Ross Chastain stands up for Carson Hocevar, takes on mentorship role

It’s been a difficult time on the track of late for NASCAR Cup Series rookie Carson Hocevar, who picked up a hefty monetary fine and points penalty from an incident in Nashville. But despite barbs coming from fellow drivers, Hocevar has found at least one ally in the pits among his fellow drivers.

Speaking about the young driver, Ross Chastain took up for Hocevar amidst his rocky start so far this year. Chastain recalled breaking into the Cup Series at a young age himself as he talked about what the 20-year-old Hocevar is experiencing.

“I think back to what I was doing at 20 years old and I wasn’t that fast,” Chastain said, according to Sportsnaut. “I am constantly amazed at how he makes speed with these cars. And then off the track, he has a group around him that is there to help him grow and grow with him for the long haul. Because he’s so fast, they are invested in growing with him.”

And Chastain’s support is buttressed by support for Hocevar from others in his corner: Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson (who’s agency once represented Chastain) and Phil Smalley, an agent who has worked with Chastain and now Hocevar.

Dickerson, in particular, has been helpful for Hocevar, Chastain said.

“[Carson] and I talked yesterday and he has a good group of people here at the track so he doesn’t need me,” Chastain said. “He’s got Jeff Dickerson and he’s great. I talked to him earlier in the week. One of Jeff’s strong suits is that he’s very good at dealing with this and helped me get through some of my past mistakes. It was really refreshing to hear from Jeff and what they went through and how they worked through it this week.”

Hocevar addressed the recent spat

Hocevar had been in the news for all the wrong reasons following an incident with Harrison Burton at Nashville Superspeedway last weekend.

After the pair had been battling for a myriad of laps, Hocevar decided to show his frustration with Burton, right-rear-hooking him under caution in a shocking turn of events. Of course, wrecking someone under caution is a big no-no, and it’s something that multiple drivers and media members were angry about.

Additionally, Hocevar was fined $50,000 and docked 25 driver points for violating the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct, NASCAR announced Tuesday evening. The penalty dropped Hocevar from 22nd to 24th in the standings, 181 points behind the playoff cutline. Effectively, it’s now caused Hocevar to need a win to get into the playoffs, even more than before the penalty. 

Ahead of this weekend’s race in Chicago, Hocevar is trying to move past the incident, “I respect their decision,” Hocevar said to FOX’s Bob Pockrass, regarding his punishment. “It doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree.”