Dale Earnhardt Jr. has backed NASCAR’s decision to punish Carson Hocevar and Josh Berry following separate brake-check incidents at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR fined Hocevar $100,000 and deducted 25 driver points after officials determined he deliberately brake-checked Austin Cindric during the Cup Series race.
Berry also received a $50,000 fine and lost 25 points after an incident involving Ryan Blaney. Spire Motorsports went a step further, suspending Hocevar for the next race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Speaking about the penalties, Earnhardt Jr. said NASCAR made the right decision to prevent brake-checking from becoming a regular part of racing. Although he has a close friendship with Berry, the former driver believes NASCAR needed to establish a clear rule against the practice.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Backs NASCAR Penalties for Brake-Checking
The Martinsville incidents happened late in the race and affected two drivers’ results.
Hocevar, who drives for Spire Motorsports, repeatedly brake-checked Cindric over two laps. NASCAR reviewed SMT data and determined the actions were intentional. The incident ended Cindric’s strong run.
Berry’s incident involved Blaney. After making contact with the Team Penske driver, Berry lost control and brake-checked Blaney, damaging the front of Blaney’s car and sending him spinning. Berry has maintained that he did not deliberately brake-check Blaney and was only trying to regain control of his car.
NASCAR responded with separate penalties. Hocevar received a $100,000 fine and a 25-point deduction, while Berry received a $50,000 fine and the same points penalty.
Earnhardt Jr. admitted his friendship with Berry made it hard to criticize him, but he supported NASCAR’s decision.
“And so look, man, you know, Josh is my buddy,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s hard for me to like, go at him. He’s my buddy. I’m a human being. I can admit that, you know, it’s hard for me to criticize him.”
However, he said NASCAR needed to act to prevent similar incidents.
“As a series owner, this is the right thing to do for NASCAR. They have to get in front of this.”
Earnhardt Jr. Wants NASCAR to Address Brake-Checking
Beyond supporting the fines, Earnhardt Jr. believes NASCAR should consider changes to the rear bumper of its cars.
He suggested making the back of the car softer to reduce the impact of brake-checking and the damage caused when cars hit the wall backward.
“They also need to work on the back bumper of the car and not make it such an anvil comparable to the nose of the car, but don’t stiffen the front back up. Let’s soften the back of the car up,” he said.
Earnhardt Jr. also explained why he believes NASCAR needed to punish both drivers.
“I like it because it sets a precedent and a strong tone going forward that this won’t be tolerated. I’m proud of NASCAR, honestly.”
He added that leaving the incidents unpunished could encourage similar behavior from other drivers.
“I do think that we don’t need this particular type of activity to go unpunished. It will just carry over, and it will continue.”
Earnhardt Jr. believes NASCAR has now made its expectations clear to drivers.
“They have taken themselves out of that conversation. They laid down the rule. This is the expectation going forward. No bullshit. Don’t do it.”
NASCAR Suspension Adds Pressure on Carson Hocevar
Earnhardt Jr. also addressed Spire Motorsports’ decision to suspend Hocevar for the Homestead-Miami race.
He acknowledged that suspending a driver is difficult for any team owner, particularly when the organization has to deal with the public attention surrounding the decision.
“And not an easy decision for Spire to make,” he said.
“This is not something that Jeff Dickerson wants to be doing. He doesn’t want to suspend his driver. No team wants to have to go, ‘Hey man, guess what? We’ve got to craft up an announcement that we’re suspending our driver.’”
Earnhardt Jr. described the situation as embarrassing for the team and said Hocevar’s response would be important.
“This is a big deal, and we’ll see how Carson responds.”
However, he believes the full impact of the suspension and NASCAR’s penalty will only become clear next season.
“The only thing is we have to wait till February of next year to truly see what difference this may make in what type of race car driver Carson Hocevar is.”
NASCAR’s penalties have established a clear warning against brake-checking, while Hocevar’s suspension adds another consequence following the Martinsville incidents.
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