Carson Hocevar thinks the whole feud with Zane Smith is “pretty one-sided.” That is the surprising take from the Spire Motorsports driver after a nasty crash at Phoenix Raceway. Smith got hit with a $50,000 fine for slamming into Hocevar’s car right after the checkered flag. The money matters, but the attitude is what stands out. Hocevar says he does not really care about the fight at all.
The trouble started on Sunday at Phoenix when Ross Chastain bumped Hocevar. That contact sent Hocevar into Smith and Josh Berry. It cost all three drivers a shot at a top ten finish. Smith did not like the hit and chose to retaliate. He drove into the back of Hocevar right after the race ended. NASCAR vice president Mike Forde said Smith violated a warning from earlier in the year. The fine matches what Bubba Wallace paid for a similar crash last summer.
The Driver’s Honest Take on the Fight
Hocevar was confused by the whole situation. He told reporters at Talladega that the crash was just unexpected. Hocevar described the post-race slam as simply unexpected during a Talladega media availability. He thought someone had stopped in front of him. He did not realize Smith was there until he looked behind him. It was a hard hit for sure, but he had no idea Smith was mad until it happened.
Smith has been very loud about his anger. He made pointed comments on a podcast during the summer. He wrecked Hocevar at Chicagoland earlier this year too. But Hocevar says he has not talked or texted with Smith at all. When asked if he cared about the feud, he chuckled and gave a blunt answer. “It seems pretty one-sided to me a little bit. I don’t really care. Yeah, I don’t care,” Hocevar said, according to Motorsport.com. He made similar comments after the Chicagoland crash, confused by why Smith had such strong feelings against him.
NASCAR Draws a Hard Line
NASCAR did not take kindly to Smith’s actions. Officials called both drivers into the hauler at Atlanta after the first crash. Mike Forde explained the process on the Hauler Talk podcast. “After they had their dust-up on the race track, we called both of them in at Atlanta,” Forde said, according to Motorsport.com. The message was clear: if they could not fix it, NASCAR would help them fix it. They could not fix it, so NASCAR stepped in with the cash penalty.
The sanctioning body takes these talks very seriously. Forde noted that they do not call drivers into the hauler often. “When we have drivers called into the hauler like that, we don’t have it often, but when we feel like it’s necessary, we’re serious about those conversations,” Forde said. Smith can appeal the penalty if he wants. Until that deadline passes, Forde will not say more about the case. The fine is a direct result of Smith’s choice to hit Hocevar again after a warning.
This situation shows how thin the line is in the Cup Series.