Three spots. That was all the Martinsville points table took from Austin Cindric, but it was enough to follow Roger Penske’s driver all the way to Homestead-Miami Speedway. A week after a Stage 2 sequence ended his day early, the No. 2 Ford was still carrying the fallout into a season finale where he had hoped to be thinking only about the race.

“I guess that’s up to him,” Austin Cindric told the media when asked whether Carson Hocevar owed him an apology as per the video put out by Steven Taranato on X. 

During Stage 2 of the Xfinity 500 on November 1, Hocevar hit the brakes in front of Cindric multiple times. Eventually, Cindric ran into the rear of the No. 77 Chevrolet. The contact destroyed the front end of the No. 2 Ford and ended his afternoon early. He finished 36th and fell to 11th in the standings heading into the finale.

It was not the first time the two crossed paths. At the 2024 All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro, Cindric was turned into the outside wall during a three-wide squeeze involving Carson Hocevar and Noah Gragson. That was a racing incident rather than a brake-check, but it added another line to their shared history.

The timing made it worse for Roger Penske‘s organization. Cindric had wanted to close the year on a high, and the damage left him little room to recover the lost points.

Spire Motorsports announced on November 3 that Hocevar was suspended for the finale, with Justin Haley taking over the No. 77. Co-owner Jeff Dickerson explained the call in the team’s statement.

“The way Carson conducted himself at Martinsville doesn’t meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees, and there are consequences for that,” Dickerson said.

NASCAR added its own penalty: a $100,000 fine and 25 driver points. The sanctioning body said its review found that drivers had used the front structure of their cars to ruin competitors’ races. Hocevar now sits out the finale and carries the fine, a double penalty.

He was not the only one punished. Josh Berry was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points for brake-checking Ryan Blaney, which damaged the No. 12 Ford. For Penske, the afternoon meant two of its drivers had races affected by brake-checks.

Cindric, who had called for intervention over his team radio, was careful not to dictate the outcome.

“Sure, I’m definitely in a position I’ve never been in. But yeah, as far as NASCAR’s decision, that’s kind of up to them on a case-by-case basis,” he explained.

His real concern was the points. He admitted that dropping three positions at this stage was hard to accept, especially after a strong run for the team, and said he wanted to keep Martinsville from becoming a distraction.

“I mean, obviously, super frustrating event for us to drop three spots in points at critical point in the year. So I think that’s really the highlight for me is being able to go out to this weekend and maximize what’s been a really strong couple of months for us,” Cindric said.

There were encouraging signs that Cindric could deliver the kind of finish he was looking for. Despite the frustration carried over from Martinsville, the No. 2 Ford showed promising speed throughout the Homestead weekend. Cindric qualified fifth for the season finale after recording the second-fastest lap in Friday’s practice session.

He also topped the field in the five-lap average, offering another indication that Team Penske had found a competitive setup for the 400-mile race. With a strong starting position and encouraging long-run pace, Cindric had an opportunity to turn his attention back to racing rather than the controversy.

Brake-checking disputes are not new to NASCAR. At Martinsville in 2018, Denny Hamlin accused Kevin Harvick of brake-checking him after the pair traded contact late in the race. Harvick denied it, saying he was trying to control his car after being hit.

Carson Hocevar accepts responsibility but leaves Austin Cindric conversation open

Hocevar addressed the controversy Friday at Homestead and offered no defense.

“I think it’s important for everybody involved that it’s defendable when it’s racing, and that wasn’t really racing. There’s just not really like a defense for it,” he admitted.

He also explained why Spire acted. “I forced their decision. It’s not anybody else that’s doing this to me. I did this.”

Asked about Cindric, Hocevar said he would talk to him if they crossed paths naturally. He added that his more immediate apology was owed to his team, whom he sees and works with every day.

Cindric’s account suggests the two have not spoken. Asked whether Hocevar had reached out, he replied, “Somewhat nonexistent. We weren’t even on the same lap.”

So the ball sits where Cindric left it. Whether Hocevar picks it up is, in Cindric’s own words, up to him.