NASCAR has yet to announce whether Carson Hocevar will face a penalty for his controversial Martinsville antics, but Spire Motorsports has made its own decision. The Cup Series star found himself under fire after repeatedly brake-checking Austin Cindric, leaving the Team Penske driver with a badly damaged car. With the championship finale at Homestead approaching, the fallout has now reached Hocevar’s own team as he is being suspended for the race. And as the driver breaks his silence, his future return to the No. 77 comes with a promise to learn from the controversy.

“This is an embarrassing day for me,” Carson Hocevar wrote in his statement on X after Spire Motorsports announced that he would miss the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The driver also admitted that he had crossed the line with his on-track actions and let down his team, sponsors and fans.

“I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car. I also let down my team, sponsors and fans. I crossed the line with my on-track actions and gave Jeff and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend at Homestead,” Hocevar continued.

The organization confirmed that Justin Haley would replace him in the No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The decision came before NASCAR announced any official penalty for Hocevar’s conduct at Martinsville, making it clear that Spire was taking disciplinary action independently.

The controversy began during Sunday’s race at Martinsville, where Hocevar repeatedly brake-checked Austin Cindric while the two were racing nose-to-tail. The contact eventually left the front of Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford badly damaged, forcing him behind the wall and ending his afternoon. Cindric finished 36th, while Hocevar finished in 21st place.

The incident was particularly costly because Martinsville was using a softer front-bumper package, making the cars more vulnerable to damage from repeated contact. Hocevar appeared to brake-check Cindric four times, with the final contact leaving the Penske driver unable to continue.

Cindric was furious over his radio, questioning what NASCAR was allowing and accusing the situation of turning the cars into weapons. Even Hocevar’s spotter, Tyler Green, urged him to stop focusing on the dispute and get back to racing.

Hocevar’s explanation after the race did little to calm the reaction. Asked about the exchange, he said he had “got lost there for a second” before describing it as normal Martinsville racing and suggesting the two had been having fun. That response drew criticism from NBC analysts Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett, who questioned whether that was an adequate explanation for the conduct.

His Tuesday statement, however, struck a different tone. Hocevar said he would be rooting for the entire Spire organization at Homestead and looked ahead to returning in 2027 with a different mindset.

“I’ll be rooting for the entire organization this weekend and look forward to coming back in 2027 as a better driver, competitor and teammate,” he wrote.

Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson also explained why the team felt suspension was necessary. He described the decision as one with consequences across the organization, but stressed that it was not about money or championship points.

“The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR’s hands and let them decide what any penalty should be. To us, however, this isn’t about money or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision for Spire Motorsports,” Dickerson said.

The team owner also made it clear that the suspension did not mean Spire had turned its back on Hocevar. He said the organization loved working with the driver and supported him, but his conduct at Martinsville fell short of the standard expected of its drivers, team members and employees. Dickerson added that sometimes the right decision for someone a team cares about can hurt in the short term.

Spire will now head to Homestead with Haley in the No. 77, aiming to compete as a united organization. Dickerson said the focus would then shift to preparing for Daytona in February and the start of the 2027 season. For Hocevar, the immediate task is different: reflect on the incident and make good on his promise to return as a better teammate.