Spire Motorsports punishes Carson Hocevar for derogatory comments about Mexico City
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Spire Motorsports fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 on Tuesday for derogatory comments he made about Mexico City on a live stream as NASCAR raced there last weekend.
Hocevar walked back the comments Sunday night with an apology and the 22-year-old admitted it was the first time he'd ever been outside the United States and believed all the negative things he'd read and heard about Mexico City.
'I am embarrassed by my comments," he posted in a lengthy apology.
Spire also ordered Hocevar to attend cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training.
Spire said the $50,000 fine will be donated in equal portions to three organizations that serve Mexican communities:
— Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross).
— Un Kilo de Ayuda, a nonprofit combating childhood malnutrition and supporting early-childhood development in rural communities.
— Fondo Unido México (United Way Mexico), which funds local NGOs that improve education, health, and housing in 22 Mexican states.
'These actions are consistent with Spire Motorsports' core value of RESPECT, which is something we proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel,' the team said in a statement. 'Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we 'walk the walk' in how we speak, compete, and serve the communities that welcome our sport.
'Carson Hocevar's recent comments made during the livestream fell short of that standard. They did not represent the views of Spire Motorsports, our partners, or NASCAR. He has acknowledged his mistake publicly, and his prompt, sincere apology demonstrated personal accountability. We now take this additional step to underscore that words carry weight, and respect must be lived out loud.'
Spire said it informed NASCAR of Hocevar's penalties and that it satisfied the sanctioning body's requirements.
'Together we remain committed to showcasing NASCAR's global growth, celebrating the passionate Mexican fanbase we experienced firsthand last weekend, and ensuring every member of our organization treats hosts, competitors, and communities with dignity,' Spire said.
'We look forward to turning the page by racing hard, representing our partners, and living our values on and off the track.'
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
recommended
in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
32 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Royals' All-Star reprise in Texas includes homer from Witt against his hometown team
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr.'s biggest memory from All-Star festivities in his hometown last summer was coming up about 6 inches short — his measurement — in the Home Run Derby. Now the star shortstop of the Kansas City Royals has his first homer that counts at the home of the Texas Rangers. Witt went deep in the fifth inning after sparking his offense with a double and a run scored in the first, and fellow 2024 All-Star Salvador Perez homered twice in a 6-1 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night. As for the other active Kansas City All-Star from last year in the trio's return to Globe Life Field, Seth Lugo struck out a season-high nine in his first victory since May 1. The right-hander allowed three hits and one run in six innings. Pretty good hat trick in an All-Star reprise as the Royals ended a six-game losing streak that tied their season worst. They also stopped a five-game skid against the Rangers, their co-tenant at spring training in Arizona. 'Seems like a little more than a year ago we were here and had good games,' said Lugo (4-5), forgetting for a moment that it's been about 11 months since he pitched a scoreless inning in the American League's 5-3 victory. 'And now we've got the W, so that's what's most important.' Left-hander Cole Ragans, whose career started with the Rangers, is the Royals' fourth All-Star from a year ago. He's on the injured list with a left rotator cuff strain. Witt — the son of former major league pitcher Bobby Witt, who spent 11 of his 16 big league seasons with the Rangers — lost the derby to Teoscar Hernández last July when a homer that would have forced a tiebreaker bounced off the wall in left field at Globe Life. The 25-year-old wasn't the starter at shortstop for the AL — that was Gunnar Henderson — but Witt played and struck out. His only other homer against the Rangers was in a 12-3 loss at home two years ago. His first at Globe Life was his ninth this season. 'It was great to just check off another ballpark,' said Witt, the former Dallas-area high school star who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft. 'But yeah, it was cool.' Perez made the biggest news of the night by breaking Hall of Famer George Brett's franchise record with his 18th career multihomer game. The significance wasn't lost on a nine-time All-Star who won a World Series with the Royals 10 years ago. Brett was on the franchise's other championship team 30 years before that. 'When you pass a Hall of Famer, now you know you're going to be next to him,' the 35-year-old Perez said. 'So it's super exciting for me.' ___
San Francisco Chronicle
32 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Yankees searching for answers after 3rd straight shutout
