“I don't think he has to change who he is”: Ryan Blaney offers key advice to ‘talented’ Carson Hocevar amid his tangle with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Ryan Blaney weighed in on last weekend's Nashville controversy involving Carson Hocevar and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and offered Hocevar advice on how to proceed following the incident. The driver of the #12 doesn't believe Hocevar has to change who he is because, after all, that's what helped him get to the Cup stage.

Stenhouse Jr. scored a last-place finish in last Sunday's race at Nashville after contact with Hocevar sent his #47 spinning into the wall. Ryan Blaney, who went on to win at Nashville, spoke to motorsports insider Jeff Gluck about the matter. The 2023 Cup Series champion explained how every driver has been young and aggressive at one point in their careers. While Blaney believes Hocevar should stay true to himself, he can do a better job learning from incidents like the Nashville one.

"He's a young guy. All of us have been young. We've all been aggressive. Everyone has a heavy right foot when they get going -- and that's good. I think he's a very, very talented race car driver; he's one of the best guys out there. It's hard to teach speed. It's just he has to refine a little bit what he does. I don't think he has to change who he is, because this is what got him here. But he's got to possibly think of some situations he's been in and just try to learn from them. That's really all you can do," Blaney was quoted as saying by Jeff Gluck on X.

Ryan Blaney led a race-high 139 of 300 laps in last Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville to secure the victory. It was the North Carolina native's first win of 2025 and first at Nashville. The win was Blaney's 14th Cup victory and first since Martinsville in the fall of 2024. Hocevar, meanwhile, finished second in his #77 Spire Motorsports machine. The second-year driver is still seeking his first Cup victory.

Ryan Blaney teases 'encore' performance at Michigan in social media post

The NASCAR Cup Series circuit heads to the Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the running of the FireKeepers Casino 400. Ryan Blaney will be seeking back-to-back Cup victories after winning last Sunday night at Nashville.

The driver of the #12 took to X to promote the race, which will be the third broadcast for Prime Video. Blaney teased that his Team Penske group will be giving an "encore" performance.

"Put your hands together, as we prep for an encore. We hit the stage in The Irish Hills of Michigan this Sunday at 1:30 ET on @SportsonPrime," Blaney mentioned on X.

After 14 races in 2025, Ryan Blaney sits seventh in the points standings. He has one win, six top fives, and seven top 10s with an average finish of 16.6.