A tense NASCAR restart at Kansas Speedway sparked fresh questions about Brad Keselowski and Carson Hocevar after a multi-car crash during the Hollywood Casino 400. On Lap 122, Noah Gragson’s engine failure brought out a caution, setting up a Stage 2 restart.
When the field went back to green, Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet moved right and made contact with Ty Gibbs before crossing back across the track. Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry, Erik Jones and Zane Smith were also caught in the crash. Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford was directly behind Hocevar when the incident unfolded.
The NASCAR crash drew more attention because Hocevar had spun Keselowski at Darlington three weeks earlier. Keselowski had then warned, “There will be,” when asked about possible history between the two drivers.
NASCAR Restart Crash Raises Keselowski-Hocevar Questions
The NASCAR crash quickly became a talking point because Keselowski appeared to make contact with Hocevar during the restart. USA Network analysts Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton questioned whether Keselowski had pushed the No. 77.
Chase Briscoe’s crew chief, James Small, told his driver over the radio that Keselowski had gotten into Hocevar and knocked him loose. Keselowski’s spotter, TJ Majors, offered a different view, saying, “Move of the race, nice job.”
Keselowski replied that the move was “more of survival than anything else.”
The NASCAR incident came after Hocevar’s Darlington spin of Keselowski, adding another layer to the restart crash.
Brad Keselowski Explains Kansas Speedway Contact
After the NASCAR race, Keselowski rejected the idea that the Kansas Speedway crash was connected to the Darlington incident.
“I don’t know. They crashed. I didn’t see what happened. They were in front of me and then they weren’t. From what I’m told, they made some contact there, the outside lane. So I don’t really feel like that had anything to do with me, but it makes for a damn good story.”
In another clip, Keselowski said, “Yeah, I know. I gave him a push, and then they started wrecking to my right. I couldn’t tell what happened.”
NASCAR did not issue a penalty over the incident.
Carson Hocevar Takes Blame as Fans Debate NASCAR Crash
Hocevar also stopped short of accusing Keselowski of causing the NASCAR crash at Kansas Speedway. His No. 77 Chevrolet suffered right-front damage, while he finished three laps down.
“I felt contact from all over, honestly. I don’t know. Everybody was trying to go for the middle because that seems to be the perfect spot. I don’t know if I tried to fill that hole that we were all trying to merge into, but we wrecked.”
He later told Motorsport.com, “It looked like we just kind of met. I was trying to run middle, so was the 54. We all just kind of met.”
Hocevar also accepted some responsibility on USA. “He was in my blind spot, so I didn’t know he was shooting that middle. So, yeah, I guess on me.”
Fans offered different views of the NASCAR incident. Danielle Trotta wrote, “Brad’s smart. If it was intentional, he’s smart enough to not make it look like it was. Ways to ruin someone’s day that aren’t blatant. Likely payback from Darlington, and don’t expect BK to admit it to reporters.”
Stephen Harrell disagreed, writing, “Hocevar absolutely turned right to fill the gap in the middle. Trust me, as a Keselowski fan, I WISH that was Brad paying him back! But nope, just another boneheaded move by the 77.”
Jordan Ferrell also rejected the payback theory: “I don’t think that was a retaliation from Keselowski. Hocevar was laying back. Left Brad with few options.”
Bubba Wallace recovered to finish inside the top 10 after repairs. Keselowski finished 12th, while Kyle Larson went on to win the NASCAR race.
The Kansas Speedway crash added another chapter to the Keselowski-Hocevar storyline, but neither driver confirmed it was payback for Darlington.
NASCAR: Keselowski-Hocevar Clash Fuels Payback Debate After Kansas Crash