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.

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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.”

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Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team are geared up for the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the ninth race of the 20-event 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Coming off a runner-up finish at the Thunder Valley Nationals, Ashley and his SCAG Toyota team, led by crew chiefs Mike Green and Tommy DeLago, are currently sitting fourth in the points standings. With back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Charlotte Four-Wide event and Route 66 Nationals, the SCAG dragster has shown consistent strength leading into this weekend’s two-day event that will feature three qualifying runs on Saturday and race day Sunday.

“Virginia Motorsports Park is a fantastic facility, and we’re excited to race in front of such passionate fans,” said Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “This race is going to be a unique challenge unlike anything we’ve seen so far this season. It’s a lot of racing in a short period of time and very high temperatures. The teams that usually win events like this are the ones that can go A to B more consistently than the others. That’ll certainly be our goal. But truthfully, it’s the perfect weekend to highlight the importance of having a good crew. They are so important to having success in this sport and this weekend should further highlight that point. I am so grateful to have ours and look forward to watching them go to work.”

Previously at Virginia Motorsports Park, in Top Fuel Ashley has had a pair of first-round exits in 2022 and 2024. He does, however, have a regional event win at the track from 2018 in Top Alcohol Dragster. He’ll be looking for four win-lights on Sunday to tally his first professional event win at the facility.

“We’ve found our rhythm over the last few races and want to ensure that continues for our SCAG Power Equipment Toyota team in Virginia. We’re grateful for the support of SCAG Power Equipment and all our partners,” Ashley added. “This team is championship-caliber, and we’re ready to fight for every round win. Let’s make some noise in Virginia.”

With the runner-up finish, Ashley will also be competing in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during qualifying session two and three on Saturday. It is the first time in SCAG Racing’s history that Ashley will be joined by both Funny Car teammates Daniel Wilkerson and Dave Richards.

Racing action at the American Rebel Light NHRA Virginia Nationals kicks off with three qualifying rounds on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Fans can catch qualifying action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET and eliminations coverage on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX) Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

This story was originally published on June 19, 2025.

Garage 66 (formerly known as MBM Motorsports) will run the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend, making their sixth start of the year.

The non-charted team has used a variety of drivers including Josh Bilicki, Chad Finchum, and Casey Mears. Their best finish of the year came in the Coca-Cola 600 where Bilicki placed 33rd in the 40-car field.

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But at Atlanta, David Starr will make a surprise appearance in the Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford. The 57-year-old has 18 starts in the Cup Series and none so far this year. However, Starr’s career also includes 268 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, and 317 Truck Series starts.

David Starr, Chevrolet

He’s a proven winner with four victories in Trucks, placing as high as fourth in the championship in 2006. Starr has one Cup start at Atlanta back in 2011, but that was on the old configuration. But the veteran driver’s best finish in the Cup Series came in 2021 at Texas where he finished 23rd.

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“EchoPark Speedway is one of the most exciting tracks on the schedule, and I’m thrilled to compete here with such an incredible group of partners,” said Starr in a release from the team. “The No. 66 looks amazing, and we’re ready to go full throttle on race day.”

The effort will be backed by WNB Factory Wings N Burgers, Roofing Georgia/NGE Decks, Coble Enterprises, and Carter’s Royal Dispos-all.

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To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Venturini Motorsports, one of the most successful organizations in the history of the ARCA Menards Series, have run into some major issues heading to this weekend’s Shore Lunch 250 at Elko Speedway in Minnesota.

While on the way to Elko New Market, Minnesota, a hauler carrying a racecar and equipment for Venturini Motorsports caught fire, briefly shutting down a part of Interstate 40 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, on Friday.

The exact location of the fire was on Interstate 40 West at Exit 417 near Dandridge.

According to the Dandridge Fire Chief, Andy Riley, a semi-truck hauling a trailer with an ARCA Menards Series vehicle inside caught fire at about 11:00am ET, which subsequently shut down the interstate as cleanup efforts began.

Inside of the hauler was the No. 55 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE that Toyota Driver Development (T2D) competitor Isabella Robusto will pilot in this weekend’s short track race. Despite the fire, the fire department says that the racecar was undamaged.

The Dandridge Fire Department says that one of the wheels of the trailer blew out while traveling on Interstate 40 and sparked the fire. That fire weakened the floor of the trailer, but fire crews on the scene were able to extinguish the fire before it reached the inside.

As of 11:30am ET, one lane of Interstate 40 West had been reopened for traffic and was moving again. However, traffic remained backed up past the Interstate 81 split.

Racing America On SI has reached out to Venturini Motorsports in hopes of obtaining comment on the incident, as well as whether or not this fire will have any ramifications on the No. 55’s ability to compete in Saturday’s event. As of the time of publishing, no response has been received.

A native of Fort Mill, South Carolina, Isabella Robusto is in her rookie season of competition in the ARCA Menards Series, where she joins Lawless Alan as the two full-time drivers for Venturini Motorsports.

After a tough start to the season, Robusto sits sixth in ARCA Menards Series point standings on the strength of one top-five finish (a third at Talladega) and three top-10 finishes. Robusto is one of three drivers that will be driving for Venturini Motorsports this weekend, joining the aforementioned Lawless Alan and 2024 KDDP Champion Ty Fredrickson, who will drive the No. 25

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23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR went to court on Tuesday for a hearing as part of the teams’ antitrust lawsuit against the stock car racing series and its CEO Jim France. Judge Ken Bell of North Carolina’s Western District urged both sides to settle before the case is scheduled to go to trial Dec. 1.

