Carson Hocevar, ever the controversial figure, is no stranger to the fines this season. That $50,000 fine for comments made during a livestream about Mexico City by Spire Motorsports? Yup, but now we have another. The No. 77 driver got slapped with a $50,000 fine last week after a scary moment at Kansas put the safety crew in danger while they were helping his car out. The second penalty has left quite a chatter in the garage and, interestingly, the 22-year-old driver didn’t try to defend his actions.

Until Thursday morning, no video evidence surfaced showing the incident that cost so much. This had left fans and analysts scratching their heads as to why Hocevar got hit with such a hefty fine. Even respected NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck admitted he was initially unsure what had led to the penalty after reviewing Hocevar’s in-car footage.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass at a media availability in Charlotte, Carson Hocevar said, “Yeah, I fired it up just to throw it into neutral. It’s sometimes hard to get these things into neutral, so I fired it up. And honestly, I didn’t really know it spun the tires. Obviously, there’s a tow truck in front of me. I’m not going anywhere. I was trying to go places earlier, and the tires are off the ground, and they just spin. And they judge off of actions and visibility and not intent. So I had tires spun, like black and white.” 

It wasn’t immediately clear why Carson Hocevar was fined until NASCAR Communications posted a video on X Thursday morning to clarify. The clip showed safety workers hooking up Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to a tow truck on the apron. In the first few seconds, the rear wheels of his car began to spin, prompting a safety worker near the left rear to cautiously back away.

The driver quickly stopped applying throttle and did not touch the gas for the remainder of the 36-second video, allowing the safety crew to continue their work unharmed. While no injuries occurred, the situation illustrates why NASCAR issued such a hefty fine. With multiple safety personnel around the car, numerous safety vehicles on site, and the field moving nearby on the banking under caution, the potential for serious harm or damage was significant.

Hocevar admitted his fault, taking full responsibility for his actions, understanding why he got fined. He added, “It’s on me for not really thinking about the tires spinning or knowing the tires spun. It’s educational for me. It’s expensive, too. But it’s educational for our guys, too. Next time, I’ll say I’m stuck in second. We can go from there. My mind wasn’t on that. Yeah, the video makes perfect sense. They don’t know everything. They don’t have the intention. It’s not their, you know. I wouldn’t. They can’t know the plan and story of everything and judge everything by that. Sometimes they just have to call it how they see it. And I think that’s fair for everybody.”

However, Hocevar wasn’t alone in the penalty game at Kansas. With three other drivers hit with penalties for on-track incidents before the race, NASCAR officials have warned the garage of stricter actions from here on. At that time, Carson was running 13th, and his spin on the backstretch during lap 260 of 273 made him finish 29th, four laps down.

However, the sophomore has had quite a rollercoaster season. In his second season with Spire Motorsports, Carson sits 22nd in points, with eight top-10s, two top-5 finishes, and 7DNFs. Despite the setbacks, he has shown flashes of speed, leading 116 laps so far this season. However, as for the fine, Carson comes up with a creative and hilarious way to make up those $50,000.

Carson Hocevar turns a $50,000 fine into a fan-powered fundraiser

After getting hit with a $50,000 fine, Hocevar decided to tackle the way only a modern NASCAR driver could, by going digital. He is one of the most active Cup Series drivers on social media, with more than 15,000 subscribers on YouTube and 23,000 followers on Twitch.

On Wednesday, he fired up the Twitch stream with one audition goal: to raise the full $50K in donations from fans. And wouldn’t you know it? The contributions started pouring in the second the fundraiser went live.

Referring to his Mexico City fine of $50,000 that he got for his offensive comments, Hocevar quipped, showing he hasn’t lost his signature edge, “Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should (n)ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan.” 

While much of the fine was actually covered, Carson’s move showcases his creativity, his knack for connecting with fans, and a more savvy, playful side — definitely a shift from his earlier, more controversial antics.