Although some sparks were expected in the bid to win the coveted trophy, the scale of unfolding carnage in the final Truck race horrified racing veterans. Prior to their own race in Phoenix, Cup Series drivers tuned in to catch the live action of NASCAR’s tier-three race and were left disappointed by the intentional collisions and juvenile antics of those racers. 

Especially where the winningest drivers of the season were concerned. Team owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, Kyle Busch, and several other cup drivers demanded stern action against the degradation of sport witnessed by them at the Phoenix Raceway.

Kyle Busch wants Carson Hocevar and other Truck culprits penalized for Lucas Oil 150 race

36 hours after Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim wrecked themselves out of the title run, the nightmare of the race has still not faded away. Particularly in light of the stellar display of sportsmanship by the Xfinity drivers on the same ground the very next day. While the Xfinity Championship 4 contenders competed solely on the basis of their skill till the very last lap, two of the top four truck drivers had already taken potshots at each other with over 30 laps to go.

A frustrated Tyler Reddick tweeted, “This dumb*ss will never learn” when Hocevar repeatedly bumped into Heim and eventually spun him out. Heim later retaliated, but Hocevar’s initial move had already drawn the curtain on their title hopes. Witnessing KBM’s last truck race, champion driver Kyle Busch felt the incident warranted penalties.

Busch later said, “I mean there’s aggressive racing, you’re three wide, four wide, five wide sometimes, and it’s hard for the spotters to see going into turn one where everybody is, but as a driver, you have to know your surroundings and understand what you’re doing and where you’re at, so just a lot of mistakes, a lot of dumb stuff.” Busch, whose 8-year-old son Brexton, is already behind the wheel, was well aware of modern teaching techniques.

He explained, “It’s the nature of what everything is nowadays. We’re teaching kids at 8 years old to go out there and run wide open and go as fast as you can and slam into the guy next to you to try to get by him. They’re all taught that way now where there’re no repercussions as much and the sanctioning body, I think, needs to step in more and penalize.”

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After Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin called for NASCAR’s intervention, his teammate and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr also assessed the need for a stricter hand.

Martin Truex Jr left unimpressed by the “embarrassing” Truck Series championship race

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In the post-qualifying interview for the final Cup series race, the #19 JGR driver made it clear he was not “impressed” with what he saw in the Truck championship race. Truex Jr declared, “That is not professional auto racing. It’s a joke.” Experienced in the pressures of a title run, Martin Truex Jr could still not condone Carson Hocevar’s actions. The #19 driver warned, “Stop running through people every day and every race. I get racing a guy for a championship, you don’t just clean him out 50 laps, 60 laps to go in the race.” Disapproving the purposeful damage to their vehicles, Truex Jr continued, 

“The guy runs you down and passes you and then you run into him once and then the next corner you spin him [Corey Heim] out. I don’t quite understand that one…for the most part those guys raced like a bunch of kids that never had to pay for anything or fix anything that they ever drove in their entire life and that’s not the way you’re supposed to drive as a professional.”

In the end, Martin Truex Jr summed up Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, and all other Cup drivers’ sentiments about the chaotic race. “It just gets pretty old watching that every single weekend. The same guys doing the same things and there’s never any repercussion…it’s kind of embarrassing for the sport.” Do you think Carson Hocevar deserves to be punished for his altercation with Corey Heim?

Read More: “Looks Like an A**” – HMS Legend Raises Concern for Cup Series Drivers After Truck Series Fiasco in Phoenix