Spire Motorsport star Carson Hocevar triggered a multiple-car wreck just before the halfway point at the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday. 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was one of the many who were involved in the incident. As Wallace spoke with Hocevar after the race, he delivered a blunt message to the youngster.
Carson Hocevar had been at the receiving end of sharp criticism from drivers and NASCAR insiders for his overly aggressive driving style. While this style has helped Hocevar gain position and make incredible overtakes, when a move doesn’t go as planned, he has also caused wrecks.
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On Lap 83, during the restart, Hocevar was running in the Top 10 inside on the bottom lane. The 23-year-old made contact with John Hunter Nemechek at the restart going into Turn 1. Hocevar hit the rear right of Nemechek’s Toyota, spinning the No.42 Legacy Motor Club driver and triggering a multiple-car wreck.
Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Ty Gibbs were among the drivers involved in the wreck. Wallace’s No.23 Toyota was lightly damaged and was able to continue. Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon weren’t lucky enough and had to retire.
Bubba Wallace was seen speaking with Carson Hocevar after the race as the two sat over the pit wall. Wallace was then asked about his conversation with the 23-year-old NASCAR driver, to which he replied,
“I said ‘I’m jealous of how fast you are, kid.’ No doubt, he’s one of the fastest in the field, and that’s just natural ability. And so when you see that and you recognize that, I’ve got to give respect to it.
“He’s fast, he’s going for every move every second, and it’s not worth it. He’s creating a lot of enemies. This is the same old story, same old Hocevar. But I just told him ‘You’re fast, a lot of us are jealous of what you have and what you’re able to do, but we’re beating you because we can put a race together better than you.’ That’s all,” Bubba Wallace ADDED.
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Later in the race, Wallace was nearly taken out by Carson Hocevar, as he made a divebomb move into Turn 3 that didn’t stick.
Carson Hocevar Reflects On Missing Out On The Win At Michigan
May 2, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar (77) is interviewed after winning the pole position in the qualifying session for the 2026 Wurth 400 Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
After Denny Hamlin was dropped to the rear of the grid, Carson Hocevar started on the front row and led a handful of laps in the first stage. The Spire Motorsport No.77 Chevrolet had the pace to win but came up short. As Hocevar finished P5, he spoke with Jeff Gluck and said,
“Just because of how good our car was. I would have, I mean it’s just probably going to eat me up watching the No.11 come into my rearview, drive by me, and drive away, and then have a car in between us. I really would have liked to at least see if I could stay with him in the draft and everything, but um, yeah his stuff was so fast.
“The only way I would have been able to obviously beat him, was if I could have cleared the 7, put a car in between us, and you know Daniel’s obviously really hard to pass, and hope he was able to hold Denny up and I was able to squirt away,” Hocevar ADDED.
Denny Hamlin won the race by over a 10-second gap to Erik Jones in P2, and Bubba Wallace completed the podium. Kyle Larson and Carson Hocevar battled to the chequered flag for P4, with the Hendrick Motorsports driver winning that battle.
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