Carson Hocevar isn’t competing in the Cup Series to make new friends. He made this very clear during the Atlanta race earlier in the season, where he registered his career best (P2) finish. “I’m over him. … I’m going to wreck his a–,” Kyle Busch warned on the radio, Ryan Blaney had similar reaction to Hocevar’s aggressive racing, “He’s just a moron. He just runs right in the back of us. He has zero idea of where to bump somebody.” Despite the stern warning from seasoned Cup drivers and champions, the Spire Motorsport drivers didn’t tone down and kept at it. Last Sunday, he again snagged a runner-up finish, but with this solid result also came another controversy.
This time around, it was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who found himself on the receiving end of Hocevar’s aggression. 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. Hocevar made contact with the #47 Chevy and sent Stenhouse into the wall. This marked his first DNF of the season.
Just like the Atlanta race, the Spire Motorsport driver didn’t feel he raced dirty and made his stance clear after the race. “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.”
Now we all know how Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reacts to being wrecked on the racetrack. Last year, in the aftermath of the All-Star race, he landed a right hook to Kyle Busch’s face, which led to an all-out brawl. So, fans were expecting a similar showdown this time around, but the Hyak Motorsports driver kept his hands to himself. But he did hint that payback might be around the corner for the young hotshot. “I’d say it’s not out of the 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.”
Carson Hocevar on the contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: pic.twitter.com/XmyEqpi780
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) June 2, 2025
Both drivers are in dire need of points, and while Carson Hocevar made a good gain, now sitting in 17th, Stenhouse Jr. didn’t have anything to show for his efforts. With an entire stage worth of racing left in the race, was Hocevar’s move on the #47 justified in stage 2? He wasn’t on the final stretch of the run, and had enough time to make up ground. Even Dale Jr. expressed his concern for the young driver, stating that he was going to get policed by someone in the Cup garage, if he doesn’t get a hold of his aggressive style.
But as it turns out, the 22-year-old wasn’t entirely at fault for the crash. Jeff Burton shared the other side of this story while directing the incident on the Inside the Race segment on YouTube.
Jeff Burton comes out in defence of Carson Hocevar
At first glance, it seems as if Hocevar is the aggressor, but when Jeff Burton discussed the incident, he found out that the #77 car opted for a different lane. Unable to find his way around the #47, Hocevar then opted to drop down, hugging the yellow line. Making the corner exit, freezing the frame, it was visible that Stenhouse Jr. chopped back down on the inside lane, which led to a crash.
“Now, facts on the ground change, he (47) is coming down. He believes this is his spot. At this point, Carson has a decision to make. I can avoid this, I can live to fight another lap, I can cut him some slack, and he decides not to. And that split-second decision is from, I gotta get this position, I gotta get it right now, I cannot wait, and around goes Ricky and Ricky’s day is done.” Burton explained.
Both the drivers were committed to their cause and willing to take or defend their position. Track position is key on a track like Nashville. Ryan Blaney scripted his winning run on the back of good track position, and he had to fight tooth and nail against #11 and #24 for that. It was a racing deal between the two drivers, which perhaps could’ve been avoided if the chasing driver was not Carson Hocevar.
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