Zane Smith expressed his displeasure with Carson Hocevar following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the No. 38 rammed into the back of Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet after the two made contact during the final run of the race.
While Smith was frustrated with Hocevar, there seems to have been a misunderstanding over what happened. However, the Front Row Motorsports driver made it clear he did not care.
Hocevar finished 12th in Sunday’s race, while Smith posted a 15th-place result.
Zane Smith on Post-Race Contact With Carson Hocevar: ‘I Don’t Give a [Expletive]
It was contact between Hocevar and Ross Chastain that started it all.
Entering turn 3, Hocevar got run into the back of by Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet, sending him into Smith’s No. 38 Ford. However, Smith did not see it that way as he smashed into the back of the Spire Motorsports driver after the checkered flag waved.
Smith was made aware after the post-race contact that it was Chastain who triggered the incident.
“Just so you know, the 1 (Chastain) was apparently the one that shipped the 77 (Hocevar) into us.”
Yet, it did not seem like Smith cared.
“I don’t give a [expletive],” Smith said.
Smith was then told over his team radio that they were just letting him know the information but figured he did not care.
“Yeah, I figured. I was just letting you know.”
Full breakdown of Zane Smith ramming into Carson Hocevar after the checkered flag including the onboard from Ross Chastain's car.
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) October 18, 2026
The corner before it looked like Hocevar crossed Chastain's left front on exit and that it was very close. Can't say definitively if that had… https://t.co/DjD4aKNlsDpic.twitter.com/TxhVwgX1aV
Hocevar and Smith previously had a run-in at the July Chicagoland race. In the race, Smith made contact with Hocevar’s rear bumper, but ended up taking himself out in the process.
Following the Chicagoland incident, Smith made an appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast.
“You’ll have run-ins with certain guys, and you’ll have that throughout your career with certain people,” Smith said. “He’ll try to talk to you after saying, ‘Oh, I don’t talk to anybody out there.’ But he’s full of [expletive]. He tries to be your buddy and then will go and screw you. Like, just don’t talk to me in the first place because, one, I don’t like you, and we’re gonna eventually have a run-in together, so let’s just not talk in the first place.”
Both drivers are in their respective third full-time season of NASCAR Cup Series competition. This year, Hocevar ranks 11th in the points standings after making his first Chase appearance. Hocevar captured his first career victory last April at Talladega.
Smith, meanwhile, ranks 26th in the points standings and has yet to find victory lane at the Cup level.