NASCAR Rivalry Escalates After Chicagoland Collision: Smith and Hocevar Face Off

NASCAR officials summoned drivers Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar to a Cup Series hauler, joining a prior meeting with Shane Van Gisbergen and Austin Hill, to address their intensifying feud following a late‑race incident at Chicagoland Speedway.

Smith and Hocevar collided on Lap 32 during a stretch of fierce competition, leaving both cars heavily damaged. Since the clash, Smith has spoken openly about his animosity toward Hocevar on a national sports podcast.

His combative stance resurfaced Saturday after the hauler meeting, when Smith addressed reporters at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“The meeting doesn’t change how much I dislike him and how much he dislikes me,” Smith said.

When asked by FOX Sports if the meeting resolved the lingering tension, Smith replied, “yeah, sure,” a response that seemed anything but conciliatory.

Smith went on to declare that he dislikes Hocevar both on and off the track.

“Both,” Smith said.

He added that he does not expect the two to race each other peacefully again.

Smith also clashed with Hocevar’s ardent fans, labeling them and their driver a “two‑faced coward.” He claimed the fans’ social‑media reactions this week only reinforced his view.

“The comments and memes have been funny for sure,” Smith said. “But yeah, they’re all proving me right.”

Smith warned that his stance will persist until Hocevar alters his behavior.

“I am just a big believer in racing you how you race me, so until he changes how he races me, that’s just how it’s going to be,” he said.

He defended his actions at Chicagoland, saying the incident was a result of “hard racing” and rooted in their prior disagreements.

“It’s hard racing and that’s fine, but what created a lot of anger at Chicagoland was our past,” Smith explained. “He’s pointed me by a couple of times and then at Nashville, as soon as we were around each other, he runs into me and then points me by and talks crap to the media. I don’t know.”

Hocevar, who was the one wrecked, said he was perplexed by the summons to the hauler. He joked on Saturday that “we are going to have to go to couple’s therapy.”

Defending his supporters, Hocevar said, “I think it’s a good thing that they are passionate. I don’t see a lot of it but if they’re insulting someone other than something that goes on on the race track, I don’t condone that. We all look and sound, and are different, but that wouldn’t be cool.”

Hocevar admitted he does not fully grasp the origins of the rivalry, asking reporters to clarify its genesis.

Smith and Hocevar previously raced together at Spire, where Smith was on loan from Trackhouse, a circumstance Smith says fuels some of the tension.

“Take it out on me, I guess, I’m fine with it.” he remarked.

Nevertheless, Smith embraced the clash as part of the sport’s appeal.

“That’s what drives the sport – passion and clashing,” he said. “It’s good.”

NASCAR also met with Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill on Saturday, as they experienced their own incident at Chicagoland the previous weekend.

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