Denny Hamlin Issues Verdict on Carson Hocevar’s Pit Road Altercation at Iowa

Zane Smith rolled into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series with the kind of pressure that only comes when your last win was three years ago. After clinching the Truck Series title in 2022 and making a high-profile leap to the Cup level, Smith was expected to level up. But as the season unfolded, it’s been anything but smooth. Through 23 starts this year, he’s managed just three top-10 finishes, zero top-5s, and has racked up four DNFs, with an average finish of 20.96. The No. 38 has shown flashes of pace, he even grabbed a pole, but overall, Smith has remained adrift outside the top 25 in points, stuck in a cycle of mediocrity.

Tensions peaked at Iowa Speedway, where frustration finally spilled into conflict. On Lap 229, Carson Hocevar got loose and sent Smith’s No. 38 into the wall, ending his race and standing as yet another blow in a season defined by missed opportunities. Hocevar crossed the finish line eighth and celebrated casually, but for Smith and his team, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Emotions flared so hot, even Smith’s crew chief stormed over to confront Hocevar face-to-face on pit road. And now, Denny Hamlin, who also didn’t have the best time at Iowa, spoke about whether the post-race act was justified or not.

Hamlin’s verdict on Smith’s crew chief’s eruption

When asked on his Actions Detrimental podcast how he feels about a crew chief confronting a driver in a situation like Zane Smith’s post-Iowa wreck, Denny Hamlin was unflinching. “I don’t mind that,” he said. “Why should we care about that? That’s the guy who’s responsible now, hauling that car up into the hauler. I think anyone who works on the car is entitled to have a voice. Personally, that’s what I think.” Hamlin’s tone made it clear: the reality of the job matters just as much as the optics. If someone is left cleaning up your mess, they deserve to say something.

Shortly after the wreck on Lap 229 at Iowa, which ended Smith’s afternoon in 36th place, Smith’s crew chief, Ryan Bergenty, interrupted Hocevar’s pit‑road interview. In a raw, uncensored moment captured by reporter Stephen Stumpf, Bergenty unleashed: “Hey, when are you going to learn how to f—–g drive, dude? I mean, you wiped us the f–k out.” Before cameras were cut, Stumpf could also hear: “Our car is fucking wrecked because you drive like a fucking r—-d.” The profanity‑laced confrontation spoke to more than one race; it reflected frustration piled up over poor finishes and hard-to-recover weekends.

This level of public frustration from crew chiefs isn’t an isolated phenomenon. In 2012, Tony Gibson, Kurt Busch’s crew chief, was fined and placed on probation after pit‑road chaos resulted in physical altercations during the Southern 500. And in 2024, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s post-race brawl with Kyle Busch joined by crew members, led to hefty fines and suspensions for the team. These flashpoints serve as powerful reminders: when stress on the crew crosses the line, verbal fists may follow.

But Hamlin’s take cuts deeper than the moment; he’s arguing that crews aren’t just support staff. They’re sentinels of pride, labor, and consequence. If the driver’s actions cost them time, money, or dignity, those are voices that deserve to be heard with or without a mic in hand.

Hocevar tests the field’s patience at Iowa

The 2025 Iowa race turned into a full-blown demolition derby, with tempers flaring and bumpers flying across the tight confines of the .875-mile oval. Amidst 11 cautions and a handful of on-track clashes, Carson Hocevar, who’s been nicknamed the ‘Hurricane Hocevar’ now due to his destructive antics, once again put himself in the crosshairs of multiple drivers due to his aggressive racing style. By mid-race, the tight oval had grown into a pressure cooker full of impatience and irritation as drivers shoved, bumped, and fought to clear space.

Then came the tipping point. Shane van Gisbergen, known for his composure, was squeezed into Joey Logano in a reckless three-wide maneuver from the No. 77. SVG’s reaction over team radio was brutally honest: “Hey, go apologize to the 22. That wanker in the 77 just shoved it three‑wide.” Coming from a quiet veteran seldom involved in driver feuds, that outburst underscored how Hocevar’s style had begun to wear out even the most even-keeled competitors.

What unfolded at Iowa was more than just another Cup Series race; it was a pressure cooker exploding in real time. Denny Hamlin’s unfiltered opinion summed up the growing unrest around NASCAR’s decisions, while on-track tempers flared just as hot. With Carson Hocevar butting heads with Zane Smith and even drawing a sharp “wanker” label from the usually composed Shane van Gisbergen, the scene made it clear: the racing drama is forever unpredictable.