NASCAR star Blaney has moved on from his fight with Hocevar, even if his black eye is still there

Kansas City, Kan. (AP) — NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney was seen with a black eye as he arrived at Kansas Speedway on Friday, even though he had hoped it would heal quicker. The injury came after an on-track incident with Carson Hocevar, which resulted in a pit-road altercation. Blaney admitted that the incident, while still bothersome, had not been resolved as he had hoped.

The on-track event, which occurred 41 laps prior to Joey Logano's victory, saw Blaney take second place after a pass around Hocevar. Hocevar retaliated by steering his car down the track and Blaney blocked him, leading to Hocevar staying on the gas. The result was Blaney's Ford spinning into the wall, a significant setback for the driver who had led 202 laps and was trailing Kyle Larson by 52 points in the Chase for the championship.

Hocevar ended the race in third place. Despite the tension, Hocevar expressed that he had no regrets about responding to Blaney's shove, stating that he merely defended himself. NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell suggested that passion is encouraged in the sport, but did not indicate any penalties for either driver.