Carson Hocevar‘s trip to the heartland turned out to be a little more expensive than he was expecting.
On Wednesday (Oct. 1), NASCAR slapped Hocevar with a $50,000 fine for a member conduct penalty. The penalty stemmed from an incident on lap 260 of the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 28 in which Hocevar spun his tires while safety workers were near his vehicle in an attempt to rejoin the race.
But the penalty was initially confusing when it was announced. In fact, fans were confused when the penalty came out because it was unknown what exactly transpired.
Until Thursday morning, there was no video evidence of the penalty that so greatly affects Hocevar’s wallet. Even revered NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck was left confused after watching Hocevar’s in-car camera during the incident.
At first glance, it was difficult to tell exactly what Hocevar had done to earn the penalty. That was until Thursday morning, when NASCAR Communications posted a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) to clear things up.
The video, which was shot from turn 4, shows safety workers taking the necessary steps to hook up Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to a tow truck on the apron of the racetrack. In the early seconds of the footage, you can see the rear wheels on Hocevar’s car begin to spin, which prompted one safety worker near the left-rear of the car to slowly back away.
After a few seconds, Hocevar stopped hitting the gas and did not do so for the rest of the 36-second clip that was posted. The safety workers continued their work.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it’s easy to see why NASCAR fined the second-year driver as much as it did. With multiple safety personnel surrounding Hocevar’s vehicle and a multitude of safety vehicles at the scene, the injuries and damage caused had Hocevar successfully managed to move his car could’ve been astronomical. There’s also the factor of the field going by Hocevar on the banking, which creates a dangerous situation under caution flag conditions.
It’s not exactly surprising that Hocevar is the driver that is caught up in such a penalty. From intentionally causing cautions to spinning out fellow drivers under the yellow flag, the young driver has proven himself to be a firecracker (albeit a fast one) who sometimes sees his judgement lapse in poor situations.
The fine won’t cause Hocevar to completely change his personality, nor should it. But it should make him more mindful in situations where it’s clear he can no longer do anything to keep himself in a race, especially when safety workers are potentially in danger.
It’s a racer’s nature to always try as hard as humanly possible to get the best result. That includes trying to drive cars that are totaled and no longer driveable. But whatever the condition the No. 77 Chevy was in on Sunday afternoon, Hocevar should’ve had a much better understanding of his situation and his surroundings.
The penalty was harsh to Hocevar’s bank account, but justified. It certainly stirred up its fair share of controversy prior to the video of the incident being released, which wasn’t necessarily a surprise.
But the video paints a crystal-clear picture that should lead Hocevar to a crystal-clear conclusion: The next time you see safety workers near your car, take your foot off the pedal and accept that you won’t be able to continue racing.
A member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Samuel also covers NASCAR for Yardbarker, Field Level Media, and Heavy Sports. He will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2025.