When Carson Hocevar punted Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the wall and out of the race two weeks ago at Nashville, Stenhouse vowed retaliation this season. Now, he may have another vow lined up after Hocevar again drew his ire in Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City.
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Hocevar said last weekend at Michigan that he and Stenhouse had a productive conversation a few days after the Nashville incident and had resolved any lingering animosity. But things were back on the front burner on Sunday after they clashed on track again.
Later, Hocevar tried to explain his side of the story. “I didn’t really hear him,” Hocevar said of Stenhouse’s rant. “I know he was very mad. I was very apologetic.
“I had just got left and in the marbles and slid a lot longer than I expected. Obviously, number one, [he’s] not somebody I would ever want to hit again. But number two, I wasn’t racing anybody. I was just logging laps, just waiting on a yellow and maybe see if we could put our day back together again.”
Hocevar then explained the cause of the incident. “I just hit a curve wrong, got into the marbles and slid all the way through the corner. I tried to turn left and avoid him, but just a really sloppy day by me and that is another incident of the day that was really just sloppy,” he said.
What Carson Hocevar said about the Ricky Stenhouse Jr. incident. pic.twitter.com/XfGpTYS4w8
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 15, 2025
Hocevar tried to apologize to Stenhouse, but to no avail
The two drivers had a heated exchange on track after their race unraveled. “I’m going to beat your ass,” Stenhouse told Hocevar following the race. “You’re a lap down, you’ve got nothing to do, why’d you run into me for the second time?”
Hocevar attempted to apologize, but Stenhouse wasn’t having anything of it. “I don’t give a damn,” Stenhouse told Hocevar. “I will beat your ass when we get back to the States!” Stenhouse then stormed off.
Immediately after the incident, Stenhouse came on his team radio and issued a warning to Hocevar: “Tell him I’ll see him at Pocono.”
Somehow, it would seem that if Hocevar reaches out to Stenhouse again like he did a few days after Nashville, bygones won’t be bygones this time.
