Spire Boss Takes Parental Tone with Carson Hocevar After Nashville Clash

Newsweek

06-06-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson has revealed a unique parental approach to deal with his 22-year-old driver, Carson Hocevar, who crashed into the rear of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s car in Nashville. Hocevar has made news in the world of NASCAR through his stellar performances, but his aggressive driving doesn't go unnoticed.
Hocevar finished the Cracker Barrel 400 in second place despite the incident, while Stenhouse Jr. came last. What made Stenhouse Jr. more furious was the fact that Hocevar did not approach him after the race, and thus, the Hyak Motorsports driver hinted at a payback in the future. Stenhouse Jr. even escalated the matter to Dickerson.
Dickerson made it clear to Hocevar that the clash was unnecessary. Speaking on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, he said:
Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee."Full transparency here's what I said: 'Man, you didn't need to do that. You know, you just didn't need to do that.' It wasn't going to cost him anything to let Ricky back in line."
He added:
"I just wish he would have cut him a break. I have a personal relationship with Ricky, and so I don't want that to cloud it. I'm like, 'S**t man.'"
Dickerson then admitted that he counsels Hocevar like a parent. Revealing his mature approach that most likely offers his driver a unique perspective, he said:
"There's plenty of times I go to Carson and I'm just like, '35-year-old Carson is not going to be cool with what you just did, or what you just said.' This isn't a Carson thing I think it's in general, they're too young to know that it's cool to be like, 'Man, I f***ed that up.' Know what I'm saying?
"And that's where I wish they would help themselves more. But again, I want to teach Carson how it is, quote, unquote.
"I'm not trying to change him. I certainly don't want to get in car-crashing contests out there, right? And Ricky to me is a guy that, like, he's not going to wreck our car, he's going to go beat the hell out of him. You know what I'm saying? Which is how it probably should be, you know what I mean? But you can't get it until you go through it, right? So, it's like being a parent, sometimes your kid just wants to shut his hand in the car door to see if it hurts, right? Sometimes you just gotta let them."