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Dale Jr’s Legendary Crew Chief Expresses Refusal To Engage in Truck Series Action After Phoenix’s “Demolition Derby”

Published 11/11/2023, 9:19 AM EST

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It has already been over a week since last Friday’s Lucas Oil 150, and yet, the conversation revolving around the 2023 season finale of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series just doesn’t cease to exist. However, one could argue that it was perhaps one of the most debated races of the entire season, which featured four overtime restarts and a night of wreck fest.

There is a fine line between hard racing and dirty driving, but Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim failed to recognize that and went all out on each other. Steve Letarte was embarrassed by the way things turned out. Even Tony Stewart had called the race a “‘S’ show”. Letarte declared that he wouldn’t watch truck races anymore if that’s how the races were going to pan out.

Steve Letarte fell asleep while the race was at its fullest fury

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Everyone, from drivers to crew chiefs, is taking some time off of their hectic schedules to spend time with their friends and families. Steve Letarte, too, did the same. He, along with the Dirty Mo Media crew (including Dale Earnhardt Jr) booked an Airbnb at the Wigwam and spent the Phoenix weekend there.

Everyone at Dirty Mo Media is like family to each other. And what’s better than watching a race with family on one’s day off? Perhaps nothing! However, while everyone in the room was watching the Truck Series race at the 1-mile tri-oval racetrack in Arizona, Steve Letarte was dozing off on a couch.

Later in a recent episode of the Dirty Mo Dough, Steve Letarte reflected on the race and said, Embarrassing. I won’t watch Truck races if that’s how they’re gonna drive. It was a demolition derby.” A crew member didn’t lose the chance to point out that Letarte wasn’t even awake when the race was happening. Dale Junior was trying his best to wake Letarte up to watch it, but there was no movement.

Letarte laughed and replied, “It was so bad I fell asleep. So Dale kept waking me up on the couch, finding me like. This isn’t as good, so let me be. I slept good.”

Watch this story: Carson Hocevar Joins Spire Motorsports, Shares Special Bond with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The race was perhaps not as good as Letarte wanted it to be. But the race tasted even more bitter to Corey Heim, as just a couple of days ago, NASCAR slammed him with a penalty for intentionally hitting Carson Hocevar’s #42 machine. A championship title slipping out and a penalty coming in is definitely a sour way to end the season.

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Corey Heim got penalized while Carson Hocevar escaped NASCAR’s radar

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Corey Heim got himself in trouble due to a pair of incidents during the 150-lap-long race on the tri-oval track of Phoenix Raceway. The first one sent his #11 Tricon Garage Toyota spinning after a lap 120 bump from Carson Hocevar, his fellow Championship 4 contender, and just 27 laps later, Heim hit Hocevar as the duo came out of turn 2.

NASCAR fined Heim Heim $12,500 and took away 25 points in the Truck Series point standings. According to NASCAR, the penalty falls under Section 4.4. B and D, which speak of the rules regarding NASCAR’s member code of conduct.

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After Dominating at Bristol, Dale Earnhardt Jr Sends Out a Message to Xfinity Drivers Before Heading to His Championship Turf

Interestingly, Carson Hocevar, who started all of this, did not receive any such penalty. On the contrary, he ended up moving up one spot on the points. What are your thoughts on this? Do let us know in the comments below!

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Written by:

Soumyadeep Saha

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It is the unpredictability of the sport that probably intrigues me the most. There was a time when I knew very little about NASCAR. But after I watched the 2011 Ford 400 where Tony Stewart defeated Carl Edwards in a tie-breaker, there has been no going back for me.
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Edited by:

Shivali Nathta