In triumphant Talladega return, Carson Hocevar opens up on Zane Smith rivalry: ‘I don’t really care’

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Carson Hocevar opened up about last week's post-race altercation with rival Zane Smith, saying that he had little interest in ironing out the differences with his rival moving forward. "No, it seems pretty one-sided to me a little bit," Hocevar said. "So I don't really care. I mean, yeah, I don't care." Hocevar's remarks came Saturday morning on the eve of Sunday's YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Talladega Superspeedway, where the 23-year-old driver scored an emotional first NASCAR Cup Series victory last April. That win and his unique celebration from the window of his car helped raise his profile, and his season-long performance has carried him into the Chase presented by Mobil 1 field. RELATED: Weekend schedule | At-track photos: Talladega Hocevar placed 12th last weekend at Phoenix, but his late-race drive was marked by contact between his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and Smith's No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford as they battled on the fringes of the top 10. Contact from Ross Chastain's No. 1 Trackhouse Chevy appeared to knock Hocevar's car into Smith's, and though his team attempted to relay that message, Smith was undeterred in exacting revenge after he took 15th at the checkered flag. Smith rammed into the back of Hocevar's No. 77 shortly after the race ended, using enough force to bow the hood of his No. 38 Ford. Competition officials, who had spoken to the two drivers in the NASCAR hauler in an attempt to calm the friction from a run-in this summer at Chicagoland, fined Smith $50,000 on Tuesday for his Phoenix actions. Front Row Motorsports representatives declined an interview request for Smith to offer his version of events this weekend. The team did not appeal the penalty and released no statement, except to post "lol 77 is gonna 77" from its social media accounts during last Sunday's race. This story will be updated.