“Entitled to have a voice”: Denny Hamlin gives clear take on Zane Smith’s crew chief confronting Carson Hocevar at Iowa

During the Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway last Sunday, Carson Hocevar wrecked Zane Smith full and square, forcing him to settle for a P36 finish. Hocevar, however, managed to salvage a top-10 finish. After it was all over, Smith’s crew chief, Ryan Bergenty, walked up to the Spire Motorsports driver, demanding an explanation.

Several NASCAR pundits frowned at Carson Hocevar being confronted by Bergenty following the 350-lap event. According to them, a driver getting squared up by a fellow driver is fine, but a crew chief? Well, that shouldn’t happen.

But Denny Hamlin thought otherwise. In the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver explained his take on the matter. In his view, anyone who has worked on the car has the right to voice their opinion.

“I don't mind that,” Hamlin said of the encounter (43:15). “Why should we care about that? That's the guy that's responsible now, having to load that (expletive) car up into the hauler. I think anyone that works on the car is entitled to have a voice. Personally, that's what I think.”

Carson Hocevar wasn’t bothered by the consequences of his actions. Smith did try to wreck him back during the race, but missed. The drivers now have three races to bag their maiden win of the season. And if they don’t, making the playoffs this year on points alone could be tricky.

For now, all eyes are on Watkins Glen International. The 2.45-mile racetrack will host next week’s (August 10) race, marking the 24th event of the 2025 season. Named Go Bowling at The Glen, the 90-lap feature will be televised on USA (2 pm ET) with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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“It’s good for clicks and bad for results”- Denny Hamlin sends a clear message to Carson Hocevar regarding his antics on social media

Referring to the growing number of drivers who have a problem with him, Carson Hocevar dropped a post on Instagram after the race, which had a picture of a ticket counter with the message: “PLEASE Take A Number.” He added the song IDGAF by Drake to the post, which translates to ‘I don’t give a f***.’

Something like that could make Hocevar go viral on social media, but according to Denny Hamlin, it might backfire in the long run. Detailing the same, Hamlin said in a statement,

“It was an accident, but I’m telling you that it’s good for clicks and bad for results. I think he’s out for clicks right now. That’s my opinion. You’re gonna be in contention and someone is gonna clean you out and they’re gonna say, ‘I took a number.’ I just feel you’re gonna pay. You’re gonna pay at the most inopportune time when it was your day.” “You can choose the path you want, but Brad Keselowski went through this, Joey Logano went through this and ask them — they would tell you right now they’ve changed because they’ve wised up to what it takes to be successful long-term in the series,” Hamlin further added.

Carson Hocevar has yet to log his career-first triumph in the Cup Series. NASCAR is a contact sport, so one could say that Hocevar’s driving style aligns with its nuances. However, it’s also true that the Portage, Michigan, native has made a lot of enemies in just his sophomore year driving the No. 77 car.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee