In the 2025 Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville, Carson Hocevar finished second to 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. The career-best result, however, did not come without another altercation. Early in the race, Hocevar made contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., sending him into the wall and ending his day early—this marked Stenhouse’s first DNF of the 2025 season. Ricky Stenhouse was visibly unhappy about it, implying to the media that he would either talk to, wreck, or fight Hocevar. The latter was discarded by Stenhouse himself, deeming it “too expensive,” referencing his 2024 fight with Kyle Busch at North Wilkesboro, when he was fined $75k.
The wreck happened on lap 116 of 300, entering turn three.
Ride along with the Nos. 47 and 77. https://t.co/gOokWCrKQK pic.twitter.com/XeNdKPfP6W
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 2, 2025
After the race, Hocevar claimed Stenhouse “could have cut him a break,” while Stenhouse affirmed he will “have to do something about it at one point,” during his interview in the infield care center. Hocevar is in his second year on the Cup Series but has had his fair share of incidents, known for his “overaggressiveness,” being involved in incidents with multiple drivers in a short period.
The field’s fuse is running short on the driver of the No. 77 car, and Denny Hamlin emphasized that during his podcast.
On the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin addressed the situation, affirming Stenhouse will “absolutely” wreck Carson Hocevar at some point.
“Ricky Stenhouse will absolutely wreck Carson Hocevar in the near future, that’s just a fact… If you’re Carson, just know that it’s coming, so don’t be surprised… I just feel like it’s inevitable… Carson hasn’t done anything to me yet that has been egregious, but I guarantee you if he does I’m gonna get him, because he has gotten a lot of people, and they haven’t done anything about it.”
– Denny Hamlin
Hamlin went on to say Carson’s overaggressiveness will bite him at some point and that he is not “The Intimidator.” He said it’s not a great strategy, and this is not the type of racing nowadays. Despite criticisms, Hamlin complimented Hocevar for his clean racing with himself and Byron at Charlotte.
Will Stenhouse pay back Carson Hocevar? Where? Let us know what you think on our Discord or X, and remember you can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates!
