NASCAR hits Carson Hocevar with massive penalty for wrecking Harrison Burton

Carson Hocevar got slapped with a fine of $50,000 and a deduction of 25 driver points for initiating contact with Harrison Burton during a caution period at Ally 400. The wreck caused the #21 Ford driver to spin out. The incident breached Sections 4.4B of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options And Guidelines during the Ally 400 on Sunday.

The situation unfolded on Lap 244 when Brad Keselowski crashed into the wall after a clash with Austin Dillon in Turns 1 and 2. With the race nearing its final stages and only 58 laps left, the field was slowing down. It was during this slowdown on the backstretch that Carson Hocevar, evidently frustrated and driving the Spire Motorsports #77, repeatedly bumped into the rear of Harrison Burton's car, who was then in P25 place.

Carson Hocevar caused a wreck when he turned Harrison Burton's car to the right, prompting drivers like Todd Gilliland and Austin Cindric to deviate to avoid a larger crash. John-Hunter Nemechek also came close to getting caught up in the incident.

Despite the chaos, Burton’s #21 Wood Brothers Ford spun out but didn’t sustain significant damage, and Hocevar’s #77 Chevy continued without any issues. Carson Hocevar crossed the finish line in P16 place, while Burton ended up in P28.

Although NASCAR did not immediately respond during the race, and no drivers were called to the hauler at the time, the governing body later imposed a hefty penalty on Hocevar on Tuesday, causing him to get knocked down from P22 to P24 in the championship standings.

As per Bob Pockrass (via X):

"NASCAR fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 and docked him 25 points for intentionally spinning Harrison Burton under caution. It drops him from 22nd to 24th in the standings, 181 points behind the cutoff (he was in practicality already in a must-win situation)."

This isn’t the first time Hocevar faced penalties for his actions on the track; last year, during a Truck race at Martinsville, he was penalized two laps for attempting to hook Taylor Gray across the track.

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Harrison Burton commented on his wreck with Carson Hocevar

Carson Hocevar, known for his aggressive driving style since his Truck Series days, has been a topic of discussion among drivers, including veterans like Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Discussing the incident where Hocevar attempted to wreck him under a yellow caution, Burton said: [via FrontStretch]

"He blocks everyone every week and I blocked him once and he decided to try and wreck me under yellow. He’s on a lot of people’s lists as guys they don’t like racing. So it kind of shows why.” [at 0:23]

Currently, in his rookie Cup season, Carson Hocevar is ranked second among rookies, positioned 24th in the overall Cup standings. It places him behind Josh Berry at 19th, and ahead of Zane Smith at 34th and Kaz Grala at 35th.

The weekend also saw penalties in the NASCAR Truck Series. After the Rackley Roofing 200, won by Christian Eckes on Friday, post-race inspections revealed loose lug nuts on Matt Mills’ #42 Niece Motorsports Chevy and Matt Crafton’s #88 ThorSport Racing Ford. The infraction violated Sections 8.8.10.4a: Tires and Wheels of the NASCAR Rule Book. Consequently, crew chiefs Jon Leonard of #42 and Jeriod Prince of #88 were each fined $2,500.