It was cunning. It was calculated. Carson did not just take the lead at Pocono; he stole it with a smirk. In a brilliant bait and switch from Hocevar, who faked entering the pit road under caution while the lane was closed, luring in Brad Keselowski, who was leading at the time, into making a costly mistake. As the No. 6 driver dove in, Carson stayed out, capitalizing on the misstep, and took control of the race. And it was the first real jolt of chaos on a day when strategy and mind games mattered just as much as horsepower. However, that wasn’t the only moment fans were waiting for.

As the No. 77 Spire Motorsports driver rode up front, the No. 47 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gained on him to overtake the 22-year-old for third position, and the tension was louder than the engines. After their clash in Mexico City, this race was going to be personal.

Carson Hocevar plays it very safe with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Everyone expected fireworks at Pocono this weekend when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar were set to add another episode to their high-stakes rivalry. The two have been stirring up tension all week, with Stenhouse saying, “He [Hocevar] probably will be looking over his shoulder for a long time,” and this time, Carson seemed rattled. What began as a strategic standoff quickly turned into an on-track chess match, and the No. 77 driver blinked first.

With both drivers starting from opposite ends, Hocevar from third and Stenhouse Jr. back in 30th, it did not take long for the feud to bubble up. Within the opening third of the race, Stenhouse Junior sliced his way up the order, eventually climbing into the top five. Carson, after a blistering launch, briefly led the race after a push from Briscoe on a restart but couldn’t hang onto the position. And when Ricky came roaring back into his rearview mirror, the tone changed completely.

As reporter Jeff Gluck was quick to notice that, he posted, “Carson Hocevar wants to know how many laps until he pits. But they can make it until the end of the stage. They might short-pit. Then he says, ‘Not me. Not me.’ They told him about the Penske cars. I think he wants to know about Stenhouse, obviously, haha.” Gluck immediately confirmed in a follow-up post, writing, ” Yeah, he finally clarified he was talking about Stenhouse. They can make it.”

Well, Carson Hocevar did not want to be anywhere near Stenhouse Jr. on the racetrack, and it’s understandable. With threats like “I will beat your a– when we get back to the states” and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s history of punching drivers he feuds with (Kyle Busch), Hocevar has sensibly decided to retreat. The #77 knew he had a fast car, but he also knew Ricky would wreck him any chance he got. So, asking when Ricky pits? Just a subtle way of knowing how much fuel he needs to save to avoid pitting at the same time.

After weeks of sparking controversy, defending his honor, and stepping up to the challenge, Carson finally let it go. In racing, sometimes surrender just shows itself in silent retreats, and today it came in the form of the pit stop. Carson didn’t wave the checkered flag; he waved a white one, and it came along before the end. However, hearing their pre-race comments, it was clear that Hocevar intended to back off, knowing that he had played a major role in this feud.

Carson Hocevar currently holds a 2-0 edge over Ricky Stenhouse Junior, igniting both incidents with the Hyak Motorsports driver. “The scorecard has it that I’m getting something from that 47 at some point, right?” the No. 77 said before the race, acknowledging the tension. Hocevar stressed that any retaliation should stay between the two of them, not become a free-for-all. “It’s not open hunting season on the 77. We are going to race like we always have—aggressive, but not reckless.” Despite the rivalry, he remains committed to his style. “We just go race. Defend ourselves when needed. But yeah… It’s 2-0 now.”

Moreover, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is done with giving Hocevar any more publicity, as he mentioned before heading to the Tricky Triangle. Stenhouse Jr. admitted to NBC Sports, saying, “Honestly, tired of talking about the kid. Eventually, it will come to a head. In the right place at the right time, eventually… We’ll see how that goes.” However, it is safe to assume that deep down, the fans want more from the two aggressive, hot-headed drivers.

As Pocono crowns chase Briscoe as their winner, the duo, however, faced a tough race. Stenhouse Junior started 30th and never quite found his rhythm. Though he barely led two laps, his car faded deep into the field and ultimately finished right where he started, 30th, with only seven points to show for it. Carson, meanwhile, continues to assert control in their escalating feud. The No. 77 looked sharp early, playing mind games with Brad Keselowski. And while he didn’t escape clean, finishing 18th, he scored a total of 20 points and also led two laps and posted a best lap time of 52.98 seconds, just 0.3 seconds off Denny Hamlin’s 52.6 seconds, which was the fastest lap of the race.

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Kenny Wallace sides with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s ex-spotter

So while the headlines focused on pit road blunders and playoff chases, Kenny Wallace stunned the NASCAR community by siding with Ricky Junior’s suspended spotter. The dust hadn’t even settled in Mexico City before the consequences began to ripple across NASCAR’s garage. Ricky Stenhouse Junior’s spotter, Tab Boyd, had to pay the price.

After venting on social media about feeling unsafe near his hotel in Mexico, Boyd then deleted his account on X and was suspended for the comments he made about the city. The Hyak Motorsports deemed it derogatory and benched him permanently. NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace came to Tab’s defense, saying, “Tab is the nicest guy you will ever meet, and they fired him. They fired him from being Ricky Stenhouse’s spotter because he simply said to get him out of Mexico City; he’s had enough of this place. I think the firing was wrong. I think that takes me back to the woke days when people were woke. Very disappointing.”

But for Stenhouse Junior, the loss of a trusted voice on the spotter’s stand was more than just PR backlash; it definitely directly impacted his weekend in Pocono. Tab Byod, however, is still in NASCAR, and is listed as a spotter for Ryan Ellis in the Xfinity Series and Luke Baldwin in the Craftsman Truck Series.