Denny Hamlin Affirms Carson Hocevar Will “Absolutely” Get Wrecked in the Near Future

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - MARCH 17: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Gainbridge Cal Ripken Sr. Fdn. Chevrolet, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 17, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

What’s Happening?

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 Incident

The wreck happened on lap 116 of 300, entering turn three.

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.

Hamlin’s Comments

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 InstagramFacebook, and YouTube for more updates!

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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - APRIL 06: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on April 06, 2025 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Lionel Racing Reveals First Wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics Diecast

What’s Happening?

Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.

  • This line will include six throwback paint schemes from NASCAR’s 2025 throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. Though they did not release one in 2025, this move restarts an annual tradition of Lionel releasing at least one wave of cars carrying the colors of that prior season’s throwback designs.
  • Included in this wave of cars are Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, William Byron, and Sammy Smith. Alongside these paint schemes’ debuts in the Authentics line is a new design for the packaging of the 2026 line of NASCAR Authentics.
  • Last season was somewhat turbulent for Lionel as, alongside issues with tariffs, the brand only released three waves of NASCAR Autentics, one wave of NASCAR Autentics Winners Circle diecast, and two waves of Haulers.
  • Lionel announcing the first wave of 2026 early on in the new year is perhaps a sign that 2026 could return this line to its regular release schedule. The post from Lionel Racing also confirmed that the brand will announce another wave by the end of the week, further hinting at a recommitment to the Authentics line.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

SPARTA, KY - JUNE 26: Chase Pistone, driver of the #9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet, talks with his crew during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Series UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on June 26, 2014 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Chase Pistone, NASCAR Trucks and Nationwide Series Driver, Passes Away

What’s Happening?

Chase Pistone, a former competitor on the short track racing circuit in addition to NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away. Pistone, now a successful Legends Car owner, was 42.

  • Chase’s brothers Nick and Tom Pistone confirmed the North Carolina natives’ passing to LegendsNation.com. The cause of Pistone’s passing is unknown. The family asked that media share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, which is 988.
  • Pistone, the grandson of NASCAR legend “Tiger” Tom Pistone, made his way to NASCAR after competing on short tracks in Legends cars and Late Models. He would make his jump to NASCAR via the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005, racing for Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Pistone would continue his NASCAR pursuits in 2006, racing in ARCA and the NASCAR Busch Series. Unfortunately, these two starts, at Martinsville with the Busch Series and Iowa with ARCA, would be his last for nearly a decade.
  • Pistone returned to NASCAR in 2014, racing in a combined eight NASCAR Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races. During this season, his final in NASCAR, the then 30-year-old scored his best National Series finish, ninth place in the Truck Series annual trip to Gateway.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

8 Takeaways From NASCAR At COTA

Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.

  • Has Shane van Gisbergen officially been proven mortal after getting outraced late at Circuit of the Americas?
  • Is 19-year-old Connor Zilisch already ahead of schedule after slicing through the field multiple times?
  • With three straight wins, is Tyler Reddick basically a lock for the postseason this early?
  • And how concerned should the 48 team be after a rough weekend for Alex Bowman?

From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.

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