NASCAR trip to Mexico City may be historic, but it wasn’t without its fallout. After Carson Hocevar’s controversial comment during a live stream sparked widespread backlash, Spire Motorsports dropped the hammer with a hefty fine and mandatory training. That should’ve been the end of it for the weekend. But that wasn’t the case.

Just an hour after the penalty news broke, one NASCAR insider dropped a bombshell that had fans buzzing. He hinted that the No. 77 driver may not be alone, suggesting another Cup Series driver is squarely in the spotlight.

Freddie Kraft lights a fire that has fans in a buzz

Freddie Kraft, a respected NASCAR insider, responded to Carson’s penalty on X: “This might not be the stiffest penalty to come outta this weekend.” His post prompted immediate speculation among fans on Reddit, who are now combing the race for another headline-provoking moment.

Driving the No. 35 for Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, Riley Herbst had a wild moment late in Sunday’s race. Battling William Byron into the stadium section on lap 73, Herbst spun out and stalled right in the middle of the racing line. With the race still under green and traffic barreling toward him, Herbst floored it, executing a blind 360-degree spin that nearly ended in disaster. Ricky Steinhouse Junior was inches away from T-boning the rookie at full speed but managed to hit the brakes just in time.

Both drivers continued, but fans were left stunned. Many questioned why NASCAR did not throw a caution or penalize Riley for what looked like a reckless re-entry onto a hot track. The Las Vegas native is 15 races into his Cup Series rookie campaign with 23XI Racing. While results haven’t exactly turned heads, with his averaging a 25th-place finish, Herbst still insists the growth is coming.

Before the Mexican race, Herbst was very excited to be part of a historic moment. Commenting on his training and the hard work that has gone behind it, he said, “We’ve been on the Mexico City track in the simulator so much. It is one of my favorite road courses, by far. We’re just trying to be better than we were last week. It’s about improving and making that solid ladder process. I know I sound repetitive, but it is so true. You have got to go through all the steps. Top 15s are phenomenal and that’s kind of ‘school,’ for sure. We are also starting heading back to tracks that we’ve already been at during the first part of the year.” 

However, this did not age well for the 26-year-old. When asked about how his rookie season is panning out so far, he goes on to say, “It’s been challenging. It’s been fun. It’s been eye-opening. It’s been all of those things,” Herbst said of his rookie campaign. “I think we’re getting our feet on the ground. We’re starting to find speed. And now it is just about putting the race together and being there at the end. We’ve taken ourselves out a few times, so that is frustrating, but it’s just about putting everything together and just trying to be there for how long these races are and not take yourself out of contention. It’s part of the learning phase, and we are going through it right now.”

But with Freddie’s cryptic X post still looming, the fans have already made up their minds before NASCAR could even assess the situation. Let’s see what they had to say.

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Reddit turns into a roast pit for Riley Herbst

In true NASCAR fashion, fans didn’t hold back, but they also didn’t lose their sense of humor. When Freddie Kraft teased that Carson’s penalty might not be the last of the weekend, NASCAR Reddit lit up like a dashboard on fire. Theories? Flying. Fingers? Pointed. Suspicion, pretty much unanimous.

“Probably for that stupid-a– Herbst rejoin,” one fan declared with zero hesitation, setting the tone for what quickly became a Riley Herbst roast session of Olympic proportions. It did not take long for the thread to spiral into a guessing game with fans tossing out names, but one kept resurfacing like a hood lap on a Superspeedway: Riley Herbst.

Another comment read, ” Uh oh, is Herbst about to be suspended?” hitting the bull’s-eye. 10 points for guessing the situation right. While another said, “Herbst dumba– move and Tab Boyd’s dumba– comments are the only things that even happened this weekend that could even be thought of as worthy of something, but idk.”  While another fan reconfirmed it, saying, ” My money is on Riley. Tab’s comments don’t seem to be over the line for a suspension.”

Some try to inject logic into the madness, offering a more practical concern about what a penalty might mean long-term. One fan wrote, “If they penalize Herbst, prepare for everyone that spins in a tight area to just wait for a yellow.” Sure, fair point, but it didn’t stop others from dunking on Herbst’s risky rejoin like it was a pick-six in overtime. As one fan tried to be as nice as possible, failing a little at that, they said, “It’s not about going backwards. It’s about driving into oncoming traffic. Anyone who has ever touched iRacing knows better. He’s just a total idiot.” 

Whether this results in a formal penalty or just a long week of awkward meetings at 23XI Racing, the jury of public opinion has spoken. And they are keeping one eye on him as the Cup Series heads to Pocono.