NASCAR officials announced Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 20) that NASCAR Cup Series driver Zane Smith has been fined $50,000 after his post-race contact with Carson Hocevar at Phoenix Raceway this past Sunday.
Smith drove his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford into the back of Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet on the cool-down lap while coming to pit road.
Hocevar made contact with Smith with about 15 laps to go in Sunday’s race at Phoenix as a result of Ross Chastain getting into the back of Hocevar, moving him up the track into Smith and Josh Berry.
Smith has been critical of Hocevar in the past, as the two have had multiple previous run-ins including last year at Iowa Speedway and this season at Chicagoland Speedway.
This contact violated Section 10.5.2.5a in the NASCAR Rule Book which states that “any violations compromising event or participation safety will be addressed on a case-by-case basis with the highest level of seriousness.”
Hocevar currently sits 11th in The Chase standings while Smith is 26th in the driver standings with three races remaining in the 2026 season.
Michael Bellifemini joined Frontstretch in February 2026 as a contributor. Bellifemini was born and raised in New Jersey and graduated from Seton Hall University. He called Seton Hall men's and women's basketball games for their college radio station, 89.5 FM WSOU, and continues to broadcast in the area. Outside of covering NASCAR, Bellifemini is also an avid baseball, football, basketball, and hockey fan and enjoys watching different sports leagues on a daily basis.
A name and email address are required to post a comment. The email address is not publicly visible or shared. Please keep in mind that comments are moderated according to our comment policy.
Comments are listed in order from oldest to newest. Leave a comment