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Michael McDowell said he supports Spire Motorsports‘ decision to suspend teammate Carson Hocevar, and he supports Hocevar too. But McDowell admitted his own attempt to mentor the young driver did not go well.
McDowell spoke at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend, where Hocevar sat out the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
Why Hocevar Was Suspended
At Martinsville Speedway last Sunday, Hocevar repeatedly brake-checked Austin Cindric. Spire acted first and suspended Hocevar for the season finale. NASCAR followed with a $100,000 fine and a 25-point penalty.
McDowell: ‘There Are Consequences for Actions’
McDowell said he has been in Hocevar’s spot before, and he hopes the suspension changes Hocevar the way it changed him.
“In life and in racing and in our jobs and everything we do, there are consequences for actions,” McDowell said. “And yeah, I support the team and their decision.
“I also support Carson too. I was a young guy who made stupid decisions that got sat out a few times as well.
“Some not by choice, some series-related, some team-related. So I know what that feels like. I know how hard it is to watch your car race when you’re not in it, and it was a life-changing moment for me watching somebody else drive my car because of a poor decision.
“So I feel like it has the potential to be very powerful and impactful, and I hope so.”
A Mentoring Attempt That Led to Conflict
Asked whether he has tried to mentor Hocevar, McDowell said he did, but it did not work.
“Not much mentoring. I tried. I tried. Just him and I are so different, and I tried to take that role last year.
“And it just turned into conflict more than productive, but he’s got a great group of people around him. Luke Lambert and Jeff and Matt McCall.
“They can fill that role. I don’t have to fill that role, and it wasn’t working, so I don’t want to say that I didn’t try.”
‘Too Much Noise’
McDowell was also asked whether the attention around Hocevar this season had been a distraction. He said it had not been for him, but it had been for the team.
“Yes and no. I think for the company and the whole, it’s a distraction,” McDowell said.
“It’s not really for me personally, because you just go and do your job, and you prepare and do all those things, but as a whole, I feel like we’ve had a lot of noise this year, and it would be nice not to have as much noise.
“That’s not making a jab at Carson or Jeff. Just too much noise, and it would be nice to go through a year with less noise.”
McDowell finished 10th in Sunday’s race. Hocevar has since addressed his penalties, saying past fines didn’t change his behavior because “maybe the stove wasn’t hot enough.”
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