Payback Time for Hocevar

June 19, 2025

Jun 19, 2025 | Edition #190

👋 Dear Motorheads,

What a week it’s been for Carson Hocevar. First came the heated run-in with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., then the backlash over his comments about Mexico, before he even got there. And now, it looks like his team has had enough. In this unexpected announcement, they've made it official: they’re not standing by him on this one.

Elsewhere, NASCAR fans have something new to look forward to. Yes, a possible brand-new road course that’s already got the community talking. And to balance all the drama, we’re also taking a moment to look back at a turning point in Dale Earnhardt’s career that helped shape his legendary legacy.

📅 Weekend Schedule

🗣️ Talk of the NASCAR Town

Spire Breaks Silence on Hocevar’s Behavior

Carson Hocevar has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. From stirring up controversy before the green flag even dropped at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to reigniting his feud with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., things are going from bad to worse for the sophomore with every passing week.

So, during a live stream, he called Mexico City a “sh-thole” and questioned its safety, and as you would have probably guessed, it took the internet by storm.

But Spire Motorsports has taken prompt action. Instead of waiting for NASCAR to come down hard on the 22-year-old, the team has hit Carson Hocevar with a $50,000 fine, which will be donated equally between three Mexican charities: the Mexican Red Cross, United Way Mexico, and Un Kilo de Ayuda. The Michigan native will also have to complete mandatory cultural sensitivity and bias-awareness training. And, there’s more.

Jeff Dickerson’s team has also distanced itself from such comments, saying that it “did not represent the views of Spire Motorsports”, emphasizing that the penalties were to hold him accountable and help him grow. However, NASCAR has not issued any penalty, as the sanctioning body has reviewed Spire’s disciplinary measures and felt it met with their expectation.

After the race weekend, Carson Hocevar took to social media, sort of apologising: “I said something that not only was wrong, I said it without even laying my own two eyes on CDMX or turning one lap in an actual race at an amazing facility.” Here, he almost wrote a short essay.

Could this prove to be a turning point in Hocevar’s career? Only time will tell. The No. 77 will be back at Pocono Raceway for ‘The Great American Getaway 400’. And the spotlight will be on how he carries himself off the track just as much as how he does on it.

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 🔎 The In-Depth View

Matt Tifft Plagued by (Mexico) Border Issues

It’s fair to say that NASCAR’s trip to Mexico City was quite a success. Sure, there were a few logistical issues, and a couple of flights were delayed. Some sponsors didn’t anticipate the local restrictions they would be subjected to. But overall, the weekend went without a hitch, until a familiar face from the NASCAR world ran into a bit of trouble off the track.

Former Cup driver Matt Tifft found himself temporarily detained by Mexican authorities. Now, before you jump to any conclusions, this wasn’t a scandal.

Tifft shared the details through his Instagram story, saying, “I’ve been detained by customs. I’m not kidding. They didn’t put me on the manifest… I’ve been here 30 minutes. Border control and police took me in.”

For frequent travellers, you would already know that this kind of mix-up can be pretty annoying. It’s standard protocol for border officials to pull you aside and verify your identity, purpose of travel, and documents if you don’t show up in the system. That’s what Matt Tifft had to deal with: excessive red tape while trying to make his way home.

This isn’t the first time a NASCAR figure has been held up at the Mexican border. A few years ago, Kyle Busch was forced into a holding cell for hours for carrying a handgun in his checked luggage. This is what Rowdy had to go through, before a Daytona race.

As things stand, there’s no official word from Mexican authorities or U.S. Customs. But usually, such issues are sorted out after the passport and tickets are verified, and border officials make sure there are no red flags.

Tifft’s last update on the situation was, “they’re working on it,” and if recent Instagram stories are anything to go by, it looks like he’s back in the United States.

However, Matt Tifft was keeping himself busy, even while dealing with the airport troubles. He kept sharing updates on the revamping of Mansfield Speedway, taking some inspiration from the popular “Savannah Bananas.” This project is very close to Matt Tifft’s heart. Take a look.

His goal is to rebuild the venue and host grassroots events at the track. So, even though his travel plans didn’t work out exactly as planned, his focus remained on what truly mattered.

🎡 Roulette of Rumors

NASCAR Looks Abroad Again!

