Motorsports

NASCAR star Carson Hocevar issues official response after being hit with HUGE punishment

Carson Hocevar has issued a lengthy statement after being handed a major punishment by his Spire Motorsports NASCAR team. The 22-year-old caused an uproar after making insensitive comments about Mexico City on a live stream, where he was caught using derogatory language about the destination of the Viva Mexico 250. Ahead of the first […]

Published

2 months ago

June 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Carson Hocevar has issued a lengthy statement after being handed a major punishment by his Spire Motorsports NASCAR team.

The 22-year-old caused an uproar after making insensitive comments about Mexico City on a live stream, where he was caught using derogatory language about the destination of the Viva Mexico 250.

Ahead of the first international points-paying race in the Cup Series in the modern era, Hocevar labelled Mexico City a ‘s**thole’, and having been held accountable by Spire Motorsports since, the No.77 driver has now issued a response to the punishment.

Taking to social media platform ‘X’, Hocevar wrote: “Whoa everybody, the truth is the truth. 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 that welcomed me with open arms and I go and say that?

“Thank you for the support but I’m not sure we’re on the same page. You guys want me to be me? It was me who said it and it was me who apologized after actually taking the time to explore the city and feel the passion of every fan in attendance. I appreciate the opportunity to learn and I knew before this weekend what respect means to this organization and I didn’t meet the standard so I got what I deserved.

“I hate learning these lessons in the public eye and bringing any negative attention to Spire or me. We’ve been fast just about every week and I’m sure I have plenty of mistakes left in me.

“I appreciate growing up in front of all of you and you guys get to see the good and the bad. I’m just me. I’m trying. It just doesn’t always go the way I want and I bring a lot of this on myself.

“However, I love being in this garage, with this team surrounded by the best drivers and fans in the world. See you in Pocono,” he concluded.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Bubba Wallace verdict emerges as Hendrick Motorsports make exciting announcement

How have Spire Motorsports responded to Hocevar’s livestream comments?

NASCAR team Spire Motorsports responded to the footage of Hocevar’s comments on Twitch with a statement of their own, laying out the many layers of the multi-faceted punishment they had decided was suitable for their driver.

After reviewing his live stream comments about Mexico City, the team announced that Hocevar would be fined $50,000, with the money be split between three organizations which benefit Mexican communities.

Additionally, the No.77 driver will have to attend mandatory cultural-sensitivity training and bias-awareness training to ensure his actions in the future align with the team’s core values of ‘RESPECT’.

After laying out the punishments awaiting Hocevar, Spire Motorsports also confirmed the suggested disciplines had been submitted to NASCAR, with the governing body reportedly content with the team’s handling of the incident.

Spire Motorsports’ own social media statement concluded: “We look forward to turning the page by racing hard, representing our partners, and living our values on and off the track.”

READ MORE: Three-time NASCAR Cup Series driver announces RETIREMENT plans

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Motorsports

NASCAR Weekend in Watkins Glen: Catching up with Driver Denny Hamlin

The News10NBC Team details breaking News, Traffic and Weather. NASCAR Weekend at Watkins Glen International is upon us. Three days of racing in the Finger Lakes begins on Friday with the Craftsman Truck Series race at 5pm, the green flag will drop on Xfinity Series Race on Saturday at 3pm and the NASCAR Cup Series Race […]

Published

16 minutes ago

August 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The News10NBC Team details breaking News, Traffic and Weather.

NASCAR Weekend at Watkins Glen International is upon us. Three days of racing in the Finger Lakes begins on Friday with the Craftsman Truck Series race at 5pm, the green flag will drop on Xfinity Series Race on Saturday at 3pm and the NASCAR Cup Series Race is set to begin at 2pm on Sunday.

In anticipation of the weekend, News10NBC Investigative Reporter and NASCAR Fan Jennifer Lewke and her 8-year old son Jett spoke with NASCAR Driver Denny Hamlin. Hamlin has 4 wins, 11 top 5’s and 12 top 10’s so far this season.

Full interview:

Jennifer Lewke (News10NBC): “What do you like and not like about Watkins Glen, you’ve won here before but it’s been a while.”

