“They’re Too Young to Know”: Spire’s Co-owner’s Candid Take On Carson Hocevar’s Role in Nashville Dust-Up With Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s race at Nashville Superspeedway was undone by Carson Hocevar’s ill-advised move — a maneuver Hocevar refused to shoulder responsibility for in his post-race media comments, much to the disapproval of his Spire Motorsports co-owner, Jeff Dickerson.

The drama unfolded on lap 106, when Hocevar clouted Stenhouse’s rear bumper, sending the No. 47 machine careening into the turn 4 wall. The damage was terminal, and Stenhouse was the first casualty of the race, classified 39th.

It marked a second consecutive year of controversy at Nashville for Hocevar, who was docked 25 points and fined $50,000 for spinning Harrison Burton under caution in last year’s Nashville race. While no penalties are expected this time, the incident has only poured fuel on Hocevar’s burgeoning reputation for recklessness, and Stenhouse isn’t likely to let it slide quietly.

Even Dickerson himself couldn’t defend Hocevar’s decision. Speaking bluntly on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, he said, “Here’s what I said. Man, you didn’t need to do that. You just didn’t need to do that. It wasn’t going to cost him anything to let Ricky back in line. I just wish he would have cut him a break. I have a personal relationship with Ricky. And so I don’t want that to cloud it.”

Dickerson further elaborated, “There’s plenty of times I go to Carson. I’m just like, ’35-year-old Carson is not gonna be cool with what you just did or what you just said’… It’s like… They’re too young to know that it’s cool to be like ‘Man! I f— that up…’

“And that’s where I wish they would help themselves more. But again, I want to teach Carson how it is, quote unquote… Ricky, to me, is a guy that’s like, he’s not gonna wreck our car. He’s just gonna go beat the hell out of him.”

 

In short, even Hocevar’s team’s co-owner understands that he may have not only scuttled Stenhouse’s playoff momentum but also ignited a feud that could simmer into something combustible down the stretch.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Hocevar’s comments after the race

Stenhouse, unimpressed by Hocevar’s antics, laid out his version of the incident, recalling that just a few laps prior, Hocevar lunged from nearly ten car lengths back. That time, Stenhouse had opened his entry slightly, and Hocevar, overcooking the corner, drilled the No. 47 squarely in the rear bumper.

Stenhouse conceded that his car wasn’t exactly setting the world alight but insisted they were clawing their way back into contention. Closing his NASCAR on Prime interview with what felt like a pointed warning, Stenhouse added, “Bummed our day ended like that, definitely will have something to do about it at one point.”

For his part, Hocevar played the defensive card, stating he hadn’t seen the replay but claimed he had witnessed several drivers make similar moves and get away with it.

He insisted Stenhouse was the only one to get wrecked, but characterized it as a common maneuver given the massive run he had. Still, he left the door open for reconciliation, saying he was willing to have a conversation with Stenhouse if the latter wanted to clear the air.