Ryan Blaney Has Black Eye, Talks Carson Hocevar Fight in New Video Ahead of Upcoming NASCAR Race

Ryan Blaney is sporting a black eye ahead of this weekend's Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas City after what he described as an "uncharacteristic" altercation with Carson Hocevar last Saturday in Bristol.

"It was definitely unlike me... it was kind of the opposite of how I normally am," Blaney told reporters Friday. "I get fired up quickly, but I calm down really quickly. The other night, it just kind of slowly built over the half hour or so."

Blaney also said his eye was fine but that he wished it had "healed a little bit quicker than this."

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The altercation between Blaney and Hocevar took place after Hocevar's No. 77 bumped Blaney's No. 12 Ford into the wall.

Blaney then approached Hocevar on pit road, where the two exchanged punches before being separated.

Blaney said Friday the confrontation was the result of a build-up of frustration over start to postseason marred by brake failure at Gateway and a failed pre-race technical inspection at Darlington.

"This Chase hasn't gone exactly how I thought it was gonna go. Just a couple of rough finishes, back to back... you start realizing, 'Man, it's going to be really hard to make up those points now,' and this is your season, this is what you're racing for," Blaney said. "So, I think all of those just kind of built."

About the inciting incident on the track, Blaney said he thought on review the contact had been "pretty 50/50."

"I thought, just kind of a racing thing of Bristol, of two guys being aggressive with the line they wanted to be in," Blaney said.

Hocevar also seemed to be over the fight ahead of this weekend's action at Kansas Speedway. He told reporters the incident made him "more of a fan" of Blaney.

The Chase continues Sunday with the fourth competition of the 10-race postseason at 3 p.m. ET at Kansas Speedway. Kyle Larson enters the race with a narrow lead over Denny Hamlin for pole position in the Cup Series standings .