Carson Hocevar Looks to Build Burnt Bridges With Zane Smith With Watkins Glen Gesture

Neha Dwivedi | 11/08/2025
Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar

For months, Carson Hocevar has drawn comparisons to Dale Earnhardt Sr., with even Dale Earnhardt Jr. noting similarities to the Intimidator’s persona. But former teammate Zane Smith, who shared a shop with him last year, recently made his views clear, calling Hocevar nothing more than an “idiot.” Despite the sting of those words, Hocevar appears intent on repairing the fractured relationship.

At Watkins Glen, with five laps remaining, when Smith reached Hocevar’s back bumper, the Spire Motorsports driver moved over on the exit of Turn 5 to give him the spot.

After the race, Hocevar leaned into Smith’s window and told him, “Hey, I know that doesn’t make up for it, but you can expect that in the next couple weeks, okay?”

In the four weeks leading up to Watkins Glen, Smith had been caught in wrecks he didn’t cause or was responsible for. And while he kept quiet initially, his breaking point came at Iowa Speedway, when Hocevar lost control entering Turn 1 to Smith’s left, drifted up the banking, and slammed into the No. 38 driver’s left-rear quarter panel.

Smith spun and backed hard into the SAFER barrier, then seemed to retaliate with a swipe at Hocevar’s car. Afterward, Smith’s crew chief, Ryan Bergenty, confronted Hocevar to voice his anger. By the next weekend, Smith wasn’t mincing words in the Watkins Glen garage.

“I personally can’t go have a conversation with him without getting a $75,000 fine. Yeah, he’s just a dumb [expletive]. That’s just how it is. I think that the media feeds into him trying to play this like ‘Intimidator’ role.”

“But then he’ll act like he’s your buddy, and then just be an idiot on social media. I was teammates with him, and everyone at that race shop, everyone in this garage, realizes he’s an idiot,” he added.

Many in the media believe the gesture at The Glen was Hocevar’s first small step toward making amends for Iowa. Known for his unapologetic on-track style, Hocevar’s willingness to extend an olive branch, even after Smith’s blunt remarks, indicates he’s ready to at least try mending fences with his former teammate.

Post Edited By: Abhishek Ramesh
Carson Hocevar Watkins Glen Zane Smith

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

Don’t miss these