"He sucks at that too!": NASCAR fans react as Zane Smith unsuccessfully tries to wreck Carson Hocevar

Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar find themselves at the center of a controversial NASCAR Cup Series flashpoint at Iowa Speedway during the Iowa Corn 350. A video shared by X user Andrew (@Basso488) has gone viral, capturing a moment that shows Smith fail in his retaliatory attempt on Hocevar, with fans weighing in.

On Lap 229, Hocevar got loose in traffic and made contact with Smith, sending the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford into the SAFER barrier between Turns 1 and 2. Smith, running 23rd at the time, brought out a caution and was forced back to the garage for repairs.

Nine laps later, Smith's frustration appeared to boil over. As caught on his dashcam, he steered sharply toward Hocevar’s left rear on Lap 238, attempting a textbook right-rear hook - an infamously dangerous maneuver in NASCAR. But he missed Hocevar.

The botched retaliation quickly became meme fodder online. The X post was captioned:

"Zane Smith's attempt to wreck Hocevar"

One of the most notable replies sums it up:

"He sucks at that too! 😂"

That comment highlights the general consensus around Zane Smith's underwhelming 2025 campaign. He has three top-10 finishes and is a daunting -179 points below the playoff cutline.

Other fans also made fun of the failed retaliation attempt.

big stink

@hoghunter838

LINK

swing and a miss, stutter boy

Classic Racing Battles

@RacingBattle

LINK

Today’s “cup” driver

#1 clairo fan 🇪🇸🐎

@SziIlar

LINK

Nearly wrecked himself instead lmao

Others wished Smith had succeeded in wrecking Hocevar, pointing to the Spire Motorsports driver's growing reputation as a wrecking ball this season:

Shane michalski

@michalskishane

LINK

Too bad he didn’t execute

From NASCAR's standpoint, Smith may have inadvertently helped his case by missing the hook. Right-rear retaliation attempts have recently led to harsh penalties. Austin Hill was suspended just this week from Xfinity for a similar move at Indy. Zane Smith's night eventually ended with a P36 finish in the 37-car field.

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Carson Hocevar dodges retaliation and scores back-to-back top-10s amid chaos

Carson Hocevar (77) during the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350. Source: Getty

While Zane Smith faded out, Carson Hocevar managed to turn a drama-filled day into another decent result. Starting P7, the Spire Motorsports driver stayed competitive early on, finishing Stage 1 in seventh place. Stage 2, however, proved more eventful. Hocevar began slipping down the order as long green-flag runs cycled strategy forward.

In a race that saw 12 cautions, Hocevar was involved in more than one incident. On Lap 210, he spun off Turn 2 following contact with John Hunter Nemechek while running 19th. But things only escalated when he got into Zane Smith, sending the Front Row driver into the wall in the now-infamous retaliation attempt.

Despite those incidents, Hocevar stayed in the fight. He escaped Smith's hook attempt and navigated through the final restarts to secure an eighth-place finish. It was his second consecutive top 10 after a P10 at Indianapolis last weekend.

It's a timely bounce-back for Hocevar, who had finished outside the top 30 in three straight races before Indy. Yet, the playoff picture remains stark. With just three races remaining and three open spots in the playoff grid, Carson Hocevar sits -131 points below the cutline. Barring a win, he's likely out.

As things stand, six other drivers are ahead of him on the bubble, meaning points alone won’t be enough.