Zane Smith has been penalized by NASCAR following a post-race incident involving Carson Hocevar last Sunday at Phoenix. The driver of the No. 38 was fined $50,000 for a safety infraction at the conclusion of the Cup Series Freeway Insurance 500.
Following the checkered flag of Sunday’s race, Smith rammed into the back of Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet, expressing displeasure for previous on-track contact during the race.
Details Regarding Zane Smith’s Phoenix Penalty
Motorsports insider Jeff Gluck was one of the first to report the news of NASCAR handing down a fine to Smith for his post-race actions at Phoenix.
“NASCAR penalty report is out and it shows Zane Smith has been fined $50,000 for ramming into Carson Hocevar after the Phoenix race,” Gluck wrote via X.
During the final run of the 312-lap race, Ross Chastain made contact with Hocevar entering turn 3, sending the latter up the racetrack and into the back of Smith’s No. 38. Despite the initial contact from Chastain, Smith was furious with Hocevar.
After running into the back of Hocevar on the cool-down lap, Smith was made aware over the team radio about what actually unfolded.
“Just so you know, the 1 (Chastain) was apparently the one that shipped the 77 (Hocevar) into us.”
However, Smith was not in the mood to hear otherwise.
“I don’t give a [expletive],” Smith said.
Smith’s frustration was acknowledged by a member of his team over the radio as they said:
“Yeah, I figured. I was just letting you know.”
One week prior, Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. tangled after the Cup Series race at Charlotte. Stenhouse side-swiped McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet on the cool-down lap.
In retaliation, McDowell hooked Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet, spinning him up the racetrack in turn 3.
Despite the post-race scuffle on-track, neither driver was penalized by NASCAR. Given that Smith hit Hocevar at a decent rate of speed, NASCAR perhaps saw what happened on Sunday at Phoenix differently than what unfolded at Charlotte.
Smith finished 15th in Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500, while Hocevar earned a 12th-place result.
A Look at Zane Smith’s 2026 Cup Series Season
Smith is currently in his third full-time season of NASCAR Cup Series competition. The 27-year-old out of Huntington Beach, California is also in his second season behind the wheel of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.
Smith ranks 26th in the Cup Series points standings after 33 races. He has posted two top-five finishes and six top-10 results, with a best finish of fourth at Naval Base Coronado.
Prior to joining FRM in the Cup Series, Smith spent his rookie campaign driving for Spire Motorsports in 2024 behind the wheel of the No. 71 Chevrolet. He posted a best finish of second at Nashville Superspeedway.
Smith is a former Craftsman Truck Series champion as he won the 2022 title driving for FRM. He has nine total victories in the series.
After 114 career Cup Series starts, Smith is still searching for his first career win. He has 16 top-10 finishes and one pole position across his nearly three-year Cup career. Smith is set to return to FRM in 2027.
NASCAR Penalizes Zane Smith After Carson Hocevar Phoenix Incident