Carson Hocevar has irked NASCAR again. This time around, he got slapped with a $50,000 fine for putting the safety workers at risk. Hocevar had spun down the backstretch and was sitting stranded on flat tires. As the safety workers came to aid the 22-year-old, he revved the engine, spinning his wheels in an effort to get out. And NASCAR wasn’t going to let this slide. However, this wasn’t the only price that drivers had to pay at the Hollywood Casino 400.

SVG’s No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet underwent an unapproved adjustment to the front splitter after passing inspection. Similarly, Michael McDowell faced the same issue. Both of them got their respective crew chiefs ejected for the weekend, leading them to lose the pit stall selection and a stop-and-go penalty while starting at the rear of the field.

Speaking on the Hauler Talk podcast, Amanda Ellis, the Sr. Director, Racing Communications at NASCAR, has put her foot down on the increasing penalties. She said, “I think it’s also an element of: we’ve warned them, we will continue to elevate that penalty. In some ways, for some teams, it does appear worth the risk to try and not get caught. Ultimately, though, the more this continues, the more that penalty will 1000% be elevated, probably to a level they won’t enjoy when it happens.” 

Ellis made herself very clear: mess with NASCAR and pay the hefty price. Moreover, Cody Ware’s No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford failed inspection twice before finally clearing it on the third attempt. Despite passing the final check, Ware’s car chief, Dave Jones, was ejected, and the team forfeited its pit stall selection, which was another setback heading into the race. This just shows how NASCAR is very particular about foul play.

However, NASCAR has been more than lenient in its approach so far. Mike Forde, NASCAR’s managing director of racing communications, has observed it closely. He noted, “By the way, I should mention—sorry, at another point, I’m reading into Elton’s words—I haven’t talked to him about this, but I thought it was interesting in the SiriusXM interview how he mentioned that the 24 at Daytona and then again the 88 and 71 this weekend were able to rebound from their penalties. In all three instances, they’re keeping track of that, which means… I’m reading between the lines here. I could see Amanda’s point earlier—ramping up penalties. You have to ask yourself, is this enough to deter teams when they’re able to get back?” 

NASCAR has had enough, yet the teams still try to test it. Remember the Daytona race in August? Following a pre-race inspection, William Byron’s crew chief was ejected from the event, and the driver lost his pit-stall selection, was forced to start at the rear of the field, and served a stop-and-go penalty on pit road after taking the green flag.

His No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was found to have undergone an unapproved adjustment to its splitter, which led the car to fail the Underbody Scanning Station (USS) on its second inspection attempt. Despite all the penalties, Byron went on to win the Daytona race.

During the race, he managed to avoid a massive multi-car wreck involving 11 drivers. Byron was running seventh at the time of the crash, and he capitalized on that chaos to take the lead and secure his second consecutive date on a 500 win. Fast forward to Kansas, and history repeated itself.

SVG took home 10th place at Kansas, marking his first career top 10 on a NASCAR Cup oval. Meanwhile, Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell crossed the line in 14th after starting from the rear, gaining considerable points.

This definitely urges NASCAR to get stricter on the penalty front. However, despite SVG’s Kansas-laden penalty and his surge to a commendable P10, his best-ever performance on an oval makes the three-time Supercars champion the man to watch as the Cup garage heads to the Round of 12 elimination race at Charlotte Roval.

SVG pegged as favorite for Charlotte Roval amid Kansas’ penalty

The NASCAR Cup Series hits Charlotte this weekend for the Bank of America Roval 400, where hairpin turns, tight shakes, and chaos around every corner promise one of the wildest races of the season.

While Chase Elliott celebrated a Kansas victory last week to punch his ticket into the next playoff round, all the chatter is about Shane van Gisbergen, the non-playoff driver who’s been on a tear on scorching road courses.

FanDuel Sportsbook has him at +100, making him a favorite to snag Sunday’s win after stacking multiple road course triumphs this season. SVG’s uncanny knack for finding the fast line gives him a golden edge, even if his playoffs are in his rearview mirror. Momentum matters, and SVG has it in spades.

His form on non-novel tracks makes him a threat to anyone daring enough to challenge him at Charlotte. For those placing bets, numbers are clear: a $10 wager on SVG at -105 would net $19.52 if he crosses the finish line 1st, but watching him charge through the Roval might be worth far more than the odds.