Carson Hocevar hasn’t been everyone’s best friend on the track during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
That continued last weekend at Watkins Glen International as the second-year Spire Motorsports driver had separate run-ins with RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski and Spire teammate Michael McDowell.
During Saturday’s qualifying session at the New York road course, video emerged of Keselowski, the 2012 series titleholder, making a beeline down pit road toward the No. 77 car and appearing to speak to Hocevar before walking away with some No. 6 crew members.
On Wednesday, Hocevar says Keselowski impeded his lap during qualifying and still didn’t know why Keselowski ran at him.
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“I didn’t really understand why he was so upset because we were upset at him,” Hocevar said. “I think just emotions get high in qualifying. I felt like we started our lap, and he was kind of in the way, or just let us go in a really bad spot that I felt like it impeded our lap. As we’re doing our cool-down lap, I didn’t want to swerve out of his way or anything going down the backstretch, and I just stayed in line and had him go around me. I think everybody didn’t know the full story, potentially, right? You just get done with your lap, and you feel like somebody gets in your way. I was frustrated. Our group was frustrated, and then, obviously, he was frustrated with us.
“When you get back to your trailers, I would imagine that his guys kind of looked and realized that we just kind of impeded both of our laps, and we can clean it up going forward, or maybe his spotter can make sure that he gives us a little bit more room and we can do the same moving forward.”
Hocevar was able to start eighth on Sunday, while Keselowski went 16th on the grid for the race.
During the 90-lapper at The Glen, Hocevar was spun by McDowell entering Turn 1 on Lap 52. The longtime Cup veteran got to the right-rear quarter panel of Hocevar down the frontstretch, resulting in the No. 71 contacting the No. 77 and sending Hocevar around.
The pair of teammates met again on the final lap, battling for 18th. McDowell contacted Hocevar again and got to the inside of Hocevar, but it was Hocevar outdueling McDowell to the line to get the better of the No. 71 driver.
Hocevar said the two haven’t spoken yet but have plans to when they get to Richmond Raceway for Saturday’s race (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
“No, we hadn’t talked or whatever. He wanted to sit down at Richmond,” Hocevar said. “I’m gone racing, and he’s gone as well. Maybe it’s best-case scenario that we’re both gone. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me — either he made a mistake or misjudged and obviously turned me. Then we were just fighting for the last lap and last corner and felt like that was plenty of OK to do considering the contact right. I can play defense for one corner to try to get the spot.”
Hocevar also added that securing a better qualifying draw for Richmond was also on his mind, trying to fend off McDowell for the spot.
“I think Richmond being the next week with qualifying draw being so important, that one spot I think matters a lot for qualifying, especially for how tough that place is to pass, but also super easy to go a lap down at that place,” Hocevar said. “Qualifying means everything, and especially going out late, you’re going to have a massive advantage. So the later we could have got, the better. So I’m glad we at least got a decent position. Michael wanted to sit down and talk about it a little bit of just how we can move forward, and just help each other and next time to avoid that.”
While nothing of note took place between Hocevar and Zane Smith on Sunday, Hocevar shed light on giving a spot up to the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports driver before entering Turn 6 on the road course and why he told Smith on pit road after the race to “expect that in the next couple weeks.”
MORE: Smith on Hocevar after Iowa run-in: ‘He’s an idiot’
“He was on newer tires, so he was faster than me,” Hocevar said of letting Smith by. “Number one, I don’t really think it would have been smart for me to play defense, nor could I, so I might as well just let him go right? Like I killed two birds, one stone. It was really gonna be hard for me to play defense for a lap or two left in the race …
“I felt like that was his frustration level over the last few weeks of getting right-reared by Preece and then Bell and then me hitting the bump and wrecking him. I know that kind of boiled over onto us. If I could have just pointed him by where it’s not going to cost me anything, it’s an easy decision for me.”
