Ricky Stenhouse Jr. confirms he will personally address Carson Hocevar’s ‘overaggressive’ play in Nashville

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t hold back following an on-track incident with rookie Carson Hocevar that prematurely ended his day at Nashville Superspeedway. Speaking candidly during a post-race interview, Stenhouse shared his frustration and offered his perspective on the clash that brought his race to an abrupt halt.

Piloting the #47 Chevrolet for HYAK Motorsports, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. started the race from P13 while Hocevar was in P26. Stenhouse Jr. maintained his track position as Hocevar moved slightly up on his tail. On lap 106, Hocevar bumped into the left rear of Stenhouse's #47 Chevy at Turn 3, following which he lost balance and met with a premature end to his weekend.

After being released from the infield care center, the 37-year-old Cup driver shared that Spire's #77 driver, Carson Hocevar, was too aggressive for this early in the race. He said (via Matt Weaver on X):

"Not really thrilled with that exit, especially in stage 2 there. He (Hocevar) tried to divebomb me two laps before that from about 10 or 12 car lengths back, and then finally it was close enough that time to wipe us out,"

"I think it's definitely overaggressive. If he would've got to my inside, I would've let him go but he dive bombed me and you can't just give up spots just to give up spots."

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was then asked whether he would have a conversation with Hocevar after the race ends, to which he sternly responded:

"Oh, I will, I will."

Known for his notorious incident with Kyle Busch last year when he punched him, a reporter asked whether he would punch the #77 driver as well, to which he jokingly responded:

"That's too expensive"

After 13 races this season, HYAK Motorsports driver Stenhouse Jr. is ranked P13 in the driver standings. Apart from two top-10 finishes, the #47 driver has secured consistent results in the top 20.

Meanwhile, the Cracker Barrel 400 is currently running at Nashville Superspeedway. Tune in to Prime Video and catch the action live.

A brief of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch's incident at North Wilkesboro Speedway last year

Last year's All-Star Race saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr. force Kyle Busch into the wall on the opening lap. Busch’s #8 Chevrolet suffered minor damage, but he responded quickly, bumping Stenhouse’s #47 car on the next lap. The contact sent Stenhouse into the wall, ending his race within the first two laps.

After the race ended, tensions flared as Stenhouse Jr. confronted Busch on pit road, where the two-time Cup Series champion was heard saying (via NASCAR):

"Bring it! I don’t give a fu*k. I suck just as bad as you!"

As soon as the #47 driver punched Kyle Busch, a complete brawl ensued between Stenhouse JR. and the RCR driver's crew. Following the incident, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 for his actions at NWS.