Overview
- Contact on Sept. 6 at Darlington sent Brad Keselowski into the wall when Carson Hocevar’s car made rear contact on Lap 107 and ended Keselowski’s strong run.
- Keselowski publicly warned Hocevar that “his day’s coming” and said he would “fight back with anybody,” comments that kept tension high in the week before Gateway.
- NASCAR discussed the Darlington incident at its competition meeting but announced no penalties and said it would monitor the situation during the next races.
- At Gateway Hocevar raced cleanly to an eighth‑place finish, moved up in the Chase standings, and spent about 20 minutes signing autographs, demonstrating strong fan engagement.
- The garage is split between veterans who criticize Hocevar’s approach and voices who say the attention helps the sport, while Spire co‑owner Jeff Dickerson warned that any retaliation could draw RFK Racing’s playoff cars into the conflict.