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Spire Motorsports has suspended Carson Hocevar for Sunday’s Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway after he repeatedly brake-checked Austin Cindric at Martinsville Speedway.
Justin Haley will drive the No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet at Homestead, the team said Tuesday. The suspension came from Hocevar’s own team, not NASCAR.
Hocevar: ‘I crossed the line’
Hocevar apologized in a statement posted to X.
“This is an embarrassing day for me. I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car,” Hocevar said. “I also let down my team, sponsors, and fans. I crossed the line with my on-track actions and gave Jeff and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend at Homestead.”
“I’ll be rooting for the entire organization this weekend and look forward to coming back in 2027 as a better driver, competitor and teammate.”
https://x.com/CarsonHocevar/status/2117687357474283684
Dickerson: ‘We believe in respect’
Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson said the team chose not to wait for NASCAR to decide on a penalty.
“A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect across an organization like ours. The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR’s hands and let them decide what any penalty should be,” Dickerson said. “To us, however, this isn’t about money or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision for Spire Motorsports.”
“Everyone here loves working with Carson, and we’ve enjoyed watching him thrive alongside our team. Sometimes the right decision for someone you care about hurts in the short term. 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. 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. We’ll go to Homestead united and compete as an organization. After that, we can get ready for Daytona in February with the right mindset to contend for a championship.”
What happened at Martinsville
Hocevar hit the brakes in front of Cindric several times in Sunday’s Xfinity 500. The contact caved in the nose of Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford and ended his race. Car data showed Hocevar applying about 1,000 pounds of brake pressure on the straightaway, as Pit This Time reported.
After the race, Hocevar said, “It’s just Martinsville,” and “I had fun.” Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin were among those who criticized him this week. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Hamlin’s podcast that Spire’s owners “don’t love everything that happens on Sunday,” as Pit This Time reported.
What it means
Hocevar is out of title contention, so the suspension does not affect the championship. Spire’s announcement did not say whether NASCAR will also penalize Hocevar.
The Cup Series finale is Sunday, November 8, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
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