Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was an exciting event that ended with Chase Briscoe in Victory Lane. But one shocking outcome was that the race proved punishing for several playoff contenders.
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A key reason behind this was the chaos that unfolded at multiple points on pit road. This led Kyle Petty to voice concerns over safety in that area.
The most notable incident that occurred was between Carson Hocevar and Christopher Bell. As Bell was leaving his box after getting repairs done, Hocevar, who was just then entering pit road, collided with him.
The contact caused heavy damage to Bell’s Toyota Camry. Other mishaps involved Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and others. In light of all these issues, Petty noted how things were different back in the day in a certain sense.
The driver who got to pit road first had the right of way back then. He said, “The car coming in is going to land in his box. And there’s guys out around it. From a safety aspect, that car had the right of way.
“Yesterday we saw guys pull up to a four-way stop and give each other hand motions on who should go first and who should go next, or what should I do and that’s why we got so many people running into each other on pit road.
“It’s because nobody seemed to know what was going on pit road. Those are safety issues and they’re going to have to be addressed at some point in time.”
Petty questioned who was responsible for making the call, wondering whether it came from the spotter, the crew chief, or whoever was instructing the driver when to go and when to hold back.
How Hocevar “ruined” Bell’s night at Darlington
The issue between Hocevar and Bell began on Lap 152 when the former spun and forced NASCAR to issue a caution. Upon his team’s instructions, he got to the pit road to undergo repairs and made contact with Bell when there.
The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver, thanks to some efficient work from his crew, was able to go back out on the track and finish his race in 29th place. Despite the frustration, Bell did not blame Hocevar alone for the mistake.
He told the press, “I think it’s more on his team to not let him know the circumstances that he’s pitted on an island with all the playoff cars. He just spun, brought out the yellow. He’s not going to gain a spot on pit road. He didn’t give way and ruined my night. It’s a bummer.”
Hocevar, for his part, did not defend himself and rather attributed the incident to bad timing.
