Carson Hocevar has made it clear that he does not see his ongoing feud with Zane Smith as a real NASCAR rivalry. Speaking on the Smart Girl Dumb Questions podcast, the Spire Motorsports driver described the situation as one-sided and even “embarrassing” because of where both drivers stand in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The latest comments come after another incident between the two drivers at the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, where Smith appeared to make contact with Hocevar, sending both cars into the wall. NASCAR later called both drivers into a hauler meeting to discuss the situation, but no penalties were issued.
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Despite the attention surrounding the feud, Hocevar said he remains focused on racing and does not view Smith as a major concern.
Carson Hocevar Says Zane Smith Rivalry Is One-Sided
The latest chapter in the Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith rivalry began on Lap 32 of the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Smith appeared to intentionally wreck Hocevar, but the move also ended his own race when both cars hit the wall.
NASCAR officials later met with both drivers in the hauler to calm tensions. Hocevar stated that he never regarded the rivalry as being as significant as many believed.
“He seemed very frustrated or mad about something. He tried to wreck me last year. I spun him out and wrecked him by accident, and so he tried to wreck me and missed. He wrecked himself, then he went on a podcast and played tough guy. We had like a little NASCAR hauler meeting because they wanted to squash the rivalry. They told me that they didn’t even know what was going on. They just saw what he did and thought there was a lot more to the story.”
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The disagreement dates back to Iowa last season, when Hocevar said the contact occurred after his car got loose during a battle near the back of the field.
Carson Hocevar Laughs Off NASCAR Meeting
During the NASCAR hauler meeting, officials encouraged both drivers to race each other more carefully. Hocevar said he was not concerned about the situation.
“They’re talking about how we need to chill out, ‘You guys need to learn how to race each other.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t care.’ I don’t even know what this is about. ‘Wreck me again. You’re 0 for 2, try it again. I don’t care.’ My crew chief told them they’re not a factor to us. We don’t care what they do, so it’s very one-sided. I just thought it was funny. I was laughing. I got to talk to the NASCAR officials after, and we were all laughing.”
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NASCAR did not hand out any penalties after the Chicagoland incident. Instead, officials used the meeting to warn both drivers and encourage them to move beyond the conflict.
Carson Hocevar Questions Zane Smith Rivalry
Hocevar also said the rivalry does not motivate him because of the difference in their current NASCAR Cup Series performances.
“I mean, it’s not really motivating. It’s actually almost embarrassing when the guy who’s like 23rd in points is getting compared to you as your rival. I think he’s good and talented; his car’s just not super fast and whatever.”
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He also criticized Smith’s public comments.
“His comebacks are lame. There’s some guys that like I have gotten into run-ins with, and it’s funny to mess with them, or sometimes I’ll clap back, and I love it. I think it’s funny, and I enjoy it, but, like, he is just kind of lame, and I wasn’t entertained. I was more so left when I was seeing it online; everything he was saying and stuff, I was just like, ‘Does anybody even care about this or even think this is entertaining?'”
Smith has previously called Hocevar a coward and said the two cannot race each other cleanly. Hocevar, however, continues to dismiss the feud, saying his team remains focused on results as the NASCAR Cup Series heads toward the playoffs.
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