Zane Smith’s crew member rips Carson Hocevar, calling him “fu**ing re**rd” for Iowa disaster

Zane Smith's No.38 team was left fuming after a final-stage incident with Carson Hocevar at Iowa Speedway. A crew member of Smith's team confronted Hocevar during a post-race interview and hurled slurs at the Spire Motorsports driver.

During Sunday's (August 3) Iowa Corn 350, Hocevar had leveraged multiple caution periods to position himself among the top-15, but a final lap spin on Stage 2 sent him further back. On lap 229, the #77 driver was running alongside Smith when he got loose and tagged the #38 Ford, causing him to find the barriers.

The incident derailed Smith's mid-pack run and dropped him six laps down for a dismal 36th, while Hocevar finished among the top-10 at eighth. During a post-race interview with NASCAR reporter Stephen Strumph, Smith's crew chief, Ryan Bergenty, approached Hocevar and launched a heated tirade.

"A crew member from the 38 team confronted Hocevar after the race while I was interviewing him. Only quote I could make out from the conversation was “our car is fucking wrecked because you drive like a fu**ing r****d.”," Strumph wrote via X.

Before the whole ordeal, Carson Hocevar had discussed his thoughts on the race.

"Yeah, I felt like our car was pretty good, you know, just kind of stretchy. I don’t know if anybody could have predicted how this race works, you know," he said via aforementioned source.

Zane Smith had already lost a combined 50 places over the three races leading into Iowa, and unfortunately for the #38 team, the slump will carry over into Watkins Glen.

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Carson Hocevar blames 'f**king idiots' for mid-race spin at Iowa

Carson Hocevar had qualified an impressive seventh for Sunday's race. However, a flurry of cautions disrupted the race proceedings, with one particular restart spelling disaster for Hocevar.

During the final lap of Stage 2, Hocevar fell victim to a stacked-up restart and spun out after making contact with John Hunter Nemechek. He finished the stage 29th and took to his team radio to voice his frustration (via X/The Racing Underdogs):

"ugh, I just have f**king idiots around me...tired of this s*it," Carson Hocevar said.

Carson Hocevar's comments over team radio. Source: @X/Racingunderdogs

Ironically, Hocevar has earned himself a new nickname that speaks to his aggressive on-track actions. NBC commentators called him 'The Hurricane,' and it seems like the title has stuck with fans.

Hocevar previously drew the ire of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney for his shunts involving the two drivers. For the repeat offence, Stenhouse threatened the 22-year-old with physical violence.

Nonetheless, the Spire driver has shown promise in his sophomore season. With six top-10s and two runner-up finishes, Hocevar currently ranks 22nd with 443 points. The Iowa race also bumped him a spot on the drivers' standings.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar