Ricky Stenhouse Jr. left Nashville Superspeedway frustrated with what he called an over-aggressive move by Carson Hocevar. This was a move that sent him into the wall and ended his night early.
The incident occurred on Lap 106. Hocevar tagged Stenhouse Jr. from behind and sent the No. 47 into the wall between Turns 3 and 4. The Hyak Motorsports driver headed to the garage, where his team attempted to make repairs, but they could not continue in the race.
Stenhouse finished last in the 39-car field in what was his first DNF of the season.
"A lap or two before, he tried to dive into there from about 10 car lengths back," Stenhouse said after exiting the infield care center. "And then that time, I just opened my entry a little bit, and he overcharged the corner and drilled us in the rear bumper.
"I'd say it's not out of the norm from him, but I definitely wasn't expecting that at that point of the race. It's just a bummer for us."
The yellow is out as @StenhouseJr makes contact with the wall between Turns 3 and 4. pic.twitter.com/SuqVv26sJX
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 2, 2025
Stenhouse said that he felt like a doormat after that incident and that over-aggressive moves are "just Hocevar." He also said that he would talk to the Spire Motorsports driver; he just wouldn't do so on Sunday night.
"It costs too much money," Stenhouse said, referencing his now-infamous All-Star Race fight with Kyle Busch that led to a $75,000 fine from NASCAR.
Hocevar did not say anything about the wreck over the radio. Instead, he just continued in the race without damage and tied his career-best finish by crossing the line in second place behind Ryan Blaney.
When questioned about the incident on pit road, Hocevar chose not to apologize.
"I haven't seen the replay," Hocevar said. "I mean, I've seen a bunch of people just kind of do that same sort of move and get shipped, and I think he was the only one to wreck or for me to wreck him, or maybe there was one more.
"But I feel like that was just a common move with how big of a run I had. But I didn't see it. I'm sure he'll want to talk about it. I'll talk about it. We'll look at the replay. But I have no idea until I see it."
The reigning Rookie of the Year, Hocevar has developed a reputation for over-aggressive moves. He's been on the receiving end of criticism from other drivers and analysts.
Prime Video's Steve Letarte even said that Hocevar should stop driving like the little engine that could, referencing how the team has gone from struggling with speed to contending for top-five finishes.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., however, pushed back a bit. He explained why he likes seeing this aggressiveness from Hocevar. He thinks the sport needs some color, controversy, and personality.
"I like what I see out of Hocevar as a fan and a broadcaster," Earnhardt Jr. said on the Prime Video post-race show. "It is entertaining. I just don't like it when he wrecks the good guy.
"I know Stenhouse has kind of had his issues too, but you've got to pick and choose who your enemies are, and you can't just blanket the garage."