Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar were involved in a heated incident during the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, marking the first points-paying NASCAR Cup race outside the United States in 67 years. The conflict between the two drivers unfolded after Hocevar spun Stenhouse Jr. with 10 laps remaining in the race, causing Stenhouse Jr. to finish 27th while Hocevar ended 34th, one lap down.
During the race, Hocevar, who was a lap down and not racing for position, went deep into a corner in the stadium section and lost control, spinning Stenhouse Jr.’s #47 Hyak Motorsports Chevy. After the race, Stenhouse Jr. parked his car on pit road and confronted Hocevar, who was still seated in his #77 Chevy. Leaning on Hocevar’s driver-side window, Stenhouse Jr. threatened retaliation, saying, “I’m going to beat your a**. You’re a lap down, you’ve got nothing to do. Why did you run into me for the second time? I don’t give a damn! I’ll beat your a**. I will when we get back to the States” .
This was not their first clash; two weeks earlier at Nashville, Hocevar had also turned Stenhouse Jr., causing a wreck. Stenhouse Jr. had warned Hocevar after that incident that if it happened again, there would be consequences. The Mexico City incident was even more frustrating for Stenhouse Jr. because Hocevar was a lap down and not racing anyone at the time of the collision. Stenhouse Jr. expressed his anger, noting he felt he had a car capable of a better finish but was denied the opportunity due to Hocevar’s actions .
Hocevar, who had a difficult weekend overall and was nursing a bruised ankle from an earlier fall, admitted fault and apologized for the incident. He explained that he got onto the marbles (loose debris off the racing line) and slid much longer than expected, unintentionally making contact with Stenhouse Jr. He emphasized that he was not racing anyone at that moment but was simply trying to log laps and wait for a caution to improve his day. Hocevar described the day as “really, really sloppy” and acknowledged he should have avoided the collision .
The confrontation on pit road was intense but did not escalate into a physical fight, with Stenhouse Jr. wisely refraining from any physical altercation on foreign soil. Fans on social media were divided over the incident. Some reminded Stenhouse Jr. of his early career reputation as “wrecky,” a nickname he earned for frequent involvement in crashes, similar to Hocevar’s current reputation. Comments ranged from urging Stenhouse Jr. to follow through on his threat once back in the U.S. to humorous remarks about the situation and the drivers’ histories .
Both drivers are currently on the playoff bubble, making the tension between them more significant as they compete for spots in the NASCAR playoffs. Heading into the next race at Pocono, Hocevar was 60 points below the cutline, while Stenhouse Jr. was 61 points behind the final playoff position .
In summary, the incident in Mexico City added fuel to an ongoing rivalry between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar, marked by on-track contact, post-race confrontation, and strong emotions from both drivers, with Stenhouse Jr. vowing to settle the score when they return to the United States .
