Carson Hocevar Breaks Silence on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Threat over Nashville Clash

Carson Hocevar finally responded to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s confrontation threat after Nashville wreck.

Carson Hocevar Breaks Silence on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Threat over Nashville Clash

Carson Hocevar (image via AP), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (image via Imagn Images)

Carson Hocevar clinched a second-place finish in Nashville last weekend. Thought, this result was not without controversies. The Spire Motorsports driver collided with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. during the race. Stenhouse did not mince his words and gave a stern warning to Hocevar following the weekend. Now, the No. 77 driver has responded to his rival’s comments.

During the Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, Carson Hocevar and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were battling wheel-to-wheel. On Lap 106, the 22-year-old hit the back of Stenhouse Jr.’s car, slamming him into the wall. The Hyak Motorsports driver had to retire from the race.

After the weekend, Stenhouse claimed that Hocevar had not even reached out to him to discuss the incident. So much so, that the 37-year-old warned that he would confront the No. 77 if he did not receive a call soon.

Hocevar refuted claims made by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The 22-year-old revealed that the two have had a chat on text over the incident. Carson Hocevar pointed out that it will not be hard to bump into Stenhouse during the 38-race-long NASCAR calendar.

Though, he admitted that it would be better to clear things out before the next round of the season. The Spire Motorsports driver accepted that Stenhouse wanted to have a conversation, and indicated that he would sit down for a chat with him in the coming days.

We texted a little bit back and forth and I think we’ll still talk. You see each other 38 weekends a year. Eventually, you’re going to run into each other. Not literally, hopefully, but run into each other in person. I think it’s better if you’re going to have that talk or conversation, to do it before you get to the track and everyone gets into race mode.

Carson Hocevar told SiriusXM.

Carson Hocevar opens up on wreck with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The 22-year-old had not revealed his train of thought over his clash with Stenhouse Jr. following the Nashville race. However, Carson Hocevar has finally admitted the real reason behind the collision that sparked controversy in the field.

Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar (Via IMAGO)

Hocevar made it clear that he had no intention to wreck Stenhouse’s car during the race. The No. 77 driver claimed that he hoped to have more space when he tried to make the move. Carson Hocevar assumed that Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would be going down the middle lane.

However, to his surprise, the 37-year-old came right on the inside. Ultimately, Hocevar had nowhere to go and pushed his rival into the fence. Though, he insisted that he didn’t want to wreck anyone’s car.

I know my intentions and what I thought was gonna happen. Ultimately, you don’t want to wreck anybody’s race car. You don’t want to wreck anybody… I went in and I thought I could get there and get a little more space. For his arc, I thought he was gonna go run the middle with the 54 [Ty Gibbs] running the bottom and thought I could get in a little deeper…

Carson Hocevar added.

While Hocevar managed to control the situation for himself and bring home a decent result for his team, his performance was not appreciated by the field. The 22-year-old has gained a reputation of being too aggressive on-track, something that has polarized opinions over his style.

Nevertheless, Carson Hocevar will be looking to move past the incident following a conversation with Stenhouse, before shifting his focus back to the next race.

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