HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Carson Hocevar held court and answered questions about his recent on-track conduct Friday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway, two days ahead of a NASCAR Cup Series season finale that he won’t run, saying, “I lost the keys to my car for the weekend. I did not lose the ability to be here, and it’s a privilege to be here.”
Spire Motorsports suspended Hocevar for Sunday’s year-ending race (3 p.m. ET, NBC, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) after he repeatedly stabbed his car’s brakes to initiate contact with Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford last weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Justin Haley will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet this weekend in Hocevar’s place.
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Hocevar’s responses were halting at times during the 20-minute question-and-answer session, though he acknowledged responsibility for his Martinsville actions.
“I think it’s important for everybody included that it’s defendable when it’s racing, and that wasn’t really racing,” Hocevar said. “There’s just not really like a defense for it. So, yeah, I think ultimately the line in the sand for all of us is just, let’s just keep racing.”
NASCAR officials added their own penalties hours later on Tuesday, issuing a $100,000 fine and stripping him of 25 points in the Cup Series driver standings. The severity of the punishment, competition officials said, stemmed from Hocevar’s multiple violations of the code of conduct.
Spire released a statement that accompanied its decision Tuesday, and Hocevar also hinted at the accumulation of missteps on his ledger in a video he released Thursday. “The way Carson conducted himself at Martinsville doesn‘t meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees, and there are consequences for that,” the Spire statement read. “That doesn‘t mean we don‘t love him and support him. Racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism from everyone who represents Spire Motorsports.”
Hocevar said Friday that he accepted the penalties, both from his team and NASCAR. “I forced their decision,” he said. “It’s not anybody else that’s doing this to me. I did this.”
Hocevar’s third full Cup Series season has been a breakout one, with a springtime first win at Talladega Superspeedway and his debut appearance in The Chase presented by Mobil 1. It’s also been a polarizing campaign, with several on-track run-ins — most notably a fevered scrap with Ryan Blaney at Bristol and a pair of high-profile altercations with longtime rival Zane Smith.
It’s also not the first time he’s drawn fines for on-track behavior. “Maybe the stove wasn’t hot enough,” Hocevar said. “I keep putting my hand on it until it finally burned and burned my hand. I think so. I think my hand’s pretty burnt. So yeah, hopefully for my wallet, but also for my team and everybody, this is the last fine I’ve got to deal with. But ultimately, it’s not the fines; it’s more so obviously the actions that come with the fines.”
Last Sunday at Martinsville, Hocevar abruptly slammed on his brakes multiple times in front of Cindric, causing terminal damage to his Team Penske entry and ending his race in Stage 2. Hocevar said only “it’s just Martinsville” after finishing 21st, but later admitted to brake-checking his fellow Chase competitor during his Thursday video.
Asked how he would balance his aggressive nature without pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable, Hocevar was blunt.
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“I think it’s very simple,” Hocevar said. “You know, they put it in the highlight and commercial reels with the front bumper. They’re not going to put it with the rear bumper, and badasses make moves going forward, not backwards.”
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell acknowledged Hocevar during the annual State of the Sport address earlier Friday as part of a more general discussion about drivers being free to carve out their own identities while being more open about on-track drama. O’Donnell noted Hocevar’s recent actions but also his rise in popularity with fans, who have been the beneficiaries of his fondness for at-track interactions.
“There’s certainly some challenges, but I like what he brings to the fan base in terms of going out, meeting with fans, talking,” O’Donnell said. “Does he have some things to work on on-track? Absolutely, and we’ve talked about that, and we all know where that stands today. But I think if you look at licensed merchandise, engagement, fans are really hungry to embrace a driver, to find their driver, and the more drivers we can have the fans say ‘that’s my favorite driver,’ the better the sport will be.”
The fans’ embrace has not necessarily meant the same in the Cup Series garage, an area where Hocevar admits he has room to grow.
“Ultimately you can have respect, but also know that yeah, I’d probably be super-aggressive, right, and kind of balance that line,” Hocevar said. “But I think the line in the sand is the sportsmanship, integrity part of it that I’m probably well past that. So, when it’s not checked at the door, you probably start taking and get greedy and keep going for further throws and further fouls, and eventually I made a very flagrant unsportsmanlike foul, so I think that’s where the difference is.”