Imagine thinking a NASCAR feud is finally behind you, only for one post-race moment to drag it right back into the spotlight. Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith already had history before their clash at Chicagoland Speedway, where contact on Lap 32 sent both drivers into trouble. The incident cost them valuable track position and left plenty of questions about their rivalry. Yet, after the race, it seemed like the tension might finally cool off. For a while, there was reason to think the two had moved on. But, as Phoenix showed, that peace did not last.

“I don’t give a f***,” Zane Smith had little interest in hearing that Carson Hocevar might not have been responsible for their latest contact.

That much became clear over the team radio following Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. After the checkered flag, Smith drove his No. 38 Ford into the back of Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet, adding another ugly chapter to a rivalry that had already prompted NASCAR officials to intervene.

The incident had started a few laps earlier. Ross Chastain made contact with Hocevar and shoved the Spire Motorsports driver into Turn 3. Hocevar was sent up the banking, collecting Josh Berry and Smith in the resulting chain reaction. From Smith’s perspective, he had been caught up in another incident involving a driver he already had little patience for.

But the team radio provided an important detail. Smith’s crew was told that Chastain had been responsible for pushing Hocevar into the No. 38. Even after that information was relayed, Smith’s response suggested he was not interested in separating the latest contact from the history between the two drivers. As the field slowed after the finish, he stayed on the throttle, passed several cars, and eventually slammed into Hocevar’s rear bumper.

The clash was especially striking because their previous meeting with NASCAR officials had appeared to offer a chance to cool things down. Instead, Phoenix showed how little that conversation had done to settle their differences.

To understand why the Phoenix incident escalated so quickly, it is necessary to go back to the 2025 race at Iowa Speedway. That was where the tension between Hocevar and Smith first became a significant talking point.

During the race, Hocevar made contact with Smith, sending the latter into the wall and ruining his day. Hocevar subsequently apologized, but Smith took issue with what he saw as a disconnect between Hocevar’s behavior in person and his attitude on social media. The incident left Smith questioning whether the apology was genuine, and his frustration carried into the following weeks.

Their disagreement resurfaced in 2026, with Smith making it clear that he had not moved past Iowa. In July, the rivalry reached another flashpoint at Chicagoland Speedway. On Lap 32, Smith made contact with Hocevar while the two were racing, sending the No. 77 sideways and into the outside wall. Smith also suffered damage, turning the confrontation into a costly moment for both drivers.

The aftermath made clear that the incident was about more than one corner. Hocevar suggested Smith was carrying frustration from their earlier encounters, while Smith publicly questioned Hocevar’s character. During an appearance on the Racin’ With The Boys podcast, Smith called Hocevar a “coward,” arguing that he acted differently in person than he did online. He also said he disliked Hocevar as a person, not simply as a competitor.

NASCAR subsequently summoned both drivers to a meeting at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Neither received a penalty for the Chicagoland contact, but the officials wanted to address the growing tension. Smith acknowledged that the meeting clarified where both drivers stood, yet said it did not change their mutual dislike. Hocevar, meanwhile, treated the situation with considerably more humor, describing the feud as one-sided and joking about the meeting.

That history explains why Phoenix became more than an isolated post-race bump. Even when the immediate contact appeared to involve a third driver, Smith’s response showed that the unresolved resentment was still there. And with the two drivers now involved in another confrontation, their rivalry looks far from settled.