Stenhouse-Hocevar feud could erupt at Pocono

LONG POND, Pa. -- Carson Hocevar walked astir Pocono Raceway without a scratch connected his face. His polo garment looked much tailored than tattered and the Spire Motorsports operator was acceptable to contention alternatively than rumble.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hadn't socked Hocevar with a close hook rather yet - blistery connected the heels of Stenhouse's menace to bushed up his racing rival aft past weekend's contention successful Mexico City - leaving the adjacent changeable astatine immoderate imaginable retaliation wrong oregon extracurricular the cars acceptable for Sunday's NASCAR race.

Hocevar should locomotion with his caput connected a swivel due to the fact that Stenhouse tin propulsion a close hook.

Just inquire Kyle Busch, who suffered a crushing TKO nonaccomplishment erstwhile helium clashed with Stenhouse aft past year's All-Star race.

Get ready! The Pounding astatine Pocono could beryllium conscionable different circular successful the ongoing feud betwixt Stenhouse and Hocevar.

"He astir apt volition beryllium looking implicit his enarthrosis for a agelong time," Stenhouse said Saturday astatine Pocono. "We'll spot however that goes."

Hocevar has to look implicit his enarthrosis - and for that charging Chevrolet successful his rearview mirror.

"The scorecard has it that I I'm getting thing from the 47 astatine immoderate point, right? And I deliberation my squad and everybody benignant of knows that," Hocevar said.

Their beef has small accidental of getting squashed immoderate clip soon, a quality that started 3 races agone erstwhile Hocevar wrecked Stenhouse aboriginal astatine Nashville. Hocevar sent Stenhouse spinning past week successful Mexico City, which ignited the postrace melee connected pit road.

Stenhouse seemed to drawback astatine Hocevar arsenic helium spoke to him, past slapped astatine his helmet arsenic Stenhouse walked away.

Hocevar's in-car camera captured audio of the confrontation.

"I'm going to bushed your (behind)," Stenhouse threatened. "You're a thigh down, you've got thing to do. Why you tally close into me? It's the 2nd time. I'm going to bushed your (behind) erstwhile we get backmost to the States."

Hocevar avoided a smackdown from Stenhouse but his Spire squad deed him wherever it hurts - a $50,000 good connected Tuesday for derogatory comments helium made astir Mexico City connected a livestream arsenic NASCAR raced determination past weekend.

At conscionable 23 and successful his 2nd afloat Cup season, Hocevar has whipped himself into a flurry of unwanted attention, continuing a inclination that started past twelvemonth erstwhile adjacent seasoned Denny Hamlin chimed successful and said NASCAR had " to bash thing to Carson."

Stenhouse mightiness bash it connected behalf of the sanctioning assemblage with his fist oregon adjacent his No. 47 Chevrolet.

Hocevar conceded, yes, payback whitethorn beryllium imminent and the clip to speech retired their lingering issues is over.

Yet, Hocevar pleaded: "It's not an unfastened hunting play connected the 77 due to the fact that of these incidents."

Hocevar stamped his ain people connected his back. With his assertive racing. With his ignorant words.

"Just due to the fact that I bash thing successful the vigor of the infinitesimal oregon maybe, you know, you bash it 2 oregon 3 times, doesn't mean I'm not hard connected myself for those mistakes due to the fact that they are mistakes," helium said. "It's conscionable trying not to marque that a pattern. But erstwhile you're perpetually making assertive moves similar we're doing, it's balancing that good enactment of, you know, you marque a 1000 moves a day. Just unfortunately, what radical retrieve isn't ever the bully ones. You ever retrieve the antagonistic ones."

Case successful point, Hocevar walked backmost his derisive comments astir Mexico aft helium really experienced the civilization of the state pursuing NASCAR's foray into a caller Cup Series market.

"I didn't springiness it a shot. I didn't springiness it a chance," Hocevar said. "I didn't spell locomotion around. I didn't spell spot it. When I did, you know, past hindsight's 20/20, past I person my ain opinion. But I've already enactment it retired there."

Spire besides ordered Hocevar to be cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training.

He tin beryllium thankful helium gets a changeable astatine different race. Stenhouse's spotter, Tab Boyd, was fired this week by HYAK Motorsports successful the aftermath of an unflattering societal media station astir his acquisition successful Mexico.

"That's supra my paygrade," Stenhouse said.

The biggest KO truthful acold came successful the standings, wherever Stenhouse has been flattened successful conscionable 3 weeks from 13th successful points successful the heavy of playoff contention earlier Nashville to 21st entering Pocono. Hocevar is 1 constituent up of Stenhouse successful the standings.

"That's the happening that hurts worse for our squad is conscionable wherever it's enactment us," Stenhouse said.

Stenhouse's trash speech much worthy of UFC hype could enactment him successful blistery h2o should helium really present connected his vowed retribution and instrumentality retired Hocevar.

If it comes to a constituent wherever NASCAR dishes retired a monetary punishment, it's OK, the 2023 Daytona 500 champion could spend his fine. He conscionable sold his North Carolina property for $12.2 million, the highest-priced residential merchantability ever recorded successful the greater Charlotte metro area.

"It's been a large week. We've had a batch going on," Stenhouse said, laughing.

He'd alternatively speech existent property than astir the abstraction and clip wasted reasoning astir Hocevar.

"I'm conscionable honestly bushed of talking astir the kid," Stenhouse said.

Tired of the talk? Sure. Of the action? Not conscionable yet.

"Eventually it'll each travel unneurotic astatine immoderate point," Stenhouse said. "I'm not definite erstwhile oregon how. But it will."