NASCAR: Spire Motorsports fines Carson Hocevar $50,000 for calling Mexico City a 'sh*thole' during livestream

Yahoo

11 hours ago

Spire Motorsports has fined driver Carson Hocevar $50,000 for his derogatory comments about Mexico City on a Twitch stream.
Hocevar called Mexico City a "sh*thole" on a live stream while in the city for Sunday's Cup Series race. He was complaining about the city and logistics of the event and said 'it'd be an absolutely great experience' but only 'if you take all those out, it's unbelievable. It's great.'
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Hocevar apologized for his comments in a social media post on Sunday night after the race, but that didn't spare him from the punishment. He said his post on X that he had 'never been out of the country until Thursday.'
Spire said in its post announcing Hocevar's punishment that he's also required to take cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training. The fine will be distributed among the Mexican Red Cross, the United Way Mexico and Un Kilo de Ayuda, a nonprofit that helps childhood nutrition and development in rural communities across the country.
'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's statement said. '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 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.'
Hocevar, 22, finished 34th out of 37 drivers in the inaugural Cup race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. He again drew the ire of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for contact during the race after Stenhouse crashed into the wall off Hocevar's bumper two weeks prior in Nashville.
Hocevar is currently 20th in the standings and has finished in the top five twice through the first 16 races of the season. He's shown speed at all three levels of NASCAR, but Stenhouse isn't the only driver he's ticked off with the way he races. In 2023, Hocevar infamously spun Corey Heim as the two were among the four drivers racing for the Truck Series title in the championship race. Less than 30 laps after Hocevar spun Heim, Heim retaliated by crashing Hocevar himself.