NASCAR star Carson Hocevar suspended by team for Martinsville incident

NASCAR star Carson Hocevar suspended by team for Martinsville incident.

Key points

• NASCAR additionally fined Hocevar $100, 000 and docked him 25 points for his run-in with Cindric.
• 3 that it has suspended the 23-year-old star driver for the season finale of the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Drivers Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney were fighting for second place when Hocevar spun Blaney, causing him to crash into a wall.
• Despite what Hocevar remarked, the data – as broken down by broadcasters Steve Letarte and Jamie McMurray – is clear: Hocevar brake-checked Cindric multiple times.
• The latest came this past weekend at Martinsville, where Hocevar seemed to deliberately brake-check Austin Cindric multiple times, eventually destroying the front end of Cindric's No.

NASCAR star Carson Hocevar suspended by team for Martinsville incident. Mitchell Northam USA TODAY. See the moments leading up to NASCAR's Blaney – Hocevar scuffle.

Drivers Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney were fighting for second place when Hocevar spun Blaney, causing him to crash into a wall. You can see this moment courtesy of Storyful. Spire Motorsports has parked Carson Hocevar.

Meanwhile, the team confirmed on Tuesday, Nov. 3 that it has suspended the 23-year-old star driver for the season finale of the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Hocevar, appropriately nicknamed "the Hurricane" by USA Sports broadcaster Leigh Diffey, has been involved in countless wrecks and incidents this season and has had a cavalier attitude regarding almost all of them.

Meanwhile, the latest came this past weekend at Martinsville, where Hocevar seemed to deliberately brake-check Austin Cindric multiple times, eventually destroying the front end of Cindric's No. 2 Team Penske Ford and forcing him to retire from the race.

"The way Carson conducted himself at Martinsville doesn't meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees, and there are consequences for that. That doesn't mean we don't love him and backing him, " Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson stated in an official note. "Racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism from everyone who represents Spire Motorsports."

During the incident, Hocevar's spotter, Tyler Green, pleaded with him to stop fooling around with Cindric, saying: "Hey, just go, please. Just go. Focus on driving to the 47 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.)."

Cindric declined to comment on the incident after he exited the infield care center on Sunday, but remarked over his radio: "NASCAR, what are we doing? Like, we're just weaponizing cars here. As projected, played it coy when asked concerning the incident, I stack on entry with the guy and he has a mental breakdown." Hocevar.

"It's just Martinsville, " Hocevar remarked on pit road Sunday. "Everybody's running hard and making moves and stuff. So, yeah, I don't know, I mean, it's just Martinsville. Sometimes you're getting hit, sometimes you're causing it, vice versa, so I don't know. I had fun."

Despite what Hocevar remarked, the data – as broken down by broadcasters Steve Letarte and Jamie McMurray – is clear: Hocevar brake-checked Cindric multiple times. It eventually destroyed the No. 2 Ford.

Instead of waiting for NASCAR to hand out any discipline, Spire took matters into its own hands and parked Hocevar for the season finale. Justin Haley – a driver for Kaulig Racing in the Truck Series – will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet this weekend at Homestead.

A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect throughout an organization like ours. The straightforward thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR's hands and let them decide what any penalty should be, Dickerson stated. To us, nevertheless, this isn't concerning funds or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision for Spire Motorsports.

"Everyone here loves working with Carson, and we've enjoyed watching him thrive alongside our team. Sometimes the right decision for someone you care regarding hurts in the short term." Hocevar issued his own statement with an apologetic tone.

"This is an embarrassing day for me. I let the individuals down that provided me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car. I additionally let down my team, sponsors and fans, " Hocevar stated. "I crossed the line with my on-track actions and offered Jeff and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend at Homestead. I'll be rooting for the entire organization this weekend and look forward to coming back in 2027 as a better driver, competitor and teammate." Carson Hocevar has a pattern of on-track incidents.

Hocevar is one of NASCAR's fastest rising stars. He won his first Cup Series race this season at Talladega and was one of the 16 drivers to create the postseason Chase. He is at present 12th in the point standings.

But Hocevar seems to be turning into a wheelman that fans love and other drivers hate. The native of Portage, Michigan, hasn't created numerous allies in the garage. Instead, his reckless, aggressive and unapologetic driving style has ruffled feathers and has garnered him a handful of enemies.

At times, drivers have been willing to dish hard racing back in Hocevar's direction. Zane Smith intentionally wrecked him at Chicagoland. Smith has refused to walk back his disdain for Hocevar, calling him a "coward, " "bum" and "goon" leading up to the July race at Atlanta where both drivers were called to the NASCAR hauler. In October at Phoenix, Smith slammed into the back of Hocevar during the cooldown lap and was afterwards fined $50, 000 by NASCAR for doing so.

According to Corey Heim spun Hocevar out at Naval Base Coronado and, he's always going to have a "grudge" against Hocevar for a past incident in the Truck Series. At the Brickyard 400, Hocevar flipped Heim the middle finger as he was pulling onto pit road.

Hocevar was additionally pulled aside by Bubba Wallace earlier this season after he caused a chain-reaction that led to a multi-car crash at Michigan. After he spun out Brad Keselowski at the Southern 500 in August, Keselowski cautioned Hocevar after the race saying, "His day is coming and it's coming hard. Watch out, Carson."

On track incidents with Hocevar finally spilled off track in September at Bristol. With 43 laps to go, Hocevar crossed behind Ryan Blaney and obtained inside the left rear quarter panel of his No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Heading into the turn, neither driver lifted, Hocevar created contact and spun Blaney out, sending him into the wall and ending his night – and probably ending Blaney's chances of winning a second Cup Series championship.

Blaney walked up to Hocevar outside of his No. 77 Chevrolet on pit road, grabbed him and began yelling. Hocevar was quick to react, punching Blaney twice in the face before the two were separated. The kerfuffle wasn't over though as Blaney broke free, charged back through the crowd and landed a punch on Hocevar before they were broken apart for good. Neither driver was fined by NASCAR for the incident.

While drivers may not like Hocevar's hard-charging, no regrets attitude, it has endeared him amongst a sizable portion of fans.

He has almost 1 million followers on social media and his merchandise hauler is consistently the most crowded every race weekend. Along with Denny Hamlin, Hocevar was one of just two NASCAR drivers named to Time Magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential Individuals in Sports this year. He was additionally the only NASCAR driver at the Met Gala.

And although Spire has benefitted from Hocevar's stardom and what fans love regarding him, the organization has decided that enough is enough, sending a clear message to him concerning wrecking other drivers. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around NASCAR star Carson Hocevar suspended by team for Martinsville incident point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.