Ryan Blaney bumps Carson Hocevar on cool-down lap after Atlanta finish

Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar clashed multiple times during Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta, and the former NASCAR Cup Series champion took action after the checkered flag waved.

The in-car camera captured a moment following the final lap of the race, where Blaney bumped Hocevar when the race ended. NASCAR shared the incident to social media, as the Team Penske wheelman was far from happy with the Spire Motorsports driver. Check it out below.

Some frustration from the No. 12 car on the cool-down lap. pic.twitter.com/N69FtqBhKS

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 24, 2025

Evidently, the moment preluded Blaney confronting Hocevar on pit road — right after the latter had been approached by Ross Chastain — where he told the second-year driver he needs to “calm down.”

“I just said, ‘Hey, you got to calm down.’ I told him a couple moves he made earlier in the race that were really, really sketchy, obviously me getting spun,” Blaney told Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, via Kelly Crandall of RACER/ESPN. “He should know better than to hit me in that spot. Like, you can’t just run into my bumper as I’m turning into the corner. Like, I’m gonna wreck.

“So, I just told him, ‘You got to calm down. You got a lot of talent, but you got to be a little bit easier in certain moments and be a little smarter.’”

All told, it’s not hard to see why Blaney was upset at Hocevar. Blaney was sent spinning by Hocevar on Lap 234 while racing near the front of the pack. Blaney miraculously saved it on the apron with no damage.

However, on the radio, Blaney had some choice words for Hocevar. FOX captured the exchange between Blaney and his spotter Tim Fedewa.

Blaney: “I told you, Timmy. The 77 [Hocevar]. Absolute Weapon.”

Fedewa: “I know, man. I don’t know what we can do about it. F***, we’ve got to race.”

Blaney: “He’s just a moron. He just runs right into the back of you. Has zero idea of where to bump somebody, where not to, he’s swiping across my bumper as he’s doing it. He just has no idea the whole race.”

Blaney finished fourth while Hocevar was runner-up to race-winner Christopher Bell.

Hocevar, who was going for his first career win in the NASCAR Cup Series, admitted there’s some stuff he needs to “clean up a little bit.” He did not, however, reveal anything pertaining to the pit road conversations with Chastain and Blaney. We’ll see if he adjusts his style moving forward after Atlanta.

— On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this article.