Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney fight at Bristol. Image: Supplied
The two drivers fought on pit road in the aftermath of a race in which the pair had tangled while fighting for second place with 43 of the 500 laps remaining, sending Blaney into the outside wall.
Blaney approached Hocevar following the chequered flag, receiving two distinct punches to the head for his troubles.
O’Donnell laid out NASCAR’s stance on the matter via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour Podcast.
“If drivers are going to handle their own business, the way we looked at that, how it played out, we’re not going to encourage fighting, but what we are going to encourage is passion, right?” O’Donnell said.
“And those are two guys — Blaney’s showing his passion, showing his fire. So no, there’s nothing coming from us in terms of [penalties].
“We’ll obviously watch what happens the rest of the way, but nothing in terms of post-race penalties.”
Blaney meanwhile took to Denny Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental Podcast to reflect on the incident, acknowledging the crash itself was a “50-50” scenario.
The Team Penske driver said he had not told his crew he was intending to approach Hocevar and had no plan for the confrontation beyond expressing his displeasure.
However, after grabbing the 23-year-old by the collar, Blaney was almost immediately greeted by the first of two right-hook punches to the cheekbone.
“It got me pretty good and the hat just kind of flung off my head,” Blaney said.
“When that happened, I was like, ‘OK, well, I should probably return fire at this point’.
“I see the second one coming and I’m kind of immobilised, and in my mind, I’m like, ‘All right, I’m just going to eat this thing and continue to yell at him and stare at him while I just eat this other right.’
“And I’ll give it to him. He tagged me in the same exact spot that he got me the first time. Right here in my cheekbone.
“I’m like, ‘All right.’ But I was like… I just got to eat it and just continue to talk my trash that I’m talking.”
Hocevar wasted no time in going the biff. Image: Supplied
Blaney went to the ground amid a melee of crew and officials trying to seperate the drivers, before returning to his feet and again charging at Hocevar.
That brought him close enough to knock Hocevar’s hat off, before officials finally deescalated the scene.
The 2023 Cup Series champion said he regrets his actions, noting they were out of character.
“I try to set a good example for kids who are watching, who are fans, their parents who are allowing these kids to watch races and root for their driver,” he said.
The drivers were eventually separated. Image: Supplied
“I try to act a certain way to what a kid would want to look up to. And I look back on those things, and I definitely regret the way I acted.
“You know, that’s really unlike me. It’s just frustrating. … [but] I wish I wouldn’t have done that.
“I wish I would have gone about it a different way, just from people watching, and I don’t ever want to set a bad example.
“And I’ll be honest with you, I went over there and I got my ass kicked for sure. I ate a two-piece and got tagged pretty good. But I just wanted to show my displeasure.”
Blaney dropped two places to sixth in the standings following his 33rd place result, while Hocevar finished third and gained one place in points to sit eighth.