Overview
- Hocevar repeatedly brake-checked Austin Cindric at Martinsville, which damaged Cindric’s front end and forced him from the race.
- Spire Motorsports parked Hocevar for the season finale and named Justin Haley to drive the No. 77 while Hocevar remains at the track but off the roster.
- NASCAR issued a $100,000 fine and a 25-point deduction for conduct detrimental to the sport and code-of-conduct violations, and granted a waiver that keeps his Martinsville points but ends his title bid.
- Hocevar posted an 18-minute apology video and told reporters he accepted responsibility, said he had knowingly taken a ‘percentage risk,’ and called the team suspension a necessary consequence.
- The team punishment and the league penalty reflect rising concern about repeat risky behavior, driver rivalries and safety with this season’s softer front-end packages making rear-end contact more damaging.