Spire Motorsports Chooses to Suspend Hocevar for Homestead Race

Carson Hocevar has played fast and loose with what is acceptable on the racetrack throughout his NASCAR National Series career. Last Sunday, the driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet pushed the envelope too far, as he brake-checked Austin Cindric multiple times, including on the straightaways, at Martinsville Speedway.

As a result of the on-track antics last weekend, Spire Motorsports has chosen to suspend Hocevar for this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Justin Haley will pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet in place of Hocevar this weekend.

Jeff Dickerson, the co-owner of Spire Motorsports, explained in a statement shared with the organization's decision, that the team didn't feel it was right to wait for NASCAR to make a decision in regard to Hocevar's status for Sunday's race. The team chose to be proactive, as it takes its respect in the sport seriously.

"A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect across an organization like ours," Dickerson said. "The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR's hands and let them decide what any penalty should be. To us, however, this isn't about money or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision for Spire Motorsports."

As Dickerson continued in his statement, he reaffirmed the team's commitment to Hocevar, but didn't shy away from the disappointment in Hocevar's actions at Martinsville Speedway.

"Everyone here loves working with Carson, and we've enjoyed watching him thrive alongside our team," Dickerson explained. "Sometimes the right decision for someone you care about hurts in the short term. The way Carson conducted himself at Martinsville doesn't meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees, and there are consequences for that. That doesn't mean we don't love him and support him."

Dickerson concluded, "Racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism from everyone who represents Spire Motorsports. We'll go to Homestead united and compete as an organization. After that, we can get ready for Daytona in February with the right mindset to contend for a championship."

Following the announcement that Spire Motorsports had issued an internal suspension for it's driver, Hocevar issued a statement of his own, where he expressed his embarrassment over the ordeal.

"This is an embarrassing day for me," Hocevar said. "I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car. I also let down my team, sponsors, and fans. I crossed the line with my on-track actions and gave Jeff and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend at Homestead. I'll be rooting for the entire organization this weekend and look forward to coming back in 2027 as a better driver, competitor and teammate."

While his on-track actions have been polarizing among his competitors, Hocevar has become one of the true fan favorites this season, a year that amounted to a breakout season for the 23-year-old racer. Hocevar scored his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring, and followed that up with a strong overall season that landed him inside NASCAR's Chase for the championship.

Hocevar's 2026 season will end one race short, but the driver will still set his all-time bests in wins (1), top-five finishes (six), top-10s (12), poles (2), laps led (198), average start (13.3), average finish (15.9) and his final points ranking (previous best was 21st).

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