You know you’re going to be in for a bashing when you wreck others on track. But when legends like Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson have to end their day early because of you, it’s just that much worse. Carson Hocevar got a taste of that from NASCAR fans after a misjudgment cost two multi-time Cup Series champions the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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It happened on a restart with 109 laps to go. All cars were lined up double file and as soon as the green flag fell, Hocevar tucked into the middle to make it three wide. It seemed like a risky move right from the start since there was little to no space at that part of the track at the time.
The #77 made contact with the #12 car which set off a chain reaction and collected the #22 and #84. Logano and Johnson were disappointed with how their day ended. The former did not mince his words as he spoke about the Spire Motorsports star.
Four-time #Brickyard400 winner Jimmie Johnson AND Joey Logano with a big crash on the restart.
📺 : NBC pic.twitter.com/35FvZTt2Jz
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 21, 2024
“Looks like Hocevar sent it down the center. Just kind of stuffed it into the lane. Seems like something he’s done a lot recently. Unfortunately, it caught up to me. There’s a right rear on Jimmie into my left rear and sent our Shell/Pennzoil Mustang into the wall. It’s a bummer,” he said.
Logano’s teammate Ryan Blaney was shocked at Hocevar’s move as well. “Where on God’s green earth did he think he was going,” he exclaimed on the team radio. The Spire Motorsports star has not made a positive impression on several drivers in the Cup Series.
Fans call for Hocevar’s demotion after Brickyard mishap
But it’s not just the racers who are upset with the driver of the #77 car. Some fans claimed that Hocevar did not deserve to race in the NASCAR Cup Series. “Hocevar has no business racing Cup Series, he’s just reckless,” they wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Can we demote Hocevar like yesterday,” asked another. Hocevar made the jump from the Truck Series to the Cup Series without running a full season in Xfinity.
While the crash was unfortunate, not a lot of people were surprised that Hocevar was the culprit. “Surprise…@CarsonHocevar causes another accident,” one user wrote. “#77 Crashin Holottacars,” quipped another.
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson was seen having a conversation with the Spire Motorsports star after the race. The #10 driver said that they spoke about the “typical stuff” Hocevar does on track and called it annoying. Moving forward, the 21-year-old has a long way to go before he earns the respect of the drivers in the Cup Series.
