Ex-NASCAR driver downplays Carson Hocevar’s controversial comments about Mexico City: Not ‘that big of a deal’

Ahead of last week’s Cup Series event at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar hopped on a Twitch livestream and called the race a “sh*thole.” Although he was fined for his comments, Kenny Wallace thinks that Hocevar wasn’t out of line.

The Viva Mexico 250 was the first Cup Series race since 1958 held outside of the US. It was also the first time Carson Hocevar had been outside of the United States. So he believed all the negative things that he heard about Mexico City.

As per FOX Sports, the 22-year-old driver was handed a $50,000 fine and asked to undergo “cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training.” The money will be distributed evenly among three non-profit organizations, namely Cruz Roja Mexicana, Un Kilo de Ayuda, and Fondo Unido México.

Meanwhile, this is what former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace said about Hocevar’s fiasco in one of his recent YouTube videos:

“Carson Hocevar got in trouble for saying (a) little something about Mexico City. Now I just didn't think it was that big of a deal. I'm sorry. I did not think it was that big of a deal. However, his team Spire, they're cutting everybody off at the pass (4:00 onwards).”

That being said, Carson Hocevar will still race this coming Sunday (June 22) at Pocono Raceway. Named The Great American Getaway 400, the 160-lap event will be televised on Amazon Prime Video from 2 pm ET onwards, with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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"This has been really hard to watch”- Dale Earnhardt Jr. responds to Carson Hocevar’s feud with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

During the final stage of the Mexico City race last Sunday, Carson Hocevar wrecked fellow racer Ricky Stenhouse Jr. This led to the latter walking up to Hocevar’s car, saying that he was going to pay him back when they got back in the States.

Just recently, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts on the Hocevar-Stenhouse beef. He said (as quoted by On3),

“This has been really hard to watch, honestly, because Ricky Stenhouse was 20 points above the cut line going into Nashville. That team does not belong in the playoff conversation, but they were overachieving incredibly.” “A compliment to them, backhanded, I suppose, but also a compliment to Ricky for just doing what he could do to be able to get them the best opportunity every single week,” Dale Jr. added.

While Carson Hocevar went ahead and finished 34th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. delivered a P27, bagging 10 points on the way. As per the championship rankings, the drivers sit 20th and 21st, respectively.

Hocevar is just one spot ahead of Stenhouse, who currently owns 312 points. They will face off this coming Sunday at Pocono "Tricky Triangle" Raceway.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua