skirmish for the ages, but Blaney’s 33rd-place finish also put him in a big hole heading to Kansas. Blaney now sits in sixth in the standings, 52 points back, and although it wasn’t quite a knockout blow (no pun intended), it certainly will make winning a second championship more difficult.
It will be interesting to see what happens next. Will Blaney go for payback? Or will he just put his head down and start chipping away at the points deficit? He still has plenty going for him because of favorable tracks coming up on the schedule (Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville). Plus, there’s the speed he has in his Team Penske No. 12 Ford. According to Racing Insights’ season-long averages, only two drivers have had better speed than Blaney this season, and both of them are multiple-time champions (Logano and Larson). The problem is both are also drivers he’s now chasing in the standings.
But what about the other side of this incident? Hocevar has had a good start to his Chase, and the third-place finish at Bristol was a career best. He moved up to eighth in the standings. At 85 points back, there is still work to do should he reach the upper echelon, but he’s definitely moving in the right direction. The higher he goes in the owner standings, the better his team’s payout will be at the end of the season. But now that he has another enemy out there in Blaney, Hocevar just increased the chances that he could be sent into the fence himself, which could stop that progress.
The Chase Board
It’s hard to believe that 11 races ago, Logano was 20th in the standings and looking nowhere near being capable of making a run for a fourth championship. But here we are three races into The Chase, and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford pilot has forced his way into the conversation.
Logano’s Bristol victory leaped him four spots in the standings to third place, and he had everything you’d expect to see in a championship contender. There was sustained dominance, including a Stage 1 win, a third-place finish in Stage 2 and 93 laps led. But what made the performance special were the moves he made to grab the lead with seven laps remaining. That type of late-race, clutch performance was vintage Logano, and it showed he still can pounce on an opportunity and take advantage of it.
What Logano needs to do next, however, is show that he can have the same type of dominance on tracks that aren’t short tracks, which is where all three of his victories have come this season (North Wilkesboro, Richmond, Bristol). He’s probably going to need to be just as dominant on a different track type, because the only shorter tracks left on the schedule are at Phoenix and Martinsville. In order for him to make up more ground on the leaders, he will need to pick up points elsewhere.
Rank
Driver
Points Behind
Gain/Loss to Leader
1
Kyle Larson
--
Gained 10
2
Denny Hamlin
-1
Lost 10
3
Joey Logano
-16
Gained 35
4
Christopher Bell
-17
Gained 1
5
Ty Gibbs
-42
Gained 9
6
Ryan Blaney
-52
Lost 19
7
Tyler Reddick
-61
Lost 19
8
Carson Hocevar
-85
Gained 3
9
Chase Briscoe
-87
Lost 28
10
Bubba Wallace
-92
Lost 2
11
Austin Cindric
-116
Lost 8
12
Chase Elliott
-117
Lost 24
13
William Byron
-121
Lost 7
14
Ryan Preece
-124
Lost 11
15
Chris Buescher
-124
Lost 13
16
Daniel Suárez
-134
Lost 15
Source: Racing Insights
Next Up
Kansas starts a string of three straight 1.5-mile tracks on the schedule, otherwise known as the bread-and-butter of NASCAR tracks. Despite that reputation, drivers haven’t seen a 1.5-mile track since July 5 at Chicagoland Speedway when Chase Briscoe drove home with the win. Before that, it was Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Daniel Suárez won the Coca-Cola 600. Other winners at 1.5-mile tracks this season include: Chase Elliott (Texas), Tyler Reddick (Kansas) and Denny Hamlin (Las Vegas).
If we see a repeat of those results, this three-race stretch could be an opportunity for some drivers who’ve dropped in The Chase standings to rebound. Hamlin, in particular, could use a pick-me-up as he’s seen his 25-point lead at the start of The Chase turn into a one-point deficit just three contests in. Despite posting top-10 results in his last two races, he didn’t lead any laps at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway or Bristol, so he needs to return to that dominance he had earlier in the season, which included a stretch of three straight triumphs.
