Zane Smith had plenty to say about Carson Hocevar after Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Well, four words, to be exact.
And they weren’t particularly friendly.
The Front Row Motorsports driver delivered a profanity-laced response when asked about an explanation reportedly offered by Hocevar’s team following contact between the two drivers in the closing laps of the Freeway Insurance 500.
The heated moment was caught on video, and it certainly didn’t suggest the tension between Smith and Hocevar is going away anytime soon.
Zane Smith Unloads After Late-Race Incident With Carson Hocevar
According to NASCAR reporter Noah Lewis, Smith was told that Hocevar’s No. 77 team claimed another car had shoved the Spire Motorsports Chevrolet into Smith’s No. 38 Ford a few laps before the finish.
Smith wasn’t buying it, or at least wasn’t interested in discussing the explanation.
“I don’t give a [expletive],” he responded.
Lewis shared video of the exchange on X, noting the continued bad blood between the two drivers.
Smith is told that the No. 77 team says they were shoved into the No. 38 a few laps before the finish.
Zane’s response: “I don’t give a f*ck.”
#NASCARSmith finished 15th in Sunday’s race, while Hocevar crossed the line in 12th.
The precise circumstances of the contact remain unclear, and the explanation attributed to Hocevar’s team has not been independently verified.
Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith’s Tension Isn’t Going Away
Smith and Hocevar are hardly strangers to friction on the racetrack, which makes Sunday’s exchange all the more interesting.
Neither driver was battling for the victory in the closing laps, but that didn’t make their on-track encounter any less frustrating for Smith.
And while the No. 77 team’s reported explanation suggests Hocevar may have been pushed into Smith rather than initiating the contact himself, Smith’s reaction made one thing abundantly clear: He wasn’t interested in hearing it.
Tyler Reddick ultimately won Sunday’s race, holding off Ryan Blaney at the checkered flag.
For Smith and Hocevar, however, the most heated moment may have come after the racing was over.
‘I Don’t Give a [Expletive]’: Zane Smith Goes Off on Carson Hocevar After NASCAR Race