While many fans are against it, NASCAR is already making plans for what’s next. According to various reports, the sports’ hierarchy is closing in on a deal to bring a Cup Series street race to the San Diego area, which could take place as early as 2026.

No contracts have been signed yet, but an announcement could be made by next month. And, if the deal does go through, it’ll be NASCAR’s first points-paying race in Southern California since 2023. Even though the city has a history of street course racing. Especially this one at Del Mar Fairgrounds, which hosted IMSA racing in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Take a look at how Robby Gordon used to be a force.

As you’d probably expect, the excitement is at an all-time high. After all, San Diego has never hosted a Cup Series race before.

While the San Diego Tourism Authority and NASCAR have not commented publicly yet, they are actively talking behind the scenes to make this prospect a reality. The shift to San Diego is in line with NASCAR’s strategy to expand its operations to more metropolitan markets.

But squeezing San Diego into an already jam-packed schedule is unrealistic. NASCAR has a limit of 38 races per year, and the 2026 schedule is already full. However, the three-year contract with Chicago will end after this season (even though NASCAR has the option to return), and fans are already speculating that San Diego could replace it.

As per reports, Steve O’Donnell already expressed his interest in running a Southern California street race last year. But as we have already seen, the sanctioning body has no qualms about shifting races from existing tracks with two dates. Richmond is the latest example, with one of its races being bumped to accommodate the Mexico City debut.

However, if everything goes to plan, Southern California could soon host one of the most unique events on the NASCAR calendar.

🏁 Lucky Dog’s Quick Poll! 🏁

How Should NASCAR Make Space for the San Diego Race?

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 🗝️ From the Vault

The Split-Second Decision That Saved a Career!

We all know how fierce a driver Dale Earnhardt was. But who knew that just one off-track decision single-handedly saved his career?

Well, it all started in the 80s when the NASCAR world saw an influx of money from some interesting individuals. They weren’t longtime racers or car builders, just some deep-pocketed businessmen who were trying to buy their way into the sport.

And one of them, J.D. Stacey, nearly changed the course of Earnhardt’s career. As it turns out, Stacy wasn’t your typical team owner. He built his fortune in the coal mining industry and entered the NASCAR world, willing to spend big. At one point, he was even sponsoring seven cars in a single race. Yes, you read that right. But his involvement in the sport brought more drama than results.

Stacey’s reputation took a big beating when his partnership with crew chief Harry Hyde turned into an ugly legal battle. Hyde claimed Stacey didn’t even pay rent for the shop. And to make matters worse, driver Ferrel Harris said the team owner skipped on an $80,000 loan. There was also a report from 1978 that a dynamite bomb was found under his Cadillac Limo when this case was ongoing. Here, take a look.

Eventually, the court sided with Hyde, and Stacey’s name was dragged through the mud. But despite it all, he didn’t exactly vanish from the NASCAR garage.

Defiant as ever, Stacey pulled off a shocking move by buying Rod Osterlund’s team in 1981. Yep, that’s the same team where Dale Earnhardt had won Rookie of the Year, and his first championship just the year before. But this team had its share of ups and downs.

But ‘The Intimidator’ was well aware of Stacey’s reputation and wanted nothing to do with him. And Stacey didn’t seem to care if Earnhardt stuck around or not. That sealed the deal.

As a result, Dale Earnhardt walked away in the middle of the 1981 season, having competed in only four races for Jim Stacey Racing. He joined a new team, which was backed by Wrangler and Richard Childress. The latter even gave up his seat to make room for Earnhardt.

And the rest, as they say, is history. He ended up winning six more championships in the next 10 years, cementing his legacy as one of NASCAR’s all-time greats.

And, the question remains, if without Stacey, Dale Earnhardt would have moved to Richard Childress Racing? The fact is, we will never know. But here’s an analysis of Dale’s journey that you must know.

And, the move worked out well for ‘The Intimidator’, going on to prove how a single decision can have life-changing results.

  1. Dale Jr. Stands With The King: “Road Courses Aren’t What NASCAR’s About” - Full Story

  2. ‘Clouds of Doom’ Loom Over the Pennsylvania Track - Full Story

  3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s $12.2M Record Deal Sparks Uproar - Full Story

  4. NASCAR Cup Team Joins Hands With Lebron James’ NBA Team - Full Story

  5. How iRacing Is Becoming NASCAR’s Next Driver Pipeline, More Drivers Emerging - Full Story

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