A few years ago, Ross Chastain was at the center of almost every wreck that happened in Cup Series races. His competitors always had a problem with the way he drove and sought revenge for something he’d done to them. In 2025, it is Carson Hocevar who has taken that spot. RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece has vowed to pay Hocevar back after the youngster wrecked him at Texas on Sunday.
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Preece was impressively fast behind his No. 60 Ford Mustang and ran in the top-10 for most of the day. He went from 33rd to 14th in the first 80 laps and finished Stage 2 in fourth place. He started the final stage from 12th place and climbed to sixth with 60 laps remaining.
Things unraveled when he decided to enter the pit road early to gain a tire advantage. An untimely caution trapped him in the pit road, and the officials declared that he must take a wave around.
As Preece focused on overcoming this setback, Hocevar delivered the final blow on Lap 237. He drove Preece higher and higher up the track to push him into the wall. He wrecked himself in the process as well. Preece wasn’t kind with his words to the press in the aftermath.
He said, “It’s alright. He just seems to be proving me right over and over again. Really fast race car … Just got run into the fence by somebody who has no respect for his equipment and any other driver out there. He’ll have his day.”
Despite the heartbreak, Preece once again proved that he can be a really fast driver for the No. 60 RFK Racing Mustang. The impressive campaign continues.
“Just got ran in the fence by somebody that has no respect for his equipment” @RyanPreece_ unhappy with with @CarsonHocevar after their contact that lead to the lap 237 incident. pic.twitter.com/WcraetmP2G
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) May 4, 2025
Hocevar apologizes for his mistake
Hocevar started the race from the pole. He is seldom the one to apologise for such errors, but on Sunday, he did. He said after finishing 24th, “I apologized to him and his guys. Same with my guys, right? Just got in there and started to slide up, and he got to the right rear.
“I was already crossing somebody’s wake and got tight from him (Preece) on my door and the car in front. I’m out of gas and have the wheel. I just didn’t predict to be in that spot to panic or have to change directions.”
The question is if Ryan Preece will accept this apology and not go after the youngster at Kansas next weekend. He was credited with a 29th-place finish for his efforts.
