At Nashville, a public feud erupted between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar, with Hocevar spinning Stenhouse into the wall, resulting in Stenhouse’s first DNF of the season. Despite Stenhouse’s vow of retaliation, both drivers managed to smooth things over with public and private discussions throughout the week.
However, tensions flared up again two weeks later at the Mexico City race, where Hocevar was involved in multiple incidents and caused the final caution of the day by losing control and stalling his car. During the race, Hocevar rear-ended Stenhouse, causing him to spin out and drop to 27th place by the end.
Following the race, Stenhouse confronted Hocevar, expressing his anger and frustration at the incident. In the heated exchange, Stenhouse threatened physical violence, while Hocevar tried to explain his side of the story.
This altercation was not Stenhouse’s first, as he was famously involved in a brawl with Kyle Busch during the 2024 All-Star Race, resulting in a $75,000 fine from NASCAR.