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees' offense is drifting toward uncharted territory — and not in a good way. The team tied a franchise record by getting shut out for the third straight game Tuesday night, when the Yankees went 0 for 10 with runners on base in a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. 'Obviously, we're not getting the job done,' outfielder Cody Bellinger said. 'We're not getting a lot of baserunners. We're not causing traffic. We've got to keep going and wake up tomorrow and we've got to get going.' The Yankees have been blanked in three consecutive games seven times in their 123-year history — but only three times in the last 50 years, most recently from Sept. 22-24, 2016. The last major league team to get shut out in four straight games was the Kansas City Royals in September 2017. 'It's a little bit foreign for us to go through this for a few days,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. New York has lost five in a row and mustered only five runs in its past six games, including a 1-0 win last Thursday in Kansas City. The last time the Yankees scored five runs or fewer in a six-game span was August 1968. In the past six games, New York is batting .164. Giancarlo Stanton is 4 for 8 in his first two games since returning from injuries to both elbows. But lineup mainstays Bellinger (.152 in his last eight games), Paul Goldschmidt (.164 in his last 17 games) and Aaron Judge (.125 in his last seven games) are all mired in extended slumps. Judge, who began the night leading the American League in all three Triple Crown categories, was booed following strikeouts in the sixth and eighth innings. Boone tinkered with his lineup — batting rookie Jasson Domínguez first and dropping Goldschmidt to sixth — but it didn't yield results for the Yankees, who were limited to four hits and got just three runners to second base against Kyle Hendricks and a trio of relievers. Boone implored the Yankees to remain patient at the plate but acknowledged they might have been pressing Tuesday, when they went up against the soft-tossing Hendricks on an unseasonably cool 67-degree night. 'You want to be the guy (to) kind of get the hit, get it going,' Boone said. 'But that's where the patience comes in and that's where just you can't obsess on the result. You can't go up there (like) 'I gotta get a hit, I gotta do this.' It's got to be, 'I gotta go take a tough at-bat.'' Even with the slump, the Yankees still rank among the top five teams in the majors in runs (370), homers (109) and OPS (.784). They finished among the top five in all three categories in five of Boone's first seven seasons as manager. 'It's been a little struggle the last couple days, which unfortunately is going to happen,' Boone said. 'It's just always shocking to see our group not score runs, right? Especially a few days in a row now. 'We've just got to focus on the little things — think small, big things come.'
San Francisco Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Florida Panthers star Sam Bennett wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Tuesday night after leading all players in goals scored to help the Florida Panthers win a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Bennett scored 15 goals during a postseason run that culminated with a victory in Game 6 of the final against the Edmonton Oilers. 'It's hard to describe. This is way harder than I thought it would be to win. and to win twice, we put so much work in,' he said. 'I'm so proud of this group. ... This is the best feeling in the world.' Bennett also was a factor throughout the playoffs making big hits, crowding the crease and knocking opponents off their game. He drew anger from the Toronto Maple Leafs after he elbowed goaltender Anthony Stolarz during Game 1 in the second round and he was a frequent presence in front of Edmonton goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. 'Everyone looks at the goals and rightfully so, but it's everything he does, even away from the puck," teammate Seth Jones said. 'His physical presence out there, his 200-foot game, the way he plays away from the puck defensively, how he is on face-offs, I think it's the complete package we're lucky to have. It's been a big part of our success. He puts a lot of teams, a lot of defensemen on their heels out there.' Bennett's game traveled, too. In Game 2 against Edmonton, he scored his 12th road goal of 2025 to set an NHL record. Bennett could parlay his massive postseason success into a lucrative contract as a free agent whether he re-signs with Florida or goes elsewhere. The 28-year-old said it has 'actually been pretty easy' to set aside his pending free agency and uncertain future. 'Competing for a Stanley Cup has always been my goal and my passion, and what I've wanted to do,' Bennett said before Game 6. 'That's just my focus. That's all I want, and it's been quite easy to just not even think about what's to come. I mean, yeah, it's really just a singular focus and that's how I've tried to handle it.' Bennett contributed to back-to-back goals in Game 1 by standing in front of and falling onto Skinner, and he made a big hit on Vasily Podkolzin and scored seconds later in Florida's Game 3 victory. All series, he was in the middle of the action. 'Physical player, incredible speed and then the hands to finish,' coach Paul Maurice said. In a lot of ways, Bennett embodies Panthers hockey: hard-nosed, tough, willing to mix it up and also skilled enough to take advantage of mistakes. 'He does it all — it's fun to watch,' fourth-liner Jonah Gadjovich said. 'He's throwing huge hits, he's playing hard defensively, working pucks in the corners, getting to the net, and obviously scoring a ton of goals. ... He's one of the leaders on the team, someone that we can all get behind.'