Hamlin leads active drivers with four wins at Kansas. But what’s more striking is that he has finished in the top five in all of the races on 1.5-mile tracks this season. That’s an impressive record, so this three-race run of 1.5-mile tracks could come at exactly the right time for him. However, he will likely receive resistance from Larson, who has led over 1,000 laps at Kansas in his career. Plus, Larson has three wins at Kansas himself, including more recent wins in 2024 and 2025 than Hamlin has had (2023).
Perhaps you remember that dramatic finish in 2023 when Hamlin nudged Larson into the wall on the final lap and took the checkered flag in what was another all-timer of a finish. The way this Chase is going, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if we saw that kind of drama again.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — When Carson Hocevar met Brad Pitt during the drivers’ meeting Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, maybe he asked for advice from the “Fight Club” movie star.
NASCAR’s own budding star found mayhem all over again in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race after contact with Ryan Blaney on the track led to contact off the track, with punches thrown and landed between two of the sport’s top championship contenders after the third race of The Chase presented by Mobil 1.
Even in a vacuum, the incident was dramatic enough to have warranted frustration, particularly on a short track with short tempers after a fight for second place between Chase contenders resulted in a wreck. But folding in Hocevar’s long list of enemies, history of contact and unfavorable reputation among his competitors, Bristol just happened to be the boiling point where anger spilled over.
“I haven’t had a problem with him for probably a year and a half, but it’s getting old,” Blaney said at the infield care center, just 10 minutes before he sought Hocevar on pit road after the race.
The 2023 Cup champion has spun off the front bumper of Hocevar’s car before, but not since February 2025 at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta, where Hocevar spun Blaney late while racing inside the top five.
Saturday’s incident was arguably one of Hocevar’s less egregious incidents, though. Blaney cleared Hocevar for second place on the inside lane and exited to the wall off Turn 4. Hocevar attempted a crossover, drove to Blaney’s left and Blaney attempted to block it. Somewhere in that sequence, somebody was late to the next move — either Blaney to the block or Hocevar to the brakes.
And yet the laundry list of enemies Hocevar has created through three full-time Cup seasons has long-ago erased his benefit of the doubt from fellow drivers. And it’s clearer to see why Saturday came to fisticuffs when factoring in Hocevar’s comments from a July 12 pre-race show on TNT Sports: “They’ve got to all stand up to the plate and bring it on, and I don’t know if anybody really wants to get in that war.”
Blaney was willing to enlist on Saturday night and Hocevar was ready with the best defense: offense.
“Itwasn’ttillabouttwosecondsbeforethey’relike, ‘hey,he [Blaney]mightcomeoverhere,’ “Hocevar said of the build-up. “AndthenIsawhimandIwaslike, ‘OK,he’smovingprettyfastforaconvo.’ Andthenhegrabbedme,andIwaslike, ‘OK,well,I’mnotgonna wait.’I’veseenenoughofthese.I’mjustgonnastartswingingandseewhathappens.”
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
What happened was the latest Hocevar moment to transcend the NASCAR space — this time in a far different way than his Met Gala appearance or Talladega celebration earlier this spring. ESPN’s “SportsCenter” featured the fight in its Sunday morning highlight package as videos of the spar have garnered millions of views in the hours since it occurred.
That coincides perfectly with the incredible outpouring of support Hocevar has received in both cheers and merchandise sales — the sales of which, by the way, featured a 12% discount for 12 hours on Hocevar’s website following his altercation with Blaney … driver of the No. 12 Ford. When Hocevar’s face appeared on Bristol’s Colossus jumbotron, the bowl of fans erupted with cheers, encouraged in part by Hocecar’s own arm-waving to rile up the already-rowdy spectators.
“Ijusthappenedtolookupandtheywereallkindofcheering,” Hocevar said. “Ikindofwavedatthemandtheyall stoodupandgotpumpedup.Soagain,averycoolmomentforme. … Itmakesyoufeelalittlebetterforlosing.YouknowwhatImean? We getacoolstoryandwegettobeinthehighlightreel,Iguess,becausethat’sofcourseeverythingIwanttobeapartof.”
Hocevar added that last line with a hint of sarcasm, leaning into the discourse that has followed his reputation online. Meanwhile, he finished third and walked away eighth in the points standings, still happy to lean into the theatrics of the event.
