Zane Smith No. 38 crew chief confronts Carson Hocevar, interrupts interview after Iowa: 'You drive like a f***ing r****d'
Tensions flared between the crew of Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar following the Iowa Corn 350 on Sunday afternoon. The two were involved in an earlier on-track incident.
Hocevar spun out Smith during the race, then Smith appeared to take a stab at wrecking Hocevar later in the race. In any case, the tension spilled over to the post-race interactions.
According to journalists Stephen Stumpf and Toby Christie, Smith’s crew chief Ryan Bergenty interrupted an interview Carson Hocevar was doing to confront the driver of the No. 77 car. On the video of the interview, Bergenty can be heard initiating the conversation.
“Hey, when are you going to learn to f****** drive, dude?” Bergenty said. “I mean you wiped us the f*** out.”
You can view video of the interaction below. Stumpf also provided additional context.
“Our car is fucking wrecked because you drive like a f****** r****d,” Bergenty said, per Stumpf. The incident with Carson Hocevar added to an already tough day for Smith.
Following the wreck, Smith lashed out at his crew for the instructions they’d been giving him. He barked at them over the team radio.
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“Gotta quit telling me how to f****** drive these things, dude,” Smith said, per Steven Taranto of CBS Sports. “Every time I poke middle we get f****** wrecked.”
Smith was also upset with his crew for not putting up his sign in the pit box. Overall it was a pretty forgettable day for Smith, one made more frustrating by the interaction with Carson Hocevar.
Smith finished the day in second-to-last place, earning a P36 finish. Hocevar, meanwhile, squeaked out a top-10 finish, ending the day in P8.
Of course, all eyes going forward will be on the interactions between Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar. Hocevar has certainly made some enemies on the track with his aggressive style of driving, and it looks like he now has another one.