NASCAR fines Carson Hocevar $50,000 for 'behavioral penalty' at Kansas Speedway

NASCAR has fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 for a behavioral penalty during this past Sunday’s Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Hocevar violated the NASCAR Member Conduct in the NASCAR Rule Book after he spun out on the backstretch on Lap 260-of-273.

Multiple tires on Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet were flat, prompting safety workers to arrive at the crash scene. Hocevar revved and spun his tires in an attempt to rejoin the field while those safety workers attended to his car. He was in violation of Sections 4.4.B&D of the Rule Book:

• Under 4.4.B: “Any actions deemed to compromise the safety of an Event or otherwise pose a dangerous risk to the safety of Competitors, Officials, spectators, or others.”
• Under 4.4.D: “Actions by a NASCAR Member that NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock car racing or NASCAR.”

Hocevar, who was involved in an earlier incident, was running 13th at the time. He finished 29th, four laps down.

Hocevar, in his second season driving for Spire Motorsports, sits 22nd in the points standings. He has tallied eight top 10s, two top 5s and seven DNFs. Hocevar has showcased strong speed at times, leading 116 laps. He’s often found himself in conflict, involved in several run-ins on the racetrack with drivers such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, Zane Smith, and Spire teammate Michael McDowell.

Carson Hocevar earns himself another fine

Hocevar has racked up $100,000 in fines this season. He was internally disciplined by Spire for offensive comments he made about Mexico on a Twitch stream ahead of the June race in Mexico City. Hocevar was fined $50,000. The proceeds were donated to three organizations that serve Mexican communities. Hocevar was also subject to mandatory cultural sensitivity and bias awareness training.

Hocevar had previously noted that he thought Mexico was “such a s**hole,” going on to question the country’s infrastructure, its safety and more. He later walked back those comments in a tweet.

“Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan,” Hocevar wrote. “When I answered that question on a stream, I was skeptical about the trip so far and believed everything I read or heard about Mexico City from people who more than likely also had never been here.

“Now that I’ve actually left my hotel a couple times and raced here in front of some of the most passionate fans I’ve ever seen, my opinion has changed. I am embarrassed by my comments, by the race I ran, and I may have to move here to hide out from Ricky [Stenhouse Jr.] anyway.”