Denny Hamlin: “Yea, I like Watkins Glen, I think it races almost like an intermediate type track with our cars, it’s one of the highest speed road courses that we have. My favorite thing about Watkins Glen has nothing to do with the racetrack though, it really is kind of the infield there, we’ve seen people come out in huge numbers to hang out in Watkins Glen infield. The midway there, the fan area is filled with different activations and stuff, there’s tons of stuff to do so, I’ve explored around that racetrack and it’s been a blast.”

Jennifer Lewke: “What I also love about Watkins is they let you, as fans, drive the course in your own personal car, I’ve done it with my two sons and my husband and the S’s, we got up to like 80 and then I made them pull back, I was like okay, this is getting a little crazy… the race itself and the track… it’s fast for a road course.”

Denny Hamlin: “It is, it’s extremely fast. It’s fast but it’s technical. Like when you talk about the S’s…that’s probably the most treacherous corner that we enter on all of our circuit. Is turn 2 there, so the car really unloads and then you’ve got to switch back the other direction into a blind corner, it’s really, really difficult. And certainly, I’ve only been able to win there one time so it tell you that race track has its own challenges.”

Jennifer Lewke: “You mentioned the experience of it all, I think that’s what it is for a lot of folks who spend the weekend at the Glen…I mean, we have the Buffalo Bills here, we have other professional sports, but you don’t really get as close to the stars of the sport, I think, as you do in NASCAR, how big of a role do you think that plays in expanding the sport beyond just the hardcore NASCAR fans?

Denny Hamlin: “Well, that’s the difference in our sport than others, it is the access. You’re able to more than likely get an autograph or take a picture with your favorite driver just an hour before they’re getting in the race car. You never get that access to the locker room in any other sports and so the access is what makes us different. You’re not just going for the event itself, you’re making a weekend out of it with your family or friends and getting to explore all that Watkins Glen has to offer.

Jennifer Lewke: “Are you ever able to explore beyond the track when you’re in Upstate New York?”

Denny Hamlin: “I check out the town a little bit, I do try to golf when I’m in that town.”

Jennifer Lewke: “Denny, if you don’t mind, I kind of have a special guest off to the side, it’s my 8 year-old, he is a huge NASCAR fan and he happens to be a huge, Denny Hamlin fan.”

Denny: “Hey, my man!”

Jennifer Lewke: “This is Jett, he wanted to say Hi, I let him stay home from Summer camp, did you want to ask Denny a question?”

Jett (Jennifer Lewke’s Son): “Yes, and by the way… I met you before as you can see in this picture.” (Jett holds up a photo from Watkins Glen in 2023 where he is posing with Denny)

Denny Hamlin: “I see that. Man you got the hat and the shirt and everything! What’s your question bud?”

Jett: “At what was the age you knew you wanted to be a NASCAR driver?”

Denny Hamlin: “I was 8 years-old.”

Jett: “That’s my age right now!”

Denny Hamlin: “Yea, well let’s see that’s the first time I got into a go-cart. I went to a race when I was 5 and at that point, I smelled the tires and fuel and saw all the cars that were roaring by and I was like, “oh I love this” right? And so, at that time, back then, you couldn’t get into a go-cart until you were 8 years-old so, my parents bought me a go-cart when I was 8, I got in, they showed me… this is how you go, this is how you stop, this is how you steer and they sent me around this little dirt track and when I went around there they saw that I was getting it sideways and correcting it, and they’re like… “oh, he’s got good car control” so–like maybe we’ll put him in a race in a few weeks, so they put me in a race and I won my very first race. You give an 8 year-old a trophy and a go-cart and it’s like… this is what I want to do, I want to be a race car driver!”

Jett: “And um…What do you think about SVG at Watkins Glen, do you think he’ll be a challenge to race with?”

Denny Hamlin: “Yes, I think he’s going to be a challenge to keep up with, more than anything. He’s just really good on the road courses obviously, he almost won last year and then if you think about it, the team he was with was not as good as the team he’s with now. So, I think he’s going to be extremely hard to beat, I’ll be lucky, I just want to keep him in sight during that race, that’s my goal at Watkins Glen, I’m going to keep him in sight, get us a top 5 and get out of there.”

Jennifer Lewke: “Thank you so much for your time and for taking Jett’s questions. He’s always one, when we were at Daytona last year, he’s always one to stick up for you against people in the crowd who throw those boo’s your way.”

