“I will beat your a–…I will when we get back to the States!” Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s second outburst in three weekends paints a dire picture for his Cup Series rival. Carson Hocevar, the rabble-rousing Spire Motorsports driver, attracted widespread backlash for running Stenhouse into the wall at Nashville. The Cup Series sophomore issued a public apology for it in Michigan, calming down tensions. However, that seems to have gone to waste.

The NASCAR Cup Series visited Mexico City for its first international points-paying race in the modern era. The Viva Mexico 250 race was flagged off with much pomp, and it had a healthy dose of chaos as well. Carson Hocevar had to deal with racing troubles and an angry rival whose temper tipped over the edge.

No way out for Carson Hocevar now

Remember the 2024 All-Star Race? Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch happened to nudge Ricky Stenhouse Jr out of contention on the first lap. That was enough to set the stage for one of the most sensational fistfights in NASCAR’s modern times. Stenhouse did not shy away from landing the first uppercut. Hence, Carson Hocevar has plenty of reasons to worry after his No. 77 Chevy tagged Stenhouse’s No. 47 on lap 90 in Mexico. Hocevar was left spinning in the tight stadium section while Stenhouse could move ahead. The latter finished in 27th place, but Stenhouse’s anger knew no bounds after the race.

The Hyak Motorsports driver confronted Carson Hocevar post-race, thrusting his head into the latter’s car and yelling at him. Besides expressing disbelief at Hocevar’s consistent aggression, Ricky Stenhouse Jr also swore payback. Coming from the All-Star Race fistfight starter, this was enough to make Hocevar shudder. He said in response to Stenhouse’s outburst: “I mean, I didn’t really hear him, but I know he was very mad, and I was very apologetic. I just got left and in the marbles and slid a lot longer than I expected. So, obviously, number one, not somebody I would ever want to hit again.”

However, Carson Hocevar also tried to explain his situation. The Nashville fiasco was a blatantly aggressive move on his part. But in Mexico, Hocevar dealt with a bruised ankle while his car lost traction in the stadium section. Hocevar explained: “But number two, yeah, I wasn’t racing or anything, I was just logging laps. Just trying to wait on a yellow, maybe see if we could put our day back together. But yeah, I just hit a curb wrong and got into the marbles. Slid all the way through the corner. Tried to turn left and avoid him, but just really, really sloppy day by me, and then that was another incident of the day. So, that was really sloppy.”

Despite his apology, Hocevar’s aggression seems to have taken Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to a point of no return. Back after the Nashville incident, Denny Hamlin claimed that he was sure Stenhouse Jr. would wreck him the next chance he got. Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast, “If you’re Carson, just know that it’s coming. So, don’t be surprised. … There’s nothing I’m more confident of right now other than Jordan [Fish] having a baby and Ricky wrecking Carson. I just feel that is inevitable. I don’t think there’s anything Carson can say.” Well, Ricky left him alone at Michigan, but after the events at Mexico City, it’s likely that Hocevar is going to face Stenhouse’s wrath at Pocono.

While the alarm bells are ringing for the Spire driver, there are things to be optimistic about as well. That is especially because of Carson Hocevar’s rising popularity.

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Staying relevant by hook or crook

Well, Carson Hocevar’s status as a rowdy racer goes back to his teenage years. Spinning out Corey Heim during the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series championship, wrecking Harrison Burton in Daytona in 2024, and so much more developed this reputation. But it was only after his Nashville antics that Hocevar’s popularity soared.

That is because while enraging Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Hocevar also managed to eke out a solid runner-up finish. This storyline was enough to dim Ryan Blaney’s race victory. NASCAR veteran Dale Jr compared Hocevar’s situation to “a 1979 Dale Earnhardt.” Neither Hocevar nor the Intimidator was afraid of using their front bumper to make somebody mad. At the end of the day, Carson Hocevar is the most talked-about racer in the series.

In a Michigan press conference, Hocevar stressed this clause as more important, even as Stenhouse fumes at him. He said, “I mean, ultimately, it’s fun to obviously be in the news. I mean, it’s what I’ve dreamed of my whole life, which is just at least being a topic of conversation. Yes, I mean, it’s cool from that aspect. But you know, obviously, you want to be it when you just dominate a Cup race, and they can’t stop talking about it. That’s probably ultimately the next goal. But, you know, it’s definitely fun to at least see it all or just see my face everywhere.” 

And that is exactly what we are seeing after Shane van Gisbergen won the Mexico City race. The focus is on Hocevar now, so let us wait and see how far Stenhouse’s anger bubbles.