By David Morgan, Associate Editor
HAMPTON, Ga. – Don’t expect Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith to be hanging out as friends anytime soon.
The pair drew the ire of NASCAR following their run-in at Chicagoland Speedway last weekend, prompting a visit to the NASCAR hauler on Saturday at EchoPark Speedway – the second pair of drivers to face the music on the day following Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill.
Hocevar and Smith have had their issues on track for a while, but like SVG and Hill, Chicagoland was the tipping point, with contact from Smith sending Hocevar for a spin on Lap 32 and Smith getting caught up in the incident as well.
Days afterwards, on an appearance on the “Racin’ with the Boys” podcast, Smith went in on Hocevar and his feelings about him.
“A lot of it is an act,” Smith said of Hocevar’s persona both on and off track.
“He’s full of s***. He tries to be your buddy and then will like go and screw you. And so, it’s like, don’t even talk to me in the first place, because one, I don’t like you, and we’re gonna eventually have a run-in together, so let’s just not talk in the first place.”
That all led up to Saturday’s meeting with NASCAR with both drivers holding different interpretations of things afterwards.
For Hocevar, he still remains puzzled about what kicked off this whole thing in the first place.
“It kind of caught me off guard, like a little bit because I had to go through it. I was like, ‘Did I?’ But I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ Yeah. I mean, at the same time, I’m not bothered by it. I don’t mind it,” said Hocevar.
“…I mean, clearly he remembers it, so I don’t know. It seems very one-sided.”
Hocevar continued to remain lighthearted about the whole thing, joking that he and Smith might have to go to couple’s counseling after this whole ordeal.
“We’ll have to go to couples counseling I’m sure at some point,” Hocevar said. “A lot of times you live with your partner and everything, you don’t see it. So, unfortunately.”
Hocevar added that talking about everything was helpful, but didn’t alter his thinking on everything that’s gone on with Smith.
“You’ve got to talk about it at some point, but I was good. I wasn’t going to retaliate. I was unbothered, so still unbothered. So, it’s just like, whatever moving on.
“Well, let me give him his flowers first. They’ve done a really good job with what program they have and they’ve been fast, but we’re at different points of the year in different leagues of our agenda. So yeah, I mean, it wasn’t really a factor on my mind and still isn’t.”
As for Smith, who was teammates with Hocevar at Spire Motorsports back in 2024, his views on Hocevar loud and clear in a media session following Cup qualifying on Saturday.
“I just don’t like him as a human,” Smith said bluntly before thinking on the origins of their issues. “I was never really racing him much in Trucks, but I don’t know. I don’t like him.”
Smith added that after the meeting with NASCAR, the two are agreeing to disagree with neither budging on their negative feelings for the other.
“I think we both understand where we’re at with everything, but yeah, certainly the meeting doesn’t change how much he dislikes me and how much I dislike him,” said Smith.
Smith explained that the breaking point for him at Chicago was a buildup of issues between the two that finally caused him to take action.
“It’s not necessarily just me, just like every time I’m around him. It’s hard racing and that’s fine, but it’s more so of what created a lot of anger at Chicagoland was our past run-ins together,” said Smith.
“He’s pointed me by a few times and then Nashville just as soon as we’re around each other just runs into me and then points me by and then talks crap to the media and just, I don’t know. That’s a goon in my opinion.”
He went on to say that things are over between the two of them, but when pressed further on whether they could race together without trouble popping back up in the future, Smith responded with a resounding “No.”
As for what the path forward will be for the two, Smith explained that seeing is believing. When he can see Hocevar racing him with more respect, only then will he consider changing his feelings toward him.
“I mean, I have no problem with anyone else and I’m not going to go create the trouble, but I just am a big believer on I’ll race you on how you race me. So, until he proves that to me, we’ll go from there,” said Smith.
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