With Ryan Blaney taking the checkered flag and ending his Windley Street this season, there was plenty to celebrate under the lights on Sunday night in Nashville. The Team Penske driver delivered a textbook performance in the final stage, fending off Carson Hocevar and Denny Hamlin to lock in his first one of the year.
But as cheers erupted for the #12 driver, there was another storyline brewing on the broadcast that fans could not ignore—not about redemption, but about recklessness. A young driver, eager to make a name for himself, seems to be crossing lines. It did not take long for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to step in with a reality check. In hindsight, Hocevar has improved on his growth trajectory of 2025 with yet another runner-up finish. And while Jr. appreciates the good show he puts on for the fans, ruffling a few feathers, he feels that he is walking on thin ice before he gets checked.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes Carson Hocevar needs to restrain himself before he gets a payback
“I’ll be honest, I like what I see out of Hocevar as a fan and a broadcaster; it is entertaining. I just don’t like it when he wrecks the good guy, you know, and I know Stenhouse has had his issues too. You know, you kind of got to pick and choose who your enemies are and you can’t just kind of blanket the garage, right?” Dale Jr. said this after the race. The incident between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar happened during the Stage 2 run. The driver of the #47 was doing his best to keep the #77 car in his rear-view mirror, but Hocevar was done playing the cat-and-mouse game. Like the Intimidator, he just used his bumper to clear his lane and set himself up for the late race finish.
Coming off Turns 3 and 4, Hocevar hugged the yellow line and made contact with the #47, sending the driver into the wall. That was it for the Hyak Motorsports driver; it marked his first DNF of the season. Now, we all know how he reacted against Kyle Busch last year after being wrecked out at the All-Star race. So, fans were interested in seeing some fireworks after the race, but Stenhouse restrained himself this time around. However, the question is, how long will Hocervar continue with his antics?
“I don’t know that I want him to really dial it off or dial it back because it’s great as a fan to see him in controversy. We need a little color, we need a little personality and he brings tons of it but the garage kind of will police it a little bit.” Jr. added with a knowing smirk, “I think he might have messed with the wrong guy tonight.” Both Hocevar and Stenhouse Jr. are placed 17th and 18th in points just below the cutline. If the Hyak Motorsports driver had resorted to his Rowdy antics after the race, he could’ve been dealt a points penalty. So, it was smart of him not to get involved off the track, but he will look for a chance to get back at his rival on the track.
The #NASCARonPrime crew discusses the Hocevar-Stenhouse Jr. incident. pic.twitter.com/tPYImW4e7G
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 2, 2025
It was a bummer for Carson Hocevar to finish second again. He was right there in contention for the win at the Coca-Cola 600, but his engine blew up, and he couldn’t contest against William Byron and Denny Hamlin. It was the second week in a row where he found himself in contention for a win, and working on a late race strategy, trying to stay within the touching distance of the lead pack, he resorted to some good old beating and banging. It wasn’t clean, but it wasn’t egregious like Austin Dillon’s last year’s Richmond last lap chaos. And when he was asked about the altercation, he didn’t shy away from sharing his side of the story.
Carson Hocevar is willing to talk with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
“That like, I felt like I was there enough, right, to get a call inside and have him kind of just run the middle. Honestly, probably could have cleared me. So, that’s just what I expected him to do, and he didn’t. And by the time I checked up, I almost spun too. So, yeah, if he wants to talk, I’ll be glad to talk. I feel like it’s just a product of this, unfortunately,” he said this on the pit road.
Hocevar has been in a similar position before at Atlanta, where he had a chat with his mentor Ross Chastain after the race. Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch were among the drivers who were roughed up by him that day. Now, had Hocevar put his bumper to use late in the race with a few laps to go, it would’ve sort of made sense as he was trying to go for a win. But with a good chunk of racing left in the final stage, this did raise a few eyebrows and even caught Dale Jr.’s attention.
“I’d say it’s not a norm from him, but I definitely wasn’t expecting that at that point of the race. It’s just a bummer for us. Bummed our day ended like that. Definitely will have something to do about it at one point,” Stenhouse Jr. added. Now this only adds fuel to the fire in what is shaping up to be the spicy second half of the regular season. And going by Stenhouse Jr.’s comments, he isn’t going to let this slide, and for the time being, Hocevar has painted a target on his back.
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