Spire Motorsports has suspended Carson Hocevar (pictured) for Sunday’s 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Justin Haley will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet in the season finale.
The team’s decision follows an on-track incident involving Hocevar and Austin Cindric during last Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. SMT data and in-car cameras showed the No. 77 driver repeatedly brake-checking Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford on the straightaways during Stage 2. The contact crushed the nose of Cindric’s car, forcing him to the garage with a 36th-place finish. Spotters repeatedly told Hocevar to stop, but the brake-checks continued. NBC analysts reviewing synchronized telemetry and video concluded the actions were intentional.
NASCAR also issued its own penalties on Tuesday. Hocevar was fined $100,000 and docked 25 driver points for behavioral conduct under Section 4.4a of the NASCAR Rule Book, covering actions detrimental to stock-car racing. The sanctioning body cited multiple violations of the code of conduct, specifically noting wrecking or spinning another vehicle. The fine is double the $50,000 penalty and 25-point deduction handed to Josh Berry the same day for a single brake-check on Ryan Blaney.
Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson issued a statement emphasizing that the suspension was about standards rather than points or money:
“A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect across an organization like ours. 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.
“Everyone here loves working with Carson, and we’ve enjoyed watching him thrive alongside our team. 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.
“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.”
Hocevar addressed the situation on his Instagram story, accepting responsibility:
“This is an embarrassing day for me. I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car. 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.”
He is expected to speak to the media at Homestead on Friday. His next scheduled race is the 2027 Daytona 500.
Hocevar has faced multiple code-of-conduct issues in recent seasons. These include a 2024 fine and points penalty for spinning Harrison Burton under caution at Nashville, a 2025 fine at Kansas after compromising the safety of track workers, and ongoing scrutiny related to on-track exchanges with Zane Smith. NASCAR has not issued penalties in every instance, including after a post-race fight with Blaney at Bristol in September.
The Homestead race, set for 3 p.m. ET on NBC, marks the end of the 2026 Cup Series season. Spire will field Haley in the No. 77 as the organization focuses on closing out the year before turning its attention to 2027.