“I got a run to cross him over. He looked like he spun himself and then he wants to instigate a fight,” Hocevar told USA Sports. “So I was gonna finish that and it seemed like the crowd was pretty pumped up so I was gonna play the audience for a second.”
Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson was surprised Saturday’s incident specifically became the straw that broke the camel’s back that landed Hocevar in a highly publicized fight. In fact, Dickerson said the team never even spoke about the on-track incident between Blaney and Hocevar.
“Nobodywaseventalkingaboutit,” Dickerson told NASCAR.com Saturday night. “To me andIthinkeverybody, itjustlookedobvious.Thatwasn’tlikeCarsondrove him intothecornerandshipped him,right?SoImean,yeah. It’sanotherstory. We’renotgoingtogetthequietweekwewanted.Iwishwewouldhavegotawin.”
“Imean Carson has madehisshareofmistakes.I’mjustnotsurethatwasoneofthem. Youcouldsay,hey,Imean somebodywasgoingtohavetogooverthereandtrytosaysomething,whetheritwasRyanorwhoever,right?ButImean,Idon’tknow,man.ImeanCarsondidn’tseemlikehewasafraidofcontactonoroffthetrackandcaughthimagood fewtimes.”
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
Dickerson wasn’t sure Saturday’s contact warranted a fight: “I mean to me, that seemed like that should have just been a text or whatever.”
But Hocevar has expressed a disdain for empty apologies anyway, whether he gives one or receives one, meaning a text likely wouldn’t have solved any disagreements between Hocevar and Blaney.
It’s hard to determine whether anything is solved following Saturday’s skirmish anyway. Blaney finished 33rd and fell to sixth in points, 52 points back of new series leader Kyle Larson. Hocevar is 85 points back of Larson and 33 behind Blaney with seven races remaining in the championship hunt.
There has long been a budding storyline through the NASCAR garage that led to the question: Will someone finally confront Hocevar over his perceived lack of respect? Answer: Ryan Blaney.
Dickerson wasn’t too disappointed in his driver’s performance, though: “Wetaughthimhowtofight,Iguess.”
HICKORY, N.C. – Long before the green flag waved to begin Hickory Motor Speedway’s championship night, Connor Hall exchanged good luck wishes with current NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts Division I points leader Joey Tanner.
Hall entered the evening trailing Tanner by six points in the Division I standings, but knew he needed to be perfect at Hickory if he hoped to have a shot at his third national title. Everything unfolded the way Hall wanted, as he picked up a dominant victory in the 60-lap Limited Late Model feature.
For someone who originally had no plans to pursue another NASCAR Local Racing Series championship in 2026, Hall is pleasantly surprised to still be in contention during the final week of the points season. Although he does not know if the Hickory win will be enough to usurp Tanner, Hall is still satisfied with everything he accomplished this year.
“Amazing car by an amazing group of guys,” Hall said. “We didn’t really seek out this national thing. We got a little bit of a late start on it, gave up a bunch of races at Langley. All in all, we at least put our name in the hat to try and win this thing.
“Joey [Tanner] seems like a great guy and he’s had a hell of a season. Either way, I’m more than happy we had the season that we did.”
Tanner has been impeccable at his home track, Willamette Speedway, this year. Entering the weekend he had won 11 of 14 possible features. Hall believed the odds were against him to win the NASCAR Local Racing Series Division I national championship.
Hall could have made up some ground to Tanner with more starts at Langley Speedway, but a combination of rainouts, NASCAR commitments and a concussion sustained earlier in the year kept him away from the track. All Hall could do was win as many races as he could and see how the points turned out.
Despite being part-time, Hall’s 11 victories matched Tanner’s win total entering Saturday night. Since Langley had no more races prior to the Sept. 20 deadline, Hickory was Hall’s final opportunity to gain ground on Tanner.
The NASCAR Local Racing Series hands out points based on two factors – field size and starting position. Essentially, the deeper you start, the more points you earn. A perfect race would be worth 36 points if you start eighth or worse. If a driver starts between fifth and eighth, they earn 34 points for a victory. Per Hickory rules, since Hall was the most recent winner at the track, he was required to start Saturday’s race sixth after setting fast time. That meant he could earn up to 34 points Saturday night.
