“I can't go buy him a Hallmark card”: Carson Hocevar reflects on his on-track feud with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. days after landmark Mexico race

Carson Hocevar shared his thoughts on his strained relationship with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ahead of this week's NASCAR Cup race at Pocono. The Spire Motorsports driver said that he was unsure about the next moves to make things right.

The rivalry, which began in Nashville when Hocevar made contact and sidelined Stenhouse Jr. early, reignited in Mexico last week (June 15). Hocevar again spun the Hyak Motorsports No. 47 Chevy with 10 laps to go during the 100-lap Viva Mexico 250.

In a recent media interaction ahead of the Pocono race, the 22-year-old was asked if he and Stenhouse Jr. had spoken since Mexico. The Athletic's Jeff Gluck shared Hocevar's comments on the same on X.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure what I would say. There's nothing that really would change it. We've already had that conversation (before Michigan). We have a good relationship -- or had one. Just locked up in a very dumb spot. Was just so dumb. Just a mistake that didn't need to happen and didn't want it to happen. There's nothing I can do or say. I can't go buy him a Hallmark card and make it better," Carson Hocevar said.

Stenhouse Jr. dropped below the playoff cutline after Nashville but the two had talked things down. He called his conversation with Hocevar productive and said that he understood the latter's actions were not intentional. However, the Hyak Motorsports driver confronted Hocevar on the pit road after the race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

"I am going to beat your a** when we get back in the States," Stenhouse Jr. said to Hocevar (via Fox Sports).

Stenhouse Jr. is ranked 21st in the Cup standings, 61 points behind the playoff cut line ahead of Pocono. Meanwhile, Hocevar is one point ahead of him.

"This is the world I've made" - Carson Hocevar owns up for the payback

Carson Hocevar is ready for the consequences of his hard‑racing style. In a follow up tweet, Jeff Gluck shared that the 22‑year‑old acknowledged the payback from Stenhouse Jr. was coming, at Pocono or six months later.

"Carson Hocevar says he knows payback is coming from Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and he knows it's fair. He says the scorecard is 2-0, he's been a fan for a long time and he knows how this all works -- whether that's tomorrow or six months from now. 'You live in the world you make for yourself, and this is the world I've made'," Gluck wrote on X.

Stenhouse Jr. did admit to calming down on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this Friday (June 20) after losing seven spots in the standings with 10 races left in the regular season.