“We’re here to win races, not be a boy band and love each other and play on the playground together.” Carson Hocevar had famously said at the beginning of the year at Atlanta. The 22-year-old driver for Spire Motorsports has brought a fiery edge to the Cup Series. Embracing a style that’s equal parts thrilling and divisive. But as the season has unfolded, that approach has landed him in hot water more than once.
From a $50,000 fine and cultural sensitivity training following controversial remarks about Mexico City to being labeled “the biggest dumba– in the sport” by a furious Austin Dillon after a Chicago pileup. Hocevar’s path has been paved with confrontation. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. even publicly vowed payback after the Mexico City race. The 2025 season has been a wild ride for Hocevar, filled with flashes of potential and plenty of turbulence.
However, at Sonoma, the Spire Motorsports driver was on the receiving end of things, and it wasn’t a driver he expected to retaliate against him. The likes of Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and even Stenhouse have been dealing with his antics for a while now, but Josh Berry using his bumper to nudge Hocevar out of the way was a surprise to him.
The Sonoma incident: A spin that stung
The Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway was shaping up to be a breakout day for Carson Hocevar. Rallying towards a top 10 finish despite a rough start, it looked like a good result for him. But on lap 92, Josh Berry made contact with the #77 Chevy and sent Hocevar spinning on the racetrack. This spin resulted in a 32nd-place finish for the Spire Motorsports driver, but despite the detrimental outcome, he didn’t take offence at Berry’s move.
Hocevar took to Twitch to process what happened, his confusion raw and unfiltered. “I don’t know. I didn’t do anything. I was just like, ‘Man, of all people to wreck me.’ I thought it would be somebody like I had it coming. I don’t know what I did. It’s just like, ‘Well, s–t…’” he said. This captures the sting of the moment. Hocevar genuinely couldn’t pinpoint what he’d done to draw Berry’s aggression. He’d been running a clean, strategic race, staying out of trouble after a chaotic opening. To have it end like that, especially from Berry, someone he didn’t expect to target him, left him at a loss.
Carson Hocevar said on Twitch tonight that he doesn’t know why Josh Berry spun him out. “I didn’t do anything. I was just like, ‘Man, of all people to wreck me.’ I thought it would be somebody like I had it coming. I don’t know what I did. It’s just like, “Well, shit.”
Hocevar… https://t.co/jHp1fFyWhQ pic.twitter.com/o1uDBqXItl
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) July 15, 2025
Reflecting further, Hocevar broke down the rollercoaster of his day. “Through strategy, we get to fifth. And then I get wrecked. And I was like, Okay, cool, whatever. You know, I like full-contact sports. So it’s just like, well, f–k yeah, man. Like, let’s get it on, you know? Like, that’s what I’ve been loving. I’ve been giving some. I get some.” He certainly remembers the races at Atlanta, Nashville, and Michigan, where he went elbows out against his rivals. So, this spin by Berry at Sonoma isn’t something that will wind him up.
However, looking at the bigger picture, this was indeed a gut punch for the #77 team. For two weeks straight, they have finished outside the top 30, and that isn’t helping Hocevar’s chances to qualify for the playoffs.
Carson Hocevar decodes the reason behind his unapologetic racing approach
Hocevar’s door-to-door racing action has riled up many drivers in the NASCAR garage. From Austin Dillon to Ryan Blaney, he might have a lot of paybacks to deal with. For him, the sole focus of hopping into the race car is to win a race, and he’s come close this year a couple of times. However, there’s a reason why he has this no-holds-barred approach when plotting his move on the racetrack. He doesn’t have many friends in the garage, and that, in turn, allows him to go all out in his pursuit of his objectives and goals on raceday.
Sharing his thoughts on the same while speaking to Dale Jr. on his podcast, Hocevar explained, “Just a bunch of racing buddies. Not anyone (in the industry). Nope, not one. I’ve only hung out with any either driver. It was SVG and Bubba at his property. One time. We don’t like to hangout, like it was just one time.”
Hocevar would rather hang out with his crew member than with other drivers from the garage. Young and full of potential, he doesn’t want friendship to be one of the reasons to hold him back on the racetrack, and that is a sign of a fierce competitor. His resolve is going to be tested in the upcoming races, with fewer opportunities left in the regular season, he will have to go on the offensive to find himself in the top 16.
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