Ricky Stenhouse Jr. aggressively confronted Carson Hocevar following a repeat contact incident during the Viva Mexico 250 NASCAR Cup Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday, June 15, 2025. The heated exchange occurred after Hocevar spun Stenhouse out on lap 90 in the stadium section of the track, causing Stenhouse to lose positions late in the race. Stenhouse leaned into Hocevar’s cockpit post-race and threatened to “beat your ass” once they returned to the United States, expressing his frustration over Hocevar’s aggressive driving despite being a lap down. Hocevar admitted fault, calling it a “sloppy” day for him, and apologized for the incident.
This confrontation was a continuation of a rivalry that began two weeks earlier at Nashville Superspeedway, where Hocevar spun Stenhouse after an aggressive dive bomb maneuver, resulting in a DNF for Stenhouse. The incident at Nashville was costly for Stenhouse, who explained on the Door Bumper podcast that losing stage points was particularly damaging for his mid-pack team. Despite the tension, Hocevar had approached Stenhouse afterward to express remorse for the Nashville incident.
During the Mexico City race, Hocevar was running a lap down when he out-braked Stenhouse’s No. 77 Chevy and collided with the back of Stenhouse’s car, spinning him out. Hocevar took the runoff area to recover, but Stenhouse dropped to 27th place by the race’s end, losing a spot in the driver standings to Hocevar by a single point. Stenhouse’s frustration was evident not only in the post-race confrontation but also over the team radio during the incident, where he firmly told his crew to relay a message to Hocevar that he would see him at Pocono.
The rivalry has been marked by public and private exchanges, with Stenhouse openly criticizing Hocevar’s aggressive driving style. Hocevar had previously promised to “round the edges off” after the Nashville incident, acknowledging that his driving can sometimes cross the line. However, the Mexico City incident reignited the feud with Stenhouse showing no signs of backing down. The race itself was historic as the first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race outside the United States in 67 years, with Shane Van Gisbergen winning and Christopher Bell finishing second.
In summary, the ongoing feud between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar escalated dramatically at the Viva Mexico 250, fueled by previous incidents and aggressive on-track behavior. Stenhouse’s post-race threat to “beat your ass” underscored the intensity of their rivalry, which has become one of the notable storylines of the NASCAR season so far