Denny Hamlin: “I like that! Yea, you cheer alright!”

Jett: “Yea!”

A limited number of tickets are still available for NASCAR weekends at Watkins Glen International. For more information, Click here.

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Motorsports

NASCAR News: Dale Earnhardt family feuds as $30billion land battle gets ugly

NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt’s family is involved in a bitter dispute over a planned $30billion land development in North Carolina. Teresa Earnhardt, third wife and widow of the late racing superstar, wants to use 400 acres of land she owns in Mooresville for a massive project to build a new business park. READ MORE: NASCAR […]

Published

33 minutes ago

August 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt’s family is involved in a bitter dispute over a planned $30billion land development in North Carolina.

Teresa Earnhardt, third wife and widow of the late racing superstar, wants to use 400 acres of land she owns in Mooresville for a massive project to build a new business park.

READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series star set to drive for new team as official statement released

The 66-year-old has requested rezoning of the land to industrial to allow the project to go ahead.

Denver-based developer Tract claims the proposed Mooresville Technology Park would create 277 “recession-resistant” jobs, including some 195 paying $125,000 a year.

It also claims hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues would be generated for Mooresville, Iredell County, and local public schools over 20 years.

Earnhardt vs Earnhard as battle ramps up

But neighbors, including some Earnhardt family members, are fighting hard to stop the plan. Opponents have even set up a website to rally support against it, and the bad blood is ramping up.

The whole things is now a very public Earnhardt family feud, with Dale’s son Kerry (Teresa’s stepson) coming out in strong opposition.

Writing on Facebook, he said his father – who was tragically killed in an accident at the Daytona 500 in 2001 – would be “livid”.

“Frankly, I’m ashamed our family name is involved in the request to rezone a community that is thriving as a rural residential/agriculture zone to be changed to Industrial.

“Infrastructures like this don’t belong in neighborhoods where people’s natural resources will be depleted, wildlife will be uprooted, and the landscape and lives of the people that call this area home will forever be changed. I’d rather see homes built with people loving the land we live on…. the way this area was intended to be!”

READ MORE: NASCAR team in show of defiance after driver handed major Iowa penalty

Date officially set for public hearing

Per the Charlotte Observer, Kerry’s wife Rene spoke at a packed public meeting Monday night, describing the project as a “monstrosity of a complex….gobbling away resources”.

She requested that the rezoning proposal be rejected, pleading: “We hope you will preserve the last sliver of agricultural land in the area”.

The bitter dispute is now expected to reach a conclusion on Monday September 15 after commissioners settled on that date for a formal public hearing.

A decision on rezoning will likely be taken that same night.

READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series star puts family first as retirement decision confirmed

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NASCAR Penalty Report: Iowa Speedway (August 2025)

Penalty issued by NASCAR after Iowa Speedway Over the weekend, NASCAR raced in Newton, Iowa. The Iowa Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. View the NASCAR penalty report from Iowa Speedway below. After the race weekend, one penalty has been issued. Joe Gibbs Racing has been issued a $5,000 fine. Denny Hamlin […]

Published

1 hour ago

August 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Penalty issued by NASCAR after Iowa Speedway

Over the weekend, NASCAR raced in Newton, Iowa. The Iowa Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series.

View the NASCAR penalty report from Iowa Speedway below.

After the race weekend, one penalty has been issued. Joe Gibbs Racing has been issued a $5,000 fine.

Denny Hamlin calls on NASCAR to penalize Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Penalties

Driver/Team: Ty Gibbs No. 54

Date: 8/2/2025 (post-race inspection)

Level: Safety

Infraction: Sections 8.8.10.4a: Tires and Wheels (Note: Lug nut(s) not properly installed.)

Penalty: The team has been fined $5,000.

