Spire Motorsports has suspended their own driver for the championship race
This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is hosting the final race of the 2027 season. Homestead-Miami Speedway will crown a champion in Florida. Carson Hocevar will not be in the race.
Last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Hocevar gave several brake checks to Austin Cindric. After multiple stabs of the brake, Cindric was sent behind the wall with nose damage.
Carson Hocevar brake checks Austin Cindric (Video)
Spire Motorsports, the team that fields the No. 77 has elected to suspend their own driver. Hocevar’s next race will now be the 2027 Daytona 500.
This weekend, Justin Haley will drive the No. 77 entry.
At the time this is published, NASCAR has not released their weekly penalty report. However, a penalty and/or fine could be on the way.
Denny Hamlin expects NASCAR to penalize Carson Hocevar
Statement from Jeff Dickerson
The team issued the following statement on Tuesday…
“A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect across an organization like ours,” Jeff Dickerson opened in a statement.
“The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR’s hands and let them decide what any penalty should be. To us, however, this isn’t about money or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision for Spire Motorsports.”
“Everyone here loves working with Carson, and we’ve enjoyed watching him thrive alongside our team. Sometimes the right decision for someone you care about hurts in the short term.”
“The way Carson conducted himself at Martinsville doesn’t meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees, and there are consequences for that. That doesn’t mean we don’t love him and support him.”
“Racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism from everyone who represents Spire Motorsports. We’ll go to Homestead united and compete as an organization. After that, we can get ready for Daytona in February with the right mindset to contend for a championship.”
Hocevar is a driver in The Chase.
Statement from Carson Hocevar
“This is an embarrassing day for me,” Carson Hocevar opened in a statement.
The 23-year-old added, “I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car. I also let down my team, sponsors and fans. I crossed the line with my on-track actions and gave Jeff and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend at Homestead.”
Hocevar concluded, “I’ll be rooting for the entire organization this weekend and look forward to coming back in 2027 as a better driver, competitor and teammate.
Watch the video of the Martinsville incident
Links
Carson Hocevar | Austin Cindric | Martinsville Speedway | NASCAR
