“I mean it was productive,” Carson Hocevar said about his talk with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after last week’s Michigan race. In the Cup Series race at Nashville immediately before, the Spire Motorsports driver’s aggressive antics left Stenhouse in the wall. Hocevar finished 2nd, but tensions bubbled over as the sophomore attracted widespread backlash, yet the two seemed to calm down as well. However, the Mexico City race witnessed chapter 2 of this kerfuffle.
NASCAR made history this weekend as it raced internationally for the first time in 77 years. But the Mexico City Cup Series showdown at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was overshadowed by several wrecks. One of them featured Ricky Stenhouse Jr. losing his temper yet again.
Carson Hocevar is in hot soup again
Well, the Spire driver had been pushing it for quite some time, right? NASCAR’s rabble-rouser has ticked off rivals across NASCAR’s national tiers. From spinning out Corey Heim during the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series championship to enraging two-time Cup title holder Kyle Busch in Atlanta, Carson Hocevar has no dearth of enemies on the track. This time, however, he has carved a rival out of a driver infamous for fistfights. Although the Nashville fiasco seemed to fade with time, a fresh fight has emerged in Mexico City. On lap 90 of 100, Hocevar and Stenhouse made contact in the stadium section of the track and spun, but both drivers continued.
However, that was enough for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to go into a rampage. After the NASCAR Mexico City race concluded, the Hyak Motorsports driver strutted to the No. 77 Chevrolet car, thrust his head inside, and let Carson Hocevar have a piece of his mind. He said, “I’m gonna beat your a–. You’re a lap down, you’ve got nothing to do! Why’d you run into me for the second time?!” Hocevar tried to console him: “I got locked up…No, I know. I f—ed up.” Yet Stenhouse issued a bold warning: “I don’t give a damn! Will beat your a–. I will when we get back to the States!”
Well, we know how he handled Kyle Busch back in the States. The 2024 All-Star race scuffle between Busch and Stenhouse Jr. is all Hocevar needs to watch to prepare for what’s coming. At North Wilkesboro last year, Stenhouse Jr. hit Rowdy with a sharp right hook after the latter wrecked him in lap 2 of the event. So, Hocevar, we would suggest you get the gloves out in Pocono next week.
The Stenhouse – Hocevar discussion with background noise reduction https://t.co/oDmgbwIzz3 pic.twitter.com/RQdgwvMxbY
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) June 15, 2025
Well, so much for a ‘productive’ discussion for Carson Hocevar! While Ricky Stenhouse Jr could piece together a 27th-place finish, Hocevar was 34th after multiple mishaps on the Mexican track. Yet the Spire sophomore may be glad to have achieved the next goal on his list, as he emphasized a week before: “I mean, ultimately, it’s fun to obviously be in the news…It’s what I’ve dreamed of my whole life, which is just at least being a topic of conversation…It’s cool from that aspect. But you know, obviously, you want to be it when you just dominate a Cup race, and they can’t stop talking about it. That’s probably ultimately the next goal.”
That came at the cost of enraging Ricky Stenhouse Jr. yet again. The timing was bad as the Hyak Motorsports driver was in a good mood this weekend.
Rooting for a Cup Series rival
Apparently, Carson Hocevar’s discussion with his hot-headed rival had been productive after all. That was evident in Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s buoyant emotions ahead of the Cup Series event in Mexico. Daniel Suárez, the poster boy for NASCAR’s visit to his home country, enrolled in the Xfinity Series event as well. However, the Trackhouse Racing driver underwent several challenges ahead of the Chilango 150. Suárez locked his brakes and hit the wall in qualifying, being forced to switch to a backup car that was not even painted yet. He was also relegated to the back of the racing grid for the final race.
However, Daniel Suárez maintained a cool composure and made the most of the final restart chaos. He entered a three-wide battle with Connor Zilisch and Ty Gibbs. Then he also received heavy pressure from Taylor Gray and Austin Hill. Yet all his rivals crashed out while Suarez cruised to a jaw-dropping victory. This resounding glory left Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gaping in admiration.
Ricky wrote on X, congratulating his Cup Series rival: “Dang so cool for @Daniel_SuárezG, what a day, back up car, last to 1st in his home country. Pretty cool day for our sport of @NASCAR and him!!” Soon after, however, Carson Hocevar spoiled that soaring mood yet again.
As the Hocevar-Stenhouse fiasco receives a reboot, what do you think would happen in the States? Comment your thoughts below!
The post “I Will Beat Your A– When We Get Back to the States”: Carson Hocevar Issued Grave Warning As Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Wrath Falls Over in Mexico appeared first on EssentiallySports.
