NASCAR is watching the tension between Carson Hocevar and Brad Keselowski after their crash in the opening stage of the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The contact came on Lap 107 as Hocevar tried to pass Keselowski.
Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet made contact with the left rear of Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford, sending Keselowski into the wall and into a spin. The crash ended the stage under caution. Keselowski later warned Hocevar that his “day is coming, and it’s coming hard. Watch out, Carson.”
NASCAR examined the incident during its weekly competition meetings but has not arranged a formal hauler meeting between the two drivers. The situation is still being monitored as the NASCAR playoffs progress.
NASCAR Watches Carson Hocevar and Brad Keselowski After Darlington Crash
The Carson Hocevar and Brad Keselowski incident happened late in Stage 1 of the 367-lap Cook Out Southern 500. Hocevar had followed Keselowski for several laps and made multiple attempts to complete the pass.
On Lap 107, Hocevar moved in behind Keselowski but washed up and hit the left rear of the No. 6 Ford. Keselowski then hit the wall before spinning across the track. More contact followed, bringing out the caution and ending the stage.
The crash hurt Keselowski’s race. The RFK Racing co-owner finished 23rd on the lead lap. Hocevar recovered to finish 11th.
Christopher Bell won the NASCAR race for Joe Gibbs Racing. The victory ended Bell’s long winless run and moved him deeper into the championship fight.
Brad Keselowski Warns Carson Hocevar After NASCAR Crash
The NASCAR crash took on a different tone after the race when Keselowski spoke about Hocevar. The 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion said he did not see the incident as normal racing.
Speaking to Above The Yellow Line Media, Keselowski said Hocevar’s “day is coming, and it’s coming hard. Watch out, Carson.”
When asked whether the two drivers had a history, Keselowski replied, “No, but there will be.”
Hocevar gave a much shorter response when asked about Keselowski. He said, “he spun.”
Hocevar later explained his approach to the situation, saying, “I do everything for TV and entertainment purposes based off everybody else. So I don’t know. Whatever makes us good TV. I just do it for the clicks.”
Hocevar has also said he does not like “BS apologies” and viewed the incident as two drivers racing hard at Darlington.
NASCAR Penalty Decision Leaves Hocevar-Keselowski Feud Open
NASCAR officials discussed the Hocevar-Keselowski crash during the competition debrief. However, the series did not announce a formal meeting between the two drivers.
Amanda Ellis, NASCAR’s senior director of racing communications, addressed the situation on the Hauler Talk podcast.
“It was discussed just a little,” Ellis said. “It was something that everyone was kind of briefed on. There’s no scheduled meeting between the two or anything like that heading into this weekend.”
Ellis said Cup Series director Brad Moran could speak with Keselowski about his post-race comments.
“There’s a chance that Brad Moran may speak with Brad Keselowski just to follow up on his comments and check in,” Ellis said. “But no formal meeting in the hauler or anything like that. Hopefully those two will work it out and we’ll move on.”
NASCAR has used formal hauler meetings in other cases when driver conflicts raised concerns about what could happen in a later race. The series is not taking that step with Hocevar and Keselowski at this point.
The NASCAR playoffs now move forward with the tension still unresolved. Hocevar entered the playoffs as the No. 12 seed, while Keselowski is not part of the 16-driver championship field. Their next time racing around each other could show whether the Darlington incident stays in the past or creates another NASCAR confrontation.
NASCAR to Keep Eye on Hocevar-Keselowski Feud as Penalty Decision Looms