Connor Hall is a two-time NASCAR Local Racing Series Division I champion, having previously won the title in 2023 and 2024. (Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Once the green flag waved, Hall quickly went to work on passing cars. He found himself in the lead by Lap 10 of the 60-lap Limited Late Model feature and easily held off the field on a late restart for the victory.
Hall did his part on Saturday to keep his national title hopes alive. He spent the rest of the evening keeping a close eye on Willamette to see how Tanner would perform.
There was still some doubt in Hall’s mind about whether he would be declared the NASCAR Local Racing Series Division I champion. No matter what the final point tallies are, Hall will be content with the outcome.
“I’ve been very fortunate enough to win it twice,” Hall said. “Those were the years where we were like ‘let’s go do this thing.’ Every time this car leaves the shop, it’s a 110 percent effort. In a perfect world, I would have liked to get a couple more races in to replace some lower value races.”
As his obligations to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Niece Motorsports increase, Hall is not sure if he will get another chance to pursue a NASCAR Local Racing Series title.
Growing up, Hall aspired to follow in the footsteps of Late Model Stock legends such as Lee Pulliam, Philip Morris, Peyton Sellers and Josh Berry. Now, after racing Late Model Stocks for nearly a decade, Hall feels he has reached many of the same heights as his idols, but there are still some milestones he wants to reach before his career is over.
Hall will now wait to see if his efforts lead to his third NASCAR Local Racing Series national champion. If this is his last chance to chase the national championship, Hall knows he gave it everything he had.
“I want to get four, so I can match Lee and Philip,” Hall said. “Worst-case scenario, two is plenty. We do this for fun and Niece is nice enough to let me do it a lot. I just want to keep winning races no matter if it’s in a Truck, a Modified, an ARCA car, a go-kart or a lawnmower, whatever it be.”
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – As far as birthdays go, Saturday wasn’t so bad for Patrick Emerling.
The now 34-year-old continued his march to the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship with a dominant win Saturday night in the Eddie Partridge 206.
The victory, his fifth of the year, puts him on the cusp of his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship with just one race remaining in the 16-race season.
“Always love to come here to Riverhead,” Emerling said. “Awesome race track. We always enjoy it, it’s always a good track for me for some reason, even though I’m a Western New York guy.”
Emerling was in his own league throughout most of the 206-lap main event. Starting third following the redraw, Emerling took the lead from Matt Hirschman by Lap 20 and was rarely challenged the rest of the night.
His closest pursuer in the later stages of the race was 15-year-old Paulie Hartwig III, who briefly took the lead from Emerling following a late restart only for Emerling to quickly regain control of the race.
The final restart came with 15 laps left and as he had done all night, Emerling made quick work of the field and drove away to a comfortable 1.399-second victory.
Patrick Emerling (1) leads Craig Lutz early during the Eddie Partridge 206 at Riverhead Raceway. (Photos: Cos Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)
Hartwig chased Emerling to the checkered flag to earn a career-best runner-up finish aboard his family-owned No. 73. He gave Emerling everything he had but just couldn’t find a way around the No. 1 machine.
“Just came up second to the No. 1 team. They’ve been really fast this year. P2 at Riverhead is not bad,” Hartwig said. “I always love coming to this place. It’s either gonna come out here alive or something is going to be wrecked.”
The triumph, combined with an eighth-place finish by defending series champion Austin Beers, means Emerling will enter the finale at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Oct. 11 with a comfortable advantage in the championship standings as he looks to wrap up his first series championship.
“We unloaded with just an absolute rocket ship of a USNE Power No. 1 car today,” Emerling said. “Work was done in the shop (by crew chief) Dale Hedquist. We were just so, so good. Practice and all day long.
“Absolutely awesome. I never thought I would have five Tour wins in a season, so just awesome. And really a good birthday for me.”
Justin Bonsignore, who was making his 250th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start on Saturday night, won the American Racer Pole Award and finished third. Tyler Rypkema was fourth, followed by Eric Goodale in fifth.
Joey Braun, Timmy Solomito, Beers, Roger Turbush and Craig Lutz were sixth through 10th, respectively.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wraps up the 2026 season with the annual running of the World Series 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Sunday, Oct. 11. Fans unable to attend in person can watch live on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel.