“It’s hard to picture a winner if this goes to the mat — or to the flag — in this case,” Bell said, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “It scares me to death to think about what all this is costing.”

Details of Tuesday hearing between 23XI, Front Row vs. NASCAR

23XI and Front Row requested Tuesday’s hearing to dismiss NASCAR’s countersuit, which accuses the Cup Series teams of illegally conspiring to get better charter terms in the 2025-31 agreement. NASCAR attorneys argued that all the teams boycotted a council meeting in February 2024, per Pockrass. To NASCAR, that indicated the teams had the power to boycott a race. Jeffrey Kessler, attorney for 23XI and Front Row, argued the following:

“Kessler argued that because the teams did negotiate individually with NASCAR and because NASCAR negotiated with the Race Team Alliance and its Team Negotiating Committee, that there was nothing illegal about the teams trying to be aligned in their stance,” Pockrass wrote.

Bell said he would rule soon. The ongoing legal battle has taken several twists and turns since the teams filed the lawsuit Oct. 2, 2024, and this is just another step in the process.

“NASCAR knows it has no defense to the monopolization case. So, they have come up with this claim about joint negotiations, which they agreed to, never objected to, and now suddenly it’s an antitrust violation,” Kessler said, via Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports. “It makes absolutely no sense. It’s not going to help them deflect from the monopolizing they have done in this market and the harm they have inflicted.”

23XI, Front Row vs. NASCAR: How we got here

The antitrust lawsuit stemmed from 23XI and Front Row opting not to sign NASCAR’s final charter proposal last September at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Teams negotiated an extension of the original 2016 charter agreement for two years ahead of its Dec. 31 expiration. They made demands such as making charters permanent, which NASCAR refused to include in its proposals.

The final proposal came Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. ET. NASCAR allegedly gave teams a six-hour deadline to sign, threatening to “eliminate the charter system altogether for 2025 and beyond” if they did not. 23XI and Front Row were the two holdouts among the 15 Cup Series teams. The final offer included a nearly 50 percent increase that teams earned from NASCAR’s record $1.1 billion per year television deal that went into effect in 2025 and also runs through 2031.

Both teams secured a preliminary injunction to continue racing while the lawsuit is pending. The U.S. Court of Appeals made a major decision June 5, vacating the preliminary injunction that granted charter status to 23XI and Front Row. The teams have until Friday to submit a request for a rehearing by all judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals fourth circuit. Both sides are due back in court June 24.

Denny Hamlin is set to return to NASCAR Cup Series action this week, with Joe Gibbs Racing having announced a new sponsor for the No. 11 Toyota ahead of his comeback

Denny Hamlin, along with Joe Gibbs Racing, has unveiled a significant sponsorship agreement as he gears up to make his return to the NASCAR Cup Series. Hamlin skipped the recent Viva Mexico 250 over the weekend to support his wife during the birth of their third child, leading Ryan Truex to step in and drive the No. 11 Toyota.

This week marks Hamlin’s return to the wheel for JGR, which coincides with the announcement of a multi-year sponsorship deal with Bob’s Discount Furniture. The huge retailer, reported to be valued at more than $350 million, will first appear as a primary sponsor at the Iowa Corn 350 on August 3.

The latest boost comes after Hamlin put himself in an awkward situation with Michael Jordan and his legal team, and also delivered a candid verdict on rising star Carson Hocevar.

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Bob’s Discount Furniture President and CEO Bill Barton joined in the excitement, stating: “Partnering with Joe Gibbs Racing is a natural fit for Bob’s. We’re both committed to excellence, delivering value, and engaging with communities in meaningful ways. Debuting the Bob’s-branded No. 11 car at Bob’s Grand Opening in Winston-Salem, a region with deep NASCAR heritage and our newest store location, makes this moment even more special.”

In alignment with their new partnership, Hamlin and Gibbs are scheduled to attend the grand opening celebration of the Bob’s Discount Furniture outlet in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, set for July 17.

“We’re excited to welcome Bob’s to our No. 11 team and to have their new locations opening up close to home,” Hamlin said. “If you look at their marketing and social media, they do a great job being creative, so we’re really looking forward to what kind of ideas we can work on together both on and off the racetrack.”

As the 2025 Cup Series season approached, Hamlin had bid farewell to long-time sponsors FedEx and Mavis Tires but has since successfully inked new partnerships with Sports Clips, King’s Hawaiian, and National Debt Relief. Addressing the media before The Clash at Bowman Gray at the start of the season, he conceded that JGR’s sponsorship challenges were “maybe a little bit” worrisome.

“I mean it’s tough out there. Sponsorship is hard to come by and certainly while it’s such an important time in our sport to recognize the sponsorship dollars are not flowing like they used to, for sure. Everyone’s had to adjust quite a bit,” Hamlin remarked.

“Obviously you’ve got certain aspects that JGR has to price into their pricing as well that it’s probably tough. I don’t know, it’s just part of it. But certainly having one sponsor for 20 years made things pretty easy and now it’s all kind of catching up.

“Is it concerning from my end? Maybe a little bit, but it’s probably more concerning from JGR’s standpoint.” And he will be relieved those problems have since eased with Progressive and now Bob’s Furniture Discount on board.