Iowa Results: August 3, 2025 (NASCAR Cup Series)

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Iowa Speedway | NASCAR

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Motorsports

Spire Motorsports General Tire 100 at The Glen Race Advance

Spire Motorsports will field an ARCA Menards Series entry at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for Tristan McKee, who will make his series debut in the No. 77 Gainbridge Chevrolet SS. The race will mark the team’s fourth start in an Automobile Racing Club of America sanctioned event. The General Tire 100 at The Glen will […]

Published

1 hour ago

August 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Spire Motorsports will field an ARCA Menards Series entry at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for Tristan McKee, who will make his series debut in the No. 77 Gainbridge Chevrolet SS. The race will mark the team’s fourth start in an Automobile Racing Club of America sanctioned event.
The General Tire 100 at The Glen will be televised live on FS2 Friday, Aug. 8 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 13th of 20 events on the 2025 ARCA Menards Series calendar will broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and ARCARacing.com.

Tristan McKee – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet SS

Tristan McKee will make his ARCA Menards Series debut at the controls of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Gainbridge Chevrolet SS in Friday’s General Tire 100 at The Glen.
McKee makes his series debut just five days after his 15th birthday, fulfilling ARCA’s minimum age requirement to compete. While Cup Series driver Todd Gilliland owns the record for the youngest ARCA winner at 15-years and two-days-old, McKee can become the youngest pole winner in series history, an honor held by Kelvin Benjamin at 15-years, nine-months and 22-days-old.
The Kannapolis, N.C., resident looks to become the 38th driver to win their ARCA Menards Series national tour debut, and first since Luke Fenhaus at Iowa Speedway in July 2023. A trip to Victory Lane would also make him the 367th unique winner in the 73-year history of the Automobile Racing Club of America and seventh first-time winner in 2025.
The talented teenager has refined his road-course racing skills as a full-time competitor in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series. Through eight-of-12 events, McKee leads the series’ championship point standings by a handsome 82 markers on the strength of one pole position, two wins and six-consecutive podium finishes. He earned his first TA2 Series victory in June at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
McKee made his first and only start at Watkins Glen in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series’ June stop at “The Glen.” He tallied a perfect weekend, clocking the fastest lap in practice, setting a track record en route to his first-career pole position and leading the field from flag to flag to secure his second-career win.
Founded in 2018, Gainbridge® is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge® is headquartered in Zionsville, Ind. For more information, visit www.gainbridge.io or follow and connect with Gainbridge on X and LinkedIn.
Last month, the versatile, young talent raced a pavement Super Late Model for the first time during the Summer Showdown 200 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash. He battled the best of the Northwest Super Late Model Series to earn a runner-up finish at “The Superspeedway of the West.”
McKee began turning heads in 2023 when at just 12-years-old, he won a 100-lap CARS Pro Late Model Tour feature event at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway to become the youngest winner in CARS Tour history. The upstart teenager has gone on to collect series wins at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and Caraway (N.C.) Speedway. Most recently, McKee was the victor of the tour’s inaugural appearance at Cordele (Ga.) Motor Speedway in April.
In 2022, McKee claimed Orange County (N.C.) Speedway Limited Late Model Rookie of the Year and track championship honors at 11-years-old. Later that season, he captured the checkered flag during November’s Fall Brawl weekend at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
The inaugural signee to Spire Motorsports’ driver development program will return to the No. 77 Chevrolet in November for the ARCA Menards Series West season finale during NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

Tristan McKee Quotes
Talk about making your debut and what it means to get the opportunity.
“I’m super excited for my debut to be on a road course. I’ve been doing a lot of road course stuff through the Trans Am Series. We were just at Watkins Glen a couple weeks ago with the series and got the win, so I feel comfortable with the track. I had the opportunity to do some testing in the ARCA car, so it helped get me up to speed with the car, but I still have a lot of preparation to do in the next week or two in the simulator and my pre-race routine. I’m super thankful to Spire Motorsports and Gainbridge for making this happen, and I’m really excited to get on track.”

Last time you were at Watkins Glen in the Trans Am car, you quite literally recorded a perfect weekend. How will that experience help you ease into your ARCA debut, given the differences between the two types of cars?
“It has definitely helped a lot. Every road course you spend a session or two learning your visuals, finding your shift and braking points, and seeing where you’re at. When we get there, I will be ready to rip as soon as we unload. In the higher ranks, you don’t have a lot of practice, whereas in Trans Am we have three to four testing and practice sessions across two days. While we aren’t running the configuration that utilizes ‘The Boot’ like in Trans Am, a majority of the course is the same. I’ll be able to use some different tricks I learned in the Trans Am car and apply it to the ARCA car.”

