This past weekend’s Go Bowling At The Glen was no exception, delivering a mix of high-speed drama and on-track clashes that had everyone talking. Carson Hocevar, the 22-year-old Spire Motorsports driver in his rookie Cup Series season, found himself at the center of several heated moments, but now, as things settle down, the narrative is shifting. Fans who once questioned him are starting to show support.
During qualifying, Hocevar impeded Brad Keselowski’s lap after feeling Keselowski had done the same to him earlier, leading to a fiery pit road confrontation where Keselowski sprinted over to Hocevar’s stall for a tense exchange. The incident echoed past Watkins Glen flare-ups, like the 2012 battle between Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose that ended in a thrilling last-lap duel, reminding fans how road courses can turn rivalries into legends.
Adding to the chaos, Hocevar tangled with his own teammate, Michael McDowell, on lap 52 when McDowell made contact, spinning Hocevar out while fighting for position. Hocevar responded by racing McDowell hard on the final lap, door-slamming him in retaliation. Zane Smith, still simmering from an earlier crash at Iowa Speedway caused by Hocevar losing control and collecting him, got a subtle nod when Hocevar let him pass cleanly late in the race.
These scraps highlight how positioning at Watkins Glen can swing playoff chances, with the track’s unique layout amplifying every misstep, offering fans a raw look at the pressures of mid-season battles. But amid the dust-ups, questions linger about where Hocevar draws the line.
Jeff Gluck posted a pithy update about the chaotic race. Carson Hocevar didn’t hold back in a recent media session, addressing the swirl of controversies from Watkins Glen head-on. On his run-in with teammate Michael McDowell, “I’m easygoing, and you all have seen I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career. So, I don’t ever get sideways when somebody comes up and says, ‘Hey, I misjudged that, made a mistake,’” McDowell explained. Hocevar explained he hasn’t spoken to him yet, but McDowell floated the idea of chatting at Richmond.
Notes from a @CarsonHocevar media session just now:
— Hasn’t spoken to @Mc_Driver yet about their WGI run-in. He said McDowell suggested sitting down this weekend at Richmond to discuss it. Hocevar felt after he got spun by McDowell (“either he made a mistake or misjudged”), it…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) August 13, 2025
Hocevar noted that after getting spun, “either he made a mistake or misjudged,” and he saw it as fair game to push hard for the spot at the finish, since it impacted qualifying order at Richmond, where timing matters hugely. This stance comes against a backdrop of Hocevar’s aggressive rookie year, marked by incidents like the Iowa spin that wrecked Zane Smith, which Hocevar insists was accidental, drawing from his Truck Series days where he once crashed hard at Gateway and ended up in the hospital.
Shifting to the Brad Keselowski qualifying spat, Hocevar admitted emotions ran high but flipped the script, saying he was upset first because Keselowski let him out in a bad spot, impeding his lap, so he stayed in line on the cool-down, forcing Keselowski around. As for Zane Smith, Hocevar knew tensions were high post-Iowa, so he yielded without cost to himself, hoping it would mend the damage from that unintentional wreck.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. warned it’s “building to something, and it’s going to be worth watching,” hinting at potential blowback if Hocevar’s style hits the wrong team. With drivers weighing in, fans aren’t staying quiet either; their takes add another layer to the story.
What Fans Are Saying About Carson Hocevar’s Watkins Glen Weekend
“Every so often somebody will come along in life and change the game, rewrite the unwritten rules, and all you can do is admire their authenticity and originality…” one fan posted, capturing Hocevar’s bold approach. This rings true given Hocevar’s path from Truck Series standout, where he notched wins but also drew heat for aggressive moves, to Cup rookie stirring debates. His Iowa incident with Zane Smith, where he lost control and spun Smith into the wall during a caution-filled race, showed that raw edge. Smith called him out harshly, but Hocevar maintained it wasn’t on purpose, much like early-career scraps that shaped drivers like Kurt Busch in his feisty 2000s days.
“Fans waited 10 years for a dude that stirs the pot in the sport. Dude finally arrives, and they can’t stand it and immediately complain. Sorry he’s not copy and paste like 70% of the field,” another chimed in, highlighting Hocevar’s fresh vibe. Hocevar’s Watkins Glen antics, from impeding Keselowski to critiquing the restart zone that caused nine restarts and wall hits in Trucks, stand out in a field often criticized for uniformity. Recall the 2023 Watkins Glen race, deemed one of the least passing-heavy ever, underscoring how Hocevar’s chaos injects needed excitement, akin to how Shane van Gisbergen shook things up as a rookie with his 2023 Chicago win.
“I don’t think they should try and change Carson. They literally neutered Chastain, and look at him now. Boring.” Afan argued, pointing to risks of toning down talent. Ross Chastain‘s 2022 “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville thrilled everyone, but post-penalty, his aggression dipped, leading to fewer headlines. Hocevar’s spin with McDowell and subsequent door-slam mirror that unfiltered style, and pushing him to conform could dull his 22nd-place points standing edge, built on Truck successes like leading laps before crashes.
“I’d rather watch Hocevar race in 1 race per season than McHamberger McDowell run the entire NASCAR season,” quipped a fan, favoring Hocevar’s spark over routine. McDowell‘s diplomatic post-spin comments, admitting possible mistakes while noting repeated contacts, contrast Hocevar’s fiery radio rant refusing interaction. This teammate feud at Spire echoes 2022’s, when Hocevar was hospitalized after a Gateway crash, showing his all-in commitment that fans crave over steady but less flashy runs.
“Still not sure why Zane Smith is still mad at him. He very clearly never wrecked him at Iowa on purpose,” another defended, questioning the grudge. Smith’s “dumb” label and no-talk stance stem from Iowa’s spin under caution, his fourth straight non-self-inflicted wreck. Yet Hocevar’s Watkins Glen yield as amends, plus his insistence on accident, ties back to their 2024 Spire teammate days, where shared haulers bred familiarity now turned tense.
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