Carson Hocevar draws the ire of Zane Smith and FRM crew chief

As he tried to fight back from a mid-race incident, Carson Hocevar got loose underneath Zane Smith and sent the Front Row Motorsports driver spinning into the outside wall.

However, things did not end there as the damaged No. 38 Ford of Smith appeared to try and get payback later in the race, taking a swipe at the No. 77 and missing. Hocevar even reacted to it on the radio saying, "nice try." 

Zane Smith's attempt to wreck Hocevar pic.twitter.com/FPgsXEYL9A

— Andrew (@Basso488) August 3, 2025

Hocevar rebounded to finish eighth at Iowa Speedway, while Smith finished several laps down in 36th.

“It was just another work of art from [team owner] Jeff Dickerson, wanting us to fight through adversity and be able to come out with a good result," said Hocevar as he reflected on the race. "That’s what he’s preached and that’s what we’ve been focusing on. We were turned around at one point and just struggling to go anywhere. We were just able to reset and regroup. Luke [Lambert, crew chief] did a really good job for this No. 77 Chevrolet team to at least put something on the board and be able to go into next weekend with a little momentum with two top-10s in a row.”

Post-race confrontation

While he didn't directly address the incident with Smith in the above quotes, the opposing FRM team was eager to address it with him. Ryan Bergenty, who works as the crew chief for the No. 38, confronted Hocevar after the race in a heated conversation. Frontstretch.com reporter Stephen Stumpf even caught the beginning of the tense interaction on video.

Hocevar has been involved in several run-ins this year, including an infamous multi-week feud with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as well as various other drivers throughout the field. The 22-year-old is having an impressive season with flashes speed, but Smith is just the latest of many enemies he has made along the way.

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