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team also fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and an ARCA Menards Series Chevrolet in select events.

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Kaden Honeycutt fills the seat as Stewart Friesen is out due to injury

Stewart Friesen has had several surgeries after a dirt track crash Last week, Stewart Friesen was injured in Super DIRTcar Series crash at Canada’s Autodrome Drummond. Officials cut the roof off the car then transported him to a hospital. Friesen has since had several surgeries. He’s expected to be out of the NASCAR Truck Series […]

Published

2 hours ago

August 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Stewart Friesen has had several surgeries after a dirt track crash

Last week, Stewart Friesen was injured in Super DIRTcar Series crash at Canada’s Autodrome Drummond. Officials cut the roof off the car then transported him to a hospital.

Friesen has since had several surgeries. He’s expected to be out of the NASCAR Truck Series No. 52 for a prolonged period of time.

This weekend, NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell is driving the No. 52. Bell is a former NASCAR Truck Series champion (2017).

Christopher Bell to fill in for injured NASCAR driver Stewart Friesen

However, starting at Richmond Raceway, Kaden Honeycutt jumps behind the wheel of the No. 52. The 22-year-old has collected 19 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Truck Series.

Yesterday, Honeycutt announced an abrupt departure from Niece Motorsports. This weekend, Connor Zilisch is replacing Honeycutt in the No. 45 truck.

Kaden Honeycutt has been released by Niece Motorsports

Stewart Friesen comments

“While I continue to recover, it was important for us to put someone in our truck that can help us compete at the highest level,” said Friesen in the team release.

“I know Kaden will deliver strong performance in our truck and allow us to continue to run for the owner’s championship.”

Friesen has spent the last ten years competing in the NASCAR Truck Series, eight of those years have been as a full-time driver. With two-hundred starts, he’s driven to victory lane four times.

View the medical updates on Stewart Friesen

Kaden Honeycutt comments

“It’s an honor to be able to fill in for Stewart for the rest of the season and help give his team a chance at the owner’s championship, which they earned,” Honeycutt stated via the Halmar Friesen Racign release.

“I’m excited to compete in contending, race-winning equipment as I pursue a title this season.”

He added, “We are going to work hard to have a solid final eight races of the season and continue to deliver great results for Stewart, his family and this organization.”

Honeycutt remains in the playoff battle.

Related: Stewart Friesen crash video

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Stewart Friesen | Kaden Honeycutt | Connor Zilisch | Niece Motorsports | NASCAR

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Kaden Honeycutt to fill in for injured Stewart Friesen during playoffs

Just a couple of weeks ago, this headline wouldn’t have made any sense, and yet, it is happening. When Stewart Friesen was seriously injured in a dirt modified crash, the No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota needed to find a replacement driver as the team is set to take part in the championship playoffs. Enter Kaden […]

Published

2 hours ago

August 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Enter Kaden Honeycutt, who was abruptly let go from his full-time ride at Niece Motorsports this week for signing with a rival team and manufacturer for 2026 (believed to be TRICON and Toyota). Honeycutt is also bound for playoffs, sitting 73 points above the cut-line.

While Christopher Bell will drive the No. 52 at Watkins Glen, Halmar-Friesen has announced a new partnership with Honeycutt for the rest of the 2025 season. Both will be be able to fight for the championship as a duo after one lost its driver and the other lost their ride. Honeycutt will drive the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports entry for the Truck race at The Glen.

Stewart Friesen, Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota

Photo by: Justin Casterline / Getty Images

Honeycutt’s first race in the No. 52 will be at Richmond Raceway next weekend, which serves as the regular season finale for the NASCAR Truck Series.

“While I continue to recover, it was important for us to put someone in our truck that can help us compete at the highest level,” said Friesen. “I know Kaden will deliver strong performance in our truck and allow us to continue to run for the owner’s championship.”

Honeycutt has not yet win in the Truck Series, but he has been solid, currently sitting sixth in the championship standings.

“It’s an honor to be able to fill in for Stewart for the rest of the season and help give his team a chance at the owner’s championship, which they earned. I’m excited to compete in contending, race-winning equipment as I pursue a title this season,” said Honeycutt. “We are going to work hard to have a solid final eight races of the season and continue to deliver great results for Stewart, his family and this organization.”