NASCAR CUP SERIES: BASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACE

September 19, 2026

Carson Hocevar

Pit Lane Interview

Q. Carson, Blaney told the radio folks that he wanted to go have a discussion with you, have a talk with you. Did that look like a talk coming?

CARSON HOCEVAR: I don't know. I wasn't trying to wreck him. It just looked like to me I got a run and kind of went left and he spun; I spun him.

There wasn't a whole lot of talking. He just kind of said one thing and then went after me, and I wasn't going to take it.

I mean, that was fun with the 54. I got ran into a lot for the win. I mean, that was for second and he wants to come fight.

You know, I don't think anybody is left behind me, so they got an old-school Bristol show here.

Q. You were working this crowd up here. It wasn't Anti-Blaney, it was pro-Carson Hocevar, right?

CARSON HOCEVAR: Yeah. I don't know what I did wrong there. I got a run to cross him over. It looked like he spun himself and then he wants to instigate a fight. I was going to finish that, and, you know, it seemed like the crowd was pretty pumped up so I was going to play the audience for a second.

Q. What is it like for you to be a fan of this place and this race, and even in spite of all that do what you did tonight and finish third?

CARSON HOCEVAR: It doesn't really mean s--- because we didn't win the race, but it was a lot of fun to be up front. Aaron Ziegler Auto Group was going to give away a car. I was going to force them to if we won.

Unfortunately that bet will have to stay a little later. Just really proud of our guys. I don't know, that had to have been a good points day for us and a good run. We tend to run good here at Bristol. It would have been nice to close that one out.

I'm a Lions fan so I know you only get a few shots within your window, so we're pretty good here and eventually competition is going to catch up. But a lot of fun with these guys here.

Q. What was it like being the show here tonight at Bristol?

CARSON HOCEVAR: It was fun. Props to NASCAR, props to all the fans that came out. It seemed like bottom and top worked. The good guys could pass, and if you weren't very good, you were going to get really annoyed not being able to pass. Yeah, just proud of this effort, proud of our group. I had a lot of fun tonight.