NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar has earned praise recently from top drivers for how well he’s been racing in recent weeks. However, following his incident with Ricky Stenhosue Jr. at Nashville, Denny Hamlin is guaranteeing that revenge is coming.
On the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin guaranteed that Stenhouse Jr. will wreck Hocevar in an upcoming race. The driver of the No. 11 car also made it clear that Hocevar should know this is coming.”
“You can take this to the book. Ricky Stenhouse will absolutely wreck Carson Hocevar sometime in the near future. That’s just a fact. I would put this week’s salary on it, I’m not kidding you. He ain’t gonna punch him in the face, but he’ll absoltuely wreck him. Because Ricky’s that kind of guy…He’s gonna feed into what people say…He’ll make sure you know. If you’re Carson, just know that it’s coming.”
Denny Hamlin on if Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will get Carson Hocevar back for the Cracker Barrel 400
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- Carson Hocevar stats (NASCAR.com): 287 points, 3 top 10s, 2 top 5s, 1 pole, 4 DNFs, 38 laps led, 19.5 average starting position, 21.571 average finishing position
All of this stems from what happened on Sunday’s race at Nashville, though it also ties into Hocevear’s history as an aggressive driver with actions that have caused other drivers to wreck. In the Cracker Barrel 400 through Turns 3 and 4 on lap 106, Hocevar bumped the No. 47 car and sent him sliding right-rear-first into the barrier.
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- Ricky Stenhouse Jr stats (NASCAR.com): 285 points, 2 top 10s, 1 top 5, 1 DNF, 25.071 average starting position, 18.429 average finishing position
The move drew criticism from the Amazon Prime broadcast, with Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. warning that Hocevar would be on the wrong side of revenge if he didn’t make amends after the race. Minutes after earning a second-place finish, he defended his actions and Amazon’s post-race crew made it clear that erased any shot at the matter being put to rest.
“I kind of got a run and felt like I was kind of there,. I felt like I was there enough to get a call (from Stenhouse’s spotter) inside and have him just run the middle. Honestly, he probably could have cleared me, so that’s just what I expected him to do. And he didn’t. And by the time I checked up, I almost spun, too.”
Carson Hocevar on the incident with Ricky Stenhosue Jr (H/T NASCAR.com)
The wreck resulted in the first DNF of the season for Stenhouse Jr., dropping him five spots in the standings and putting him on the playoff bubble. In a season where HYAK Motorsports has been finishing well consistently, Sunday’s DNF could ultimately keep him out of the NASCAR playoffs.
That’s an additional incentive for Stenhouse Jr, whose history landed him the nickname of ‘Wrecky Spinhouse’ and who got into it a fight with Kyle Busch at the All-Star Race in 2024, to get revenge on Hocevar. As for when that will happen, Hamlin notes that you ‘want to do that when it hurts him’ and could be most impactful. That’s worth noting ahead of next Sunday’s Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, as Hocevar is a Michigan native and has mentioned his desire to earn his first Cup win at home.
Related: NASCAR standings, see where Denny Hamlin, Carson Hocevar sit in the points race
