Carson Hocevar has revealed how he reacted when Zane Smith hit his No. 77 Chevrolet after the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Hocevar said the contact was hard but caught him by surprise during the cool-down lap after the Freeway Insurance 500.
The Spire Motorsports driver discussed the incident during a media availability at Talladega Superspeedway ahead of the YellaWood 500. Racing journalist Peter Stratta shared video of his comments.
NASCAR later fined Smith $50,000 for the post-race contact, citing safety concerns and a previous warning issued to both drivers. Hocevar explained that he initially thought he had hit another car before realizing someone had struck him from behind.
Carson Hocevar Says Zane Smith’s Hit Was Unexpected
Hocevar said he was looking around when the contact happened and initially thought another car had stopped in front of him.
“I mean, for me, it was just unexpected. I was looking around, and, you know, I think I was, like, looking down, and, like, I hit,” Hocevar said.
He explained that he looked ahead to see what he had hit but found no car in front of him. He then checked behind him and realized Smith had struck his Chevrolet.
“And then, like, I looked around in front of me, and there was nobody in front of me. I was like, okay. And I looked behind me. I was like, oh, I got hit,” he added.
Hocevar also recalled an earlier incident involving Austin Dillon on pit road. Traffic had slowed to around five miles per hour when Hocevar accidentally hit another car. He said his cool box was broken after the incident, and he was trying to remove his helmet quickly.
That experience made him wonder whether he had caused another collision at Phoenix.
“But it was a hard hit for sure, but more so the fact that it was unexpected for me,” Hocevar said.
NASCAR Fined Zane Smith $50,000 After Phoenix Contact
The post-race hit followed an on-track incident late in the Phoenix race. Contact involving Ross Chastain sent Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet up the track and into Smith’s No. 38 Ford and Josh Berry’s car.
After the checkered flag, Smith accelerated and struck the rear of Hocevar’s car during the cool-down lap.
NASCAR later fined Smith $50,000 for a behavioral infraction under its safety rules. The series cited the speed of the impact and a previous warning issued to both drivers after an incident at Chicagoland Speedway earlier in the season.
NASCAR officials had previously met with Hocevar and Smith in the hauler following their earlier clash. The warning made clear that further incidents could lead to additional action from the sanctioning body.
The Phoenix incident added to a season of tension between the two drivers. Their earlier confrontation at Chicagoland damaged both cars, while Smith had also criticized Hocevar’s racing style and social media presence during podcast appearances.
The latest penalty marked another formal response from NASCAR to their on-track disagreements.
Carson Hocevar Addresses the Zane Smith Incident at Talladega
Hocevar’s comments at Talladega focused on the force of the impact and how it caught him off guard. He did not offer a lengthy attack on Smith but explained why he initially misunderstood what had happened.
His account showed that he first believed he had caused the contact himself. Only after looking ahead and then behind did he realize another driver had hit his car.
NASCAR’s $50,000 fine addressed Smith’s actions after the Phoenix race, while Hocevar’s remarks provided his account of the moment.
The incident remains part of the ongoing tension between the two NASCAR Cup Series drivers as the playoffs continue. Hocevar’s main point was clear: the hit was hard, and he did not expect it.
NASCAR Drama Deepens as Carson Hocevar Recalls Zane Smith’s Hard Hit