KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Texas-sized dustup between Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece in Fort Worth has been resolved one week later at Kansas Speedway.
Hocevar, Spire Motorsports’ speedy sophomore, reached out to Preece via text midweek after an incident May 4 at Texas Motor Speedway ultimately resulted in Hocevar putting both himself and Preece into the outside wall, creating a crash exiting Turn 2.
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After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Preece told FOX Sports: “He (Hocevar) just seems to be proving me right over and over again. … Just got ran into the fence by somebody that has no respect for his equipment, anybody else’s equipment and any other driver out there. He’ll have his day.”
Hocevar extended his apologies to Preece and the No. 60 in post-race interviews but made sure to touch base with Preece in the aftermath as well ahead of Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“I reached out and texted him, and we reached out and we talked a little bit just this afternoon in person,” Hocevar told NASCAR.com Saturday at Kansas. “I thought it would be healthy to do it in person, not a phone call or text, and shook each other’s hand and have a really good understanding of where each other’s at.
“I thought it was very productive,” he said during a press availability. “I thought he heard my point of view, and I heard his and I think we have a really good understanding to go forward.”
Hocevar explained he had just completed a pass on Chris Buescher on entry to Turn 1 and was unwinding the wheel on corner exit when his car began pushing toward the outside wall. Simultaneously, Preece had pounced to Hocevar’s outside. As the handling of Hocevar’s car grew tight, Preece was squeezed into the outside SAFER barrier and spun to the inside retaining wall, where he was then struck by a spinning Cody Ware who was collected in the aftermath.
“I think he was very understanding of it,” Hocevar said. “Obviously we both wrecked, and it wasn’t good for either of us. And we’re both around the same points situation and he’s having a good year. I feel like we’re faster than expected. I think we just both have the understanding that we don’t want to ruin the momentum each other has moving forward.”
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Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet, has been making starts across NASCAR’s national series since 2019, but Preece has been doing so since 2013, the same year he won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship. As a veteran, he sees the speed Hocevar has — and simply wants him to harness it.
“What he did is he explained what happened, what he was hearing, and why he made the decisions he made,” Preece said Saturday. “Then I tried to give him a different perspective of what I would have done if I was in his situation. You know, it’s up to him to choose whether he’s going to put himself and myself or another racer in those type of positions. And I think with the intentions and him coming over, hopefully, that’s the case. And I hope moving forward, you don’t hear him in controversy.”
Preece shared his perspective later Saturday with hopes that Hocevar would use better judgment moving forward.
“It’s going to be up to him to hopefully do the things that he said when we talked to each other and prove to everybody around that he’s just going to make better decisions. I hope he does. He’s a good racer. I told him that when we were in the trailer. So I think moving forward, it’s going to be up to him to make good decisions.”
Hocevar has had a fair share of detractors, earning criticism for his on-track aggression — evidenced at Atlanta where veterans Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney spoke with him post-race — mixed with his impressive speed — evidenced at Texas by earning his first career Busch Light Pole Award. The 22-year-old is careful what comments he lets impact his perspective as he adapts to racing at NASCAR’s top level.
“I mean, there’s certain things that are said in the heat of the moment, and then when you go talk to them, it’s a different conversation, right?” Hocevar said. “And I think that’s, a lot of times, what happens. You get the radio transmission or you see the talks after the race, or interviews and everything, and then when I have that conversation, it’s just different. It’s heat of the moment. I mean, there’s so many times where I feel like drivers will say something on the radio and they don’t even remember they said it, right? I mean, you saw it with teammates before, right? So there’s so many different things, and it’s just balancing that and knowing, for me, the intent of it.”
Hocevar’s decision to reach out to Preece was a welcomed one, but Hocevar’s future actions are what Preece will be watching.
“It’s a step, but I think moving forward, you prove it on the race track,” Preece said. “I think that’s your next opportunity. Words are words — and I think he really does mean what he’s saying. And moving forward, I hope we’re not talking about incidents. We’re talking about good runs or whatnot.”
