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NASCAR docked Carson Hocevar and Josh Berry 25 driver points each on Tuesday for brake-checking Team Penske drivers in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Hocevar was fined $100,000 and Berry $50,000.
Both were penalized under the rule against actions detrimental to stock car racing, specifically wrecking or spinning another car, NASCAR announced.
Sawyer: ‘We felt like we had to step in’
“The actions that these two drivers took on Sunday felt like we needed to get involved,” NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “What rose to a level of real concern for us is was that they had taken the structure of the front of the car and used that as an antic or a strategy to basically ruin other drivers’ days, and we felt like we had to step in.”
Sawyer said Hocevar’s history was the reason for the bigger fine.
“As we reviewed both of those incidents, and you look at the 77, and with Carson being in situations before where we’ve had behavioral situations and penalties, we’ve had discussion with him, we just felt like after reviewing all of the data and the audio, that this one rose to a level that it needed to be more than just a $50,000 that Josh got, and the 25 points for both,” Sawyer said.
“We didn’t take this lightly. We met all morning and part of the afternoon on this topic, and felt like this was the best place to land on it.”
The two incidents
Hocevar brake-checked Austin Cindric in Stage 2, and the damage ended Cindric’s race. Hocevar also spun on Lap 198, bringing out a caution, as he was being put a lap down by race leader William Byron.
Berry brake-checked Ryan Blaney on Lap 253. Blaney’s car was heavily damaged and he spun in Turn 1. Berry, who drives for Wood Brothers Racing, has denied brake-checking Blaney, as Pit This Time reported.
Hocevar’s Spire Motorsports team had already suspended him for Sunday’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Justin Haley driving the No. 77, as Pit This Time reported.
Hocevar needs a waiver
Because drivers must attempt every race to stay in the Chase standings, Spire will need to request a waiver for Hocevar to miss Homestead. Sawyer said NASCAR expects to grant it.
“I’m sure the team will submit for a waiver, and we’ll go through that process,” Sawyer said. “We don’t see any reason on our side that we wouldn’t grant them a waiver, and really what that would mean is you minus the 25 driver points and where that would put him today in the points standings. And then, depending on the results from Sunday’s race, he would fall in line.”
Sawyer said NASCAR treats a team-imposed suspension the same as one it hands out. “It’s clearly written that you have to attempt to run all the races,” he said. “Missing the race is a pretty big deterrent when you are racing to determine a champion by accumulating points.”
RFK crew members suspended
NASCAR also penalized the No. 60 RFK Racing team after Ryan Preece‘s right-rear wheel came off on Lap 225. Jackman Samuel Wright and rear tire changer James Price are suspended for the next two Cup events, through the Clash at Daytona on February 13, 2027.
The Cup Series finale is Sunday, November